Vivid Walls vs Walltone
Vivid Walls
vividwalls.appWalltone
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Vivid Walls | Walltone |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 1 |
| Spec score · Desktop Wallpaper Software | 8.6 (#6) | 7.7 (#15) |
| License | The terms grant a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license for use on Apple devices and prohibit reverse engineering, so the app is proprietary rather than open source. | The repository identifies the project as GPL-3.0 licensed. |
| Multi-monitor | Each connected display can have its own wallpaper, including different wallpaper types on different screens. | It supports per-display wallpaper configuration, visual monitor layout, and scaling options. |
| Support | Users can email [email protected] with scene compatibility reports, questions, bug reports, or feature requests. | The project directs users to GitHub Issues for bug reports and GitHub Discussions for discussion. |
| System requirements | The Mac app requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later, an Apple Silicon Mac with an M1 or newer chip, and about 2 GB of free disk space. | 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
Vivid Walls
Vivid Walls is a native macOS app for Wallpaper Engine scene files and video, web, GIF, and image wallpapers. It renders scenes on Apple Silicon with a Metal scene engine. Wallpapers can react to cursor movement, clicks, system audio, or focus modes. Users can span a scene across displays or set independent scenes, then schedule them by time of day or focus mode. The app pauses when the desktop is fully covered or another app is fullscreen, reduces its frame rate on battery, and respects Low Power Mode. Eight animated 1080p wallpapers are loaded into the library at first launch. A free Windows Companion transfers a Wallpaper Engine library to the Mac over local Wi-Fi using a four-character code. The free plan keeps the bundled wallpapers; the Full Library costs $9.99, paid once. The app requires macOS 14.0 or later and Apple Silicon M1 or later, and does not support Intel Macs. The maker says some scenes may render incorrectly because of their varied effects and content.
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.