DevToys vs PowerToys: two different kinds of toolbox

DevToys vs PowerToys is a common mix-up, because the names sound like siblings. They are not: PowerToys is a set of Windows utilities for managing windows, keys and launchers, while DevToys is a desktop app of developer converters and formatters. If what you actually want is DevToys-style tools without installing anything, AyeTab puts them in Chrome for free.

The one-line difference

• PowerToys changes how Windows behaves.
• DevToys transforms the text and data you work with.

What PowerToys is

Microsoft PowerToys is a free, open-source set of utilities from Microsoft for power users and developers on Windows. Its tools include FancyZones for window layouts, Keyboard Manager for remapping keys, a Color Picker, and launchers such as PowerToys Run and Command Palette. You install it once and it adds features to the operating system.

What DevToys is

DevToys is a free, open-source desktop app that calls itself a Swiss Army knife for developers. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Its tools convert JSON to YAML, encode and decode Base64, decode JWTs, compare text, generate hashes and UUIDs, parse cron expressions and test regular expressions. It can suggest a tool from what is on your clipboard, take community extensions, and run many tools from a separate CLI.

Side by side

Do you need both

Many Windows developers run PowerToys and DevToys together, since they do not overlap. The question that matters more is where you do the small data jobs: decoding a token from a failing request, formatting a JSON response, hashing a file name. If that happens in the browser, a desktop app means a window switch for every ten-second task.

Where AyeTab fits

AyeTab is the browser version of the DevToys idea, and the one we recommend for most people. It replaces Chrome's new tab page with developer tools and also opens in a side panel, so the tool sits next to the page you are debugging. The same tools run as a web app at app.ayetab.com.

A few details that matter day to day:

• Press Ctrl+K or Cmd+K to jump to any tool by name.
• Paste a JWT, JSON, Base64 string or URL and it suggests the right tool.
• Everything runs locally: no upload, no account, and it works offline once installed.

The tools cover the usual DevToys list: a JSON Formatter, JWT Debugger, Base64, URL encoding, a Hash Generator, UUID and ULID generators, YAML to JSON, Text Diff, a RegExp Tester and a Cron Parser.

Which to pick

• Want to tile windows or remap keys on Windows: PowerToys.
• Want developer tools in the browser with nothing to install: AyeTab.
• Need a CLI for scripts and CI, or DevToys community extensions: DevToys.

PowerToys and AyeTab also pair well, since one handles the desktop and the other handles the browser.