MuGen Wallpaper vs Waypaper
MuGen Wallpaper
mugenwallpaper.comWaypaper
github.comSide by side
| Figure | MuGen Wallpaper | Waypaper |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Desktop Wallpaper Software | 7.5 (#19) | 8.0 (#10) |
| Support | The maker lists GitHub issues, email, Reddit, and Discord as contact channels. | The maintainer invites contributions and lists donations via cards/PayPal and several cryptocurrencies; no formal support service is stated. |
Plans
MuGen Wallpaper
- FreeFree
- Unlock Dynamic Wallpaper featuresPrice not published
In their own words
MuGen Wallpaper
MuGen Wallpaper is a macOS desktop app for dynamic video and programmable web wallpapers. It supports multiple screens, and web wallpapers can receive system utilization and screen-index information. Video speed and volume controls are included in both tiers. Playback can pause when every screen is in fullscreen mode, and the app can launch at startup. The maker says video playback uses Apple Silicon for efficient playback and lower power consumption. The MuGen Wallpaper Community lets users download and share wallpapers, with uploads reviewed before publication. Web wallpapers may opt into weather updates through OpenWeatherMap, using a supplied API key and location access, but they are limited to local resources and cannot call external APIs directly. The free plan costs nothing and allows up to 10 dynamic wallpapers. An unlock is a one-time in-app purchase with no listed price and no wallpaper limit. Community registration collects an iCloud identifier and associated Apple ID email; tokens and the weather key are stored in Keychain.
Waypaper
Waypaper is a free graphical wallpaper setter for Linux window managers and macOS. It provides a single interface for backends such as swaybg, swww, awww, wallutils, hyprpaper, mpvpaper, gslapper, feh, xwallpaper, linux-wallpaperengine, and macOS. It supports multiple monitors and can restore a wallpaper when a window manager launches. The interface also offers Vim-style keyboard navigation, caching, a distraction-free Zen mode, post-change script hooks, and customizable CSS theming. Animated wallpaper support depends on the backend: selected backends handle GIFs, while mpvpaper, gslapper, or linux-wallpaperengine can provide video wallpapers. Waypaper needs at least one supported wallpaper backend installed to work. On Linux, installation options include pipx and packages or repositories for Arch-based distributions, NixOS, OpenSUSE, and Fedora. macOS setup requires GTK3 and PyGObject through Homebrew before Waypaper is installed with pipx. The repository identifies the project as GPL-3.0 licensed. Its documentation names Roman Anufriev as developer and says development began in 2023.