Deskloom vs RainbowTaskbar

Deskloom is a free Windows app for arranging desktop elements into reusable scenes. A scene can coordinate dynamic wallpaper, taskbar style, widgets, workspace layout, desktop groups, and cursors. The app includes five built-in scenes and does not require an online gallery. Taskbar styles include System Default, Crystal Clear, Atmosphere Glass, Immersive Solid, and Floating Dock; widgets include clocks, system readings, Quick Notes, network throughput, storage, and battery cards. Desktop groups organize existing items visually without moving their files.

Scenes, settings, imported assets, and layouts are stored locally in the Windows user profile; no account or runtime internet connection is required. Capability checks, recovery journals, rollback, and a Restore Windows defaults option support reversible changes. Imported self-contained HTML wallpaper is blocked from network access, downloads, and external navigation. Deskloom 1.0 is available from the Microsoft Store and requires x64 Windows 11 version 25H2 (build 26200) or later. It does not replace classic Windows desktop-system icons.

RainbowTaskbar is a Windows app for changing the taskbar’s appearance with animations, colors, images, websites, and other effects. It supports web configurations as well as instruction-based configurations. Web configurations can respond to mouse input, use WebGL, canvas graphics, and video, and call the RainbowTaskbar API to adjust taskbar style and transparency. The app supports positioning and transparency controls, along with complex multi-monitor setups involving scaling and positioning. Through the RainbowTaskbar Workshop, users can download configurations without an account; uploading one requires signing in with Google or GitHub. The app is portable, but needs the.NET 8 runtime if that runtime is not already installed. The maker warns that RainbowTaskbar conflicts with TranslucentTB and says to close that app before running it. RainbowTaskbar is free and open-source, with a free plan listed at free. Its maker describes it as a passion project first released in 2021.