Completely free to use A very simple app where you can drag and drop everything Gadgets can be placed anywhere and fixed to always stay on top The opacity of the gadgets can be tweaked No ads or filler content
Cons
Gadgets lack diversity New gadgets are not released often enough
8GadgetPack
Price: $
It's hard not to feel nostalgic about desktop gadgets originally introduced in Windows Vista, preserved in Windows 7, but discontinued in later versions of Windows OS. They performed various tasks such as displaying notes, time and date, resource usage, etc. However, don't say goodbye to them just yet...
8GadgetPack is a free tool which enables Windows 8, 8.1, and 10 users to run some of the original gadgets for Windows Vista and Windows 7, along with some user-made gadgets which can really boost your performance and provide useful info at the side of your screen.
Adding gadgets is as easy as dragging and dropping them from the list to your screen. As of writing this review, there are 58 gadgets to choose from, ranging from calendars, clocks, resource monitors, to unit converters, notes, and weather information. They can be arranged at the side of your desktop screen or dragged to any location on your screen. Also, you can easily make them appear on top no matter which app you have open.
There are no ads or filler content which would make the app annoying or difficult to use. It's as simple as the original app developed by Microsoft and it can be quite useful for those who enjoyed this feature on Windows Vista or Windows 7. However, the current choice of gadgets doesn't provide much diversity and there is nothing we haven't seen already. The app would be a must-have if new gadgets were released often enough.
Reviewed by Vedin Klovo (editor rating 4 out of 5 stars)
on
Additional info
Minimum requirements
• Some gadgets require the .NET Framework to be installed • Administrative rights are required to install