EarthDesk vs Wallpaper Cycler
EarthDesk
xericdesign.comWallpaper Cycler
nuonsoft.comSide by side
| Figure | EarthDesk | Wallpaper Cycler |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $1.25/mo | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 7 | 3 |
| Spec score · Desktop Wallpaper Software | 8.9 (#4) | 7.6 (#18) |
| Extensibility | Xeric documents authenticated HTTP cloud-map downloads with wget and curl for its related Xplanet service, but the opened pages provide no EarthDesk SDK or public API. | The effects system can be extended with third party effect DLLs using the included SDK. |
| Performance | The maker says EarthDesk runs in the background while using minimal system resources. | The maker says the product can manage tens of thousands of wallpapers without slowing down and can pause cycling when CPU load is too high. |
| Support | The maker directs users to review the product support page and offers a contact form for help. | The full version includes higher priority technical support by email, and the maker recommends its forum for feedback, bug reports, and feature requests. |
| Trial | The maker says users can try the Mac or Windows software for free before purchasing a license to fully unlock it. | The trial can be run 30 times and does not allow layouts to be exported. |
Plans
EarthDesk
- EarthDesk 7 upgrade$12.99, paid once
- EarthDesk data subscription$14.99 a year
- Single-user data subscription$14.99 a year
- EarthDesk 7 with 1-year subscription upgrade$20.99, paid once
- EarthDesk 7 single-user license$24.99, paid once
- Five-user data subscription$24.99 a year
- Small-business data subscription$39.99 a year
Wallpaper Cycler
- Wallpaper Cycler LiteFree
- Wallpaper Cycler full version (single user)$19.95, paid once
- Site license$495, paid once
In their own words
EarthDesk
EarthDesk turns a computer desktop into an updating view of Earth from space, with near-real-time clouds, sun and moon depictions, and city lighting. It offers 12 map projections, including Mercator, Azimuthal, Equirectangular, and a globe with optional starfield. Maps can be centered using latitude and longitude, relative to the sun or moon, or on one of 10,000 locations; a data subscription adds other centering choices. On multiple displays, it can show a different map on each screen or span one map across them. Standard cloud imagery is global, 2-megapixel, and refreshed every six hours. The data subscription adds geo-located, parallax-corrected imagery from 23 satellites at 32-megapixel detail, refreshed every three hours, plus earthquake, tropical storm, and International Space Station information. The maker offers a free Mac or Windows trial before purchase. A single-user license starts at 24.99 USD once and covers two Mac or Windows computers. An upgrade costs 12.99 USD once and requires a previous license key; the data subscription costs $14.99 a year. Minimums are macOS 10.14, Windows 7, or tvOS 13.2.
Wallpaper Cycler
Wallpaper Cycler is a Windows desktop wallpaper manager that changes images after a delay or at specified times. It organizes wallpapers in multilevel categories, which can have time constraints and link to folders to detect new images. Layouts can place calendars, quotes, notes, webcams, other wallpapers, calendar notes, and RSS headlines on the desktop. The software supports more than 20 image formats, including JPG, BMP, TIFF, PNG, GIF, and JPEG 2000. Its random selector uses all wallpapers before repeating one. The maker says it can manage tens of thousands of wallpapers and pause cycling when CPU load is too high. Effects can be extended with third-party DLLs using the included SDK, and third-party control is available through WPCController in version 3.6. Wallpaper Cycler Lite is free; the full single-user version costs $19.95, paid once, with tax not included. A site license costs $495 as a one-time purchase. The trial is limited to 30 runs and does not allow layouts to be exported. Listed system requirements cover Windows XP, 2003, Vista, and 7, excluding Windows 7 Starter.