ScrnFix vs PowerToys

PowerToys is Microsoft's bundle of Windows utilities — FancyZones, PowerRename, Keyboard Manager, ColorPicker, and more. ScrnFix is a single-purpose workspace manager. They don't really compete. Here's the honest take.

What PowerToys gives you

• FancyZones — define custom grid zones on each monitor, snap windows with Shift+drag.
• PowerRename — batch file rename with regex.
• Keyboard Manager — remap keys and shortcuts system-wide.
• ColorPicker — eyedropper for any pixel on screen.
• Always on Top — pin any window above everything.
• File Locksmith, Text Extractor, Registry Preview, Quick Accent, ~20 other utilities.

Price: free. Maintained by Microsoft on GitHub.

What ScrnFix gives you

• Save every open app's window position as a named preset.
• One hotkey to launch missing apps and reposition existing ones (Launch + Restore).
• Multiple presets per system (Coding / Gaming / Streaming) with independent hotkeys.
• Boot-time automation: Windows starts → ScrnFix applies preset.
• Tray menu with visible preset switcher.

Price: 14-day free beta; $11 Founding Lifetime.

The overlap

Only FancyZones touches window management, and even there it's a grid/zone tool — not a workspace manager. FancyZones helps you drop a window into a pre-defined slot. ScrnFix remembers the whole workspace (which apps, in which slots, on which monitor) and restores it all at once.

Use PowerToys if…

• You want a grab bag of Windows utilities, maintained by Microsoft, free forever.
• Your window-management need is "a better snap grid."
• You're comfortable with open-source tooling and GitHub issues.

Use ScrnFix if…

• Your pain is "every morning I spend 2-3 minutes opening and arranging apps."
• You want full-workspace context switching in one hotkey.
• You want launch automation (not just position snapping).

Use both

Plenty of users run PowerToys alongside ScrnFix. PowerToys for its 20 other utilities, ScrnFix for the workspace preset feature it doesn't have. Nothing conflicts.