Windows 11 can foster high-quality, native apps experiences

Microsoft Windows has been around for the better part of 40 years, making it one of the most long-standing consumer operating systems of all time. Through the decades, the OS has amassed a gargantuan catalog of computer programs and software applications, some of which have gone on to become truly iconic.

For better or worse, Windows’ status as a legacy desktop operating system comes with some caveats — including decades-old baggage in the app ecosystem department. Many of the best third-party apps on the platform utilize antiquated interface paradigms, outdated visuals, and overall feel out of place in the modern day.

Thankfully, a select number of Windows developers have taken it upon themselves to craft truly modern app experiences for the Windows 11 era and beyond. These apps embrace Microsoft’s modern Fluent Design principles, offer responsive and touch-friendly interface elements, and come with dark modes, transparency, and several other visual flourishes.

Here are my picks of some of the best modern third-party Windows 11 apps — each of these entries offers native user interface elements, Fluent Design theming, and much more.

1 Ambie White Noise

Perfect for kicking back and relaxing

Ambie White Noise

Ambie White Noise is a fluid and modern Windows 11 app that makes it easy to study, to relax, or to fall asleep to ambient sounds of nature.

If you’re like me and have trouble sleeping when there’s a ruckus or chatter in the background, then Ambie is the perfect solution. As with other white noise apps, there’s a selection of relaxing nature scenes and soothing sounds to choose from here, which can help to drown out unwanted noise while promoting restfulness in the process.

Ambie is a beautifully built app that fits right in with Windows 11’s modern Fluent Design guidelines. The app is free to start with, but a paid Ambie+ subscription is required to unlock the full selection of sounds and white noise options. The free version is all you need to get started with Ambie’s Focus Timer and Focus Session tools, which act as a pomodoro mode.

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2 Character Map UWP

Easily access Windows’ massive font and character database

Character Map UWP

Character Map UWP is a third-party replacement for Windows’ default Character Map selection tool, and it provides a clean and modern interface design.

The default Windows Character Map is something of a hot mess. It hasn’t been updated in years, and so its interface sticks out like a nineties-themed sore thumb. Thankfully, the free third-party Character Map UWP app serves as a graceful replacement. The app is a fully modernized solution for browsing through and copying typefaces, fonts, and characters.

Character Map UWP is more than a pretty face, too: the app has advanced options for copying and exporting characters, a comparison tool, support for multiple tabs, a font properties pane, and more.

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3 ClipShelf

Clipboard history, but within easier reach

ClipShelf

ClipShelf is a well-designed Windows 11 clipboard manager app that makes it easy to pin your copy history within a dedicated graphical user interface.

Windows has a built-in clipboard management tool, but I prefer using the free ClipShelf app instead of Microsoft’s default solution. Clipshelf adds a beautiful Windows 11-themed strip to the top or bottom of your display, and populates with your clipboard history for easy access and cross-referencing purposes.

ClipShelf also provides its own set of keyboard shortcuts for easy access, as well as several customization tools. The app is free to use, though some of its more advanced features are locked behind a paywall.

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4 FluentCast

Native podcasting meets Windows

FluentCast

FluentCast is a modern and feature-packed podcast app for Windows 11 that includes auto-download, playback history, and much more.

Unfortunately, Windows 11 still lacks a native first-party podcasting application to call its own. Thankfully, the third-party FluentCast app is here to the rescue. The app is a free solution that looks and feels every bit like an in-box Windows experience, which makes it a great fit for the OS.

In addition to all the podcast streaming basics that you’d expect to find, FluentCast offers up iTunes integration for searching through popular shows listed on Apple’s own podcasting service. Other useful features include auto downloads, playback history, picture-in-picture, new episode notifications, and more.

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5 Fluent Emoji Gallery

Microsoft’s emoji rock — now you can view them in catalog form

Fluent Emoji Gallery

Fluent Emoji Gallery is the ideal way to browse through Microsoft’s modern Fluent-style emoji pictograms, with options to view in 3D, 2D, and monochrome.

When Microsoft redesigned its emoji library a few years back, it hyped up its new Fluent-themed pictographs to a great degree. Personally, I’m a big fan of the new look, especially when compared to competing emoji styles on the market. If you’ve ever wanted to peruse through the full catalog of available smileys, symbols, and more, then the free Fluent Emoji Gallery app is your one-stop shop solution.

The app currently contains over 1,594 individual emoji designs, each of which is sourced from official Microsoft repositories. What makes Fluent Emoji Gallery such a joy to use is its modern and Windows 11-styled interface design, which serves as pure eye candy.

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6 FluentWeather

Fluid weather forecasts without the interface bloat

FluentWeather

FluentWeather is an excellent third-party weather app for Windows 11 that follows modern Fluent Design interface guidelines.

There are several excellent weather applications available for Windows 11, but none hit the mark quite as well as FluentWeather. This free app is laser-focused on providing a clean, native-feeling forecasting interface, and it succeeds in doing so — it puts many of Microsoft’s own in-box outs to shame in terms of visual coherency and user experience.

FluentWeather is open-source, and offers up a ton of insightful weather metrics. Everything you’d expect to find is present and accounted for, including daily weather forecasting details, changeable temperature units, background refresh support, and more.

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7 Ink Workspace

The ideal companion for Windows Inkers

Ink Workspace

Ink Workspace is a well-designed Windows 11 app that provides a central location for various digital inking-based features and tools.

If you use a digital pen for Windows Inking purposes, then the free Ink Workspace app is the perfect tool for you. When launched, it opens a dedicated flyout panel that’s filled with useful information and quick-access links.

A Windows 10 live tile-esque app launcher can be configured, as can a quick note-taking pane and a recently opened files section. The app also provides glanceable access to your pen battery level, as well as suggestions on other ink-friendly Windows applications available on the Microsoft Store.

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8 FlowBoard

A Fluent canvas of endless possibilities

FlowBoard – FireCube’s Edition

Flowboard is an open-source and free-flowing whiteboard application that makes excellent use of Windows 11’s modern interface design principles. 

There’s a lot of utility to be found in a digital free-form whiteboard app, and FlowBoard is an exemplar of the genre. The app is free and open-source, and offers up a beautiful Fluent Design canvas for taking notes, doodling, and more.

FlowBoard is well-optimized for touch input with its broad tablet form factor support, and it works well with digital pens like the Surface Slim Pen 2. The app’s canvas is infinitely zoomable, making it a flexible tool for putting pen to (digital) paper.

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9 Mica™️

Enjoy the beauty of Microsoft’s Mica material

Mica™️

Mica™️ is a simple-yet-mesmerizing Windows 11 application that displays a window filled with Microsoft’s Mica material, along with a few additional options.

Mica™️ is perhaps the quirkiest app on this list, but I can’t help but love it for what it is. Upon launching the app, you’re greeted with a no-thrills window filled with Microsoft’s translucent Mica material from one corner to the next. Right-clicking anywhere on the screen opens the settings pane, with options to adjust opacity and the like.

At first blush, Mica™️’s utility might not seem obvious, but I’ve found it to be the perfect PC screensaver. When combined with the pulsating ‘Bloom’ effect, I find myself staring into Mica to elicit a sense of relaxation. Microsoft has neglected to update Windows’ screensavers for years at this point (the Control Panel applet still depicts a CRT monitor on screen), and so Mica™️ has assumed total control of my own makeshift setup.

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10 Protecc

Enjoy two-factor authentication in style

Protecc – 2FA Authenticator TOTP

Protecc is an open-source two-factor authentication (2FA) code generation tool that offers an interface inspired by Fluent Design principles. 

Two-factor authentication is an essential component of securing your online accounts from fraud, hacking attempts, and other bad digital actors. In short, it adds another step to the login process, with authenticator apps checking though strings of digits that act as keys.

Most people think of mobile apps like Google Authenticator or 2FAS when it comes to authentication tools, but Protecc is a PC program equivalent that’s worth its merits. The app is free and open-source, has built-in support for Windows Hello biometric authentication, and serves up your auto-generated codes in a stylish Fluent-style interface.

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11 Unigram

The best Telegram client for Windows

Unigram—Telegram for Windows

Unigram is a third-party Telegram client application for Windows 11 that offers a native look and feel, secure messaging, and syncing support.

Social media apps have a pretty bad track record when it comes to following native operating system design guidelines, opting to implement their own in-house styling instead. Unigram is a Telegram Messenger app for Windows 11 that bridges the divide, mixing secure messaging with modern and fluid visual design.

UNigram is a free application, and it maintains Telegram’s potent mix of 56-bit symmetric AES encryption, 2048-bit RSA encryption, and Diffie–Hellman secure key exchange for keeping all your chat logs secured and locked down.

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12 Wintoys

Powerful customization tools wrapped in an attractive package

Wintoys

Wintoys is a one-stop-shop Windows 11 app that provides many customization options, repair tools, and a built-in cleaner feature.

Wintoys is an incredibly useful Windows 11 application that provides easy access to a number of system functions and tools. The app can surface key PC specifications, can function as a repair tool sans-Terminal commands, and can help you save space via its cleaner feature.

Best of all, Wintoys is an entirely free piece of software, and it expertly melds power user features with an intuitive and modern interface design that makes it feel straight out of Microsoft’s own app portfolio.

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