DesktopHut vs Lively Wallpaper
DesktopHut
desktophut.com
Lively Wallpaper
rocksdanister.comSide by side
| Figure | DesktopHut | Lively Wallpaper |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 2 |
| Spec score · Desktop Wallpaper Software | 8.9 (#3) | 8.4 (#7) |
| Multi-monitor | DesktopHut Studio supports independent wallpapers per display, span mode, and automatic restoration of per-monitor assignments. | Lively supports any number of monitors, spanning or duplicating wallpapers and supporting HiDPI and ultrawide resolutions. |
| Privacy | DesktopHut says it is based in Lithuania, aims to follow GDPR, uses GA4 and advertising services, does not require accounts for browsing or downloads, and does not sell personal information. | The application says it does not collect, store, or share personal information; operational window and process data is kept local. |
| Screensavers | DesktopHut Studio lists screensaver support as a feature. | Any wallpaper can be used as a Windows screensaver, including on multiple monitors. |
| System requirements | The release repository lists Windows 10 or 11 64-bit, an x64 processor and a DirectX-compatible GPU. | The documented minimum is Windows 10 1903 for the installer or Windows 10 1803 for Store builds, an Intel i3-equivalent CPU, 4 GB RAM, Intel HD 4600-or-better graphics, DirectX 10 and 1 GB storage. |
| What it does | DesktopHut provides a free library of video, image and interactive live wallpapers plus software for playing and creating them. | Lively Wallpaper sets animated wallpapers and screensavers on Windows desktops. |
Plans
In their own words
DesktopHut
DesktopHut offers a library of live wallpapers and software for displaying them on desktop and mobile devices. Its site lists more than 67,000 live and animated wallpapers organized by categories and tags. The built-in Motion Photo Editor turns photos into animated wallpapers using 65 motion presets and about 30 particle assets. It can export MP4, GIF and WebP files, HTML live wallpapers, or native .dh packages. DesktopHut Studio supports different wallpapers on multiple displays, span mode and restoration of per-monitor assignments. Performance controls include hardware decoding, quality settings, FPS limits, Low Resource Mode and automatic pausing during fullscreen apps, games and screen lock. Studio supports video, animated and static image files; DesktopHut wallpapers in standard MP4 format are also compatible with Wallspace for macOS, Lively Wallpaper and Wallpaper Engine. The free Studio plan is for Windows 10/11 64-bit, has no subscription or premium tier, and is limited to personal, non-commercial use. DesktopHut describes its community as enthusiasts, gamers and artists.
Lively Wallpaper
Lively Wallpaper is a free, open-source animated wallpaper application for Windows. It supports video and GIF wallpapers through mpv or VLC, with filters and hardware acceleration, and can load HTML files or web addresses running WebGL and JavaScript. Other wallpaper sources include GLSL shaders, Shadertoy URLs, video streams, and Unity or Godot games; GUI application support is limited. Wallpapers can span or duplicate across any number of monitors, including HiDPI and ultrawide displays, and any wallpaper can be used as a Windows screensaver. Command-line arguments and third-party scripting software such as AutoHotkey provide control options. Playback pauses when fullscreen applications or games run, reaching approximately 0% CPU and GPU usage. Lively says it does not collect, store or share personal information, while operational window and process data remains local. The listed plan is free and requires Windows 10 version 1903 or above with a 64-bit installer. Only the latest release receives security patches, and vulnerabilities can be reported by email.