ExplorerTabUtility (ETU) is a good free, open-source project and the main alternative to TidyMerge; pretending otherwise would insult your intelligence. Plain Windows 11 is what everyone already has. Here's the straight comparison.
| TidyMerge | ExplorerTabUtility | Windows 11 built-in tabs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 one-time, 7-day free trial | Free | Included in Windows |
| Source model | Closed source, supported product | Open source (GitHub) | Closed (it's Windows) |
| Merge all open windows into one tabbed window | ✓ One click or Ctrl+Shift+M; duplicates removed, tabs sorted | ✓ | ✗ No merge function exists |
| Auto-route new windows into tabs | ✓ With drag-out (tear-off) detection so deliberate new windows stay separate | ✓ | ✗ Inconsistent — many actions still spawn new windows |
| Tab quick-switcher | ✓ Ctrl+Shift+Space; shows full paths, jumps to the exact tab even when two tabs share a name | ✓ Searchable switcher | ✗ |
| Reopen closed tab | ✓ Ctrl+Shift+T | ✓ | ✗ |
| Custom folder hotkeys | ✓ Configurable (e.g. Ctrl+Alt+1 → a folder, opens as a tab) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Workspaces (save/restore named sets of folders) | ✓ Including restore from the taskbar Jump List | ✗ | ✗ |
| Sort, dedupe, exclusion list, survivor policy | ✓ All configurable | Partial | ✗ |
| Reliability engineering | Crash logging, tray survives Explorer restarts, hotkeys re-verified after sleep/wake, atomic settings writes, plain-language warning when a Windows update changes Explorer internals | Community-maintained; quality is good, guarantees are best-effort | N/A |
| Distribution & updates | Microsoft Store — signed, no SmartScreen warnings, automatic updates, Store-handled refunds | GitHub releases / winget | Windows Update |
| Support | Email a human (support@updogtechnologies.com), 48-hour reply target | GitHub issues, volunteer time | Microsoft support |
| Privacy | No tracking, no network access, no accounts — fully local | Local (open source — auditable) | Standard Windows telemetry |
| Requirements | Windows 11 22H2+ | Windows 11 22H2+ | Windows 11 22H2+ |
Which one should you use?
Use plain Windows 11 if window sprawl doesn't actually bother you. Tabs exist; Ctrl+T opens one; if you rarely have more than two or three Explorer windows open, you don't need either utility, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something. (I am selling something. You still might not need it.)
Use ExplorerTabUtility if you want free and open source — full stop, that's a legitimate and sufficient reason. ETU covers the core job well: converting windows to tabs, with a searchable switcher, hotkeys, reopen-closed-tab, and session restore. If you're comfortable with GitHub-style distribution and issue trackers, it may be all you ever need.
Use TidyMerge if you live in File Explorer all day and want the supported-product version of the idea: Workspaces to save and restore whole project contexts, a switcher that shows full paths so two folders named docs are never a guess, and the reliability work — surviving Explorer restarts and sleep/wake cycles, crash logs that turn into fixes, and a plain-language heads-up when a Windows update breaks things rather than silent failure. You're paying $4.99 once for polish, the workspace workflow, and a developer whose email you have. The 7-day trial exists precisely so you can decide whether that trade is worth it on your machine, not mine.