Lively Wallpaper vs Walltone
Lively Wallpaper
rocksdanister.comWalltone
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Lively Wallpaper | Walltone |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Desktop Wallpaper Software | 8.4 (#7) | 7.7 (#15) |
| License | The source code is released under the GNU GPL version 3. | The repository identifies the project as GPL-3.0 licensed. |
| Multi-monitor | Lively supports any number of monitors, spanning or duplicating wallpapers and supporting HiDPI and ultrawide resolutions. | It supports per-display wallpaper configuration, visual monitor layout, and scaling options. |
| Purpose | Lively is an animated desktop wallpaper application. | Walltone is a wallpaper and theme manager for Linux that supports images, videos, and Wallpaper Engine content. |
| System requirements | 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. | The listed requirements include Linux, Node.js 18+, and dependencies for static, video, and Wallpaper Engine playback and screenshot generation. |
Plans
In their own words
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.
Walltone
Walltone is a free GPL-3.0 wallpaper and theme manager for Linux. It handles static images, video wallpapers, and animated Wallpaper Engine content, with browsing and downloads from Pexels, Unsplash, Wallhaven, and Wallpaper Engine. Users can assign wallpapers per display, arrange monitor layouts, and adjust scaling. From wallpapers, Walltone generates light and dark Base16 and Material You color schemes; a color picker allows refinements and theme exports for other applications. Tag filters, search, sorting, Boolean filters, and a JavaScript-capable template engine support organization and customization. Video controls include mute and scaling. Wallpaper Engine controls include volume, FPS, audio, parallax, fullscreen pause, and texture clamping. Video or animated wallpapers can be captured as still images for login managers or GRUB. Online sources require API keys, including a Steam Web API key for Wallpaper Engine. Installation is listed through the Arch User Repository, a Nix flake, or source builds. Requirements include Linux, Node.js 18+, and playback and screenshot utilities.