Windows equivalent of thesweetsetup?

May 19, 2024 12:25 AM

Where do Windows people go to find app reviews and recommendations? I'm trying to find a decent pomodoro/clock app and they're pretty terrible, let alone a calendar app. Apple's walled garden and comparatively small selection made it easy to find decent UI and features, but with Windows, I'm at sea. Please recommend review sites you trust. I don't need specific app recommendations but sites.

I switched to Windows for my personal laptop after decades on Mac plus only using Windows in very locked down corporate places. I am installing Linux, but have to run Windows as well for certain work apps so use it a fair amount. I'm on Windows 11 if that matters.

posted by dorothyisunderwood to Computers & Internet (6 answers total)

I mostly start such a quest with a regular search: pomodoro technique clock review

I have come to realize that for any topic, someone on reddit is talking about it.
posted by SemiSalt at 5:01 AM on May 19, 2024 [1 favorite]

In the past when I've looked for pomodoro timers I've had much better luck searching for browser extensions vs Windows apps, and those extension sites - e.g. for Firefox, Chrome etc. - include decent enough reviews.
posted by my log does not judge at 5:28 AM on May 19, 2024 [1 favorite]

This is not Windows specific and reviews aren't always included unless it is really popular, but I use Alternative To. You can search by feature or by software name and find a list of alternatives that you can also filter by OS and by license type: Free, Open Source, or Paid. Here is an example of the other options it lists for an OCR product.
posted by soelo at 7:35 AM on May 19, 2024 [5 favorites]

The apps curated at ninite.com are generally high quality.
posted by splitpeasoup at 8:37 AM on May 19, 2024 [5 favorites]

The apps curated at ninite.com are generally high quality

and their hands-free multi-app installer/updater Just Works as well. Ninite is always the first place I look for Windows apps.

One usage tip for managing Ninite installers: if you've already downloaded a Ninite installer for a bunch of apps, and you want to add one more app or make some other small change, it's nice to be able to preload the checkboxes on their app selection page with ticks for the apps your existing installer already covers. When you click Get Your Ninite on the app selection page, and your browser begins the download process for your customized installer, there's a "change apps" link near top left on the page the download is launched from that you can bookmark to do just that.
posted by flabdablet at 11:06 AM on May 19, 2024 [2 favorites]

Nthing both ninite and AlternativeTo. Most of the software that falls into this sort of category comes to me from one of those two places. The built-in Windows Store can work as a last resort but IME it's pretty hit or miss.
posted by Aleyn at 6:02 PM on May 20, 2024