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iWallpaper alternative: MacScapes vs iWallpaper
If iWallpaper’s watermark is what bothers you, MacScapes is the alternative to try: its free version has no watermark and no time limit. iWallpaper is a free Mac App Store app that plays live wallpapers its users upload, and charges $6.99 once to remove the watermark. MacScapes draws its own scenes live, in 48 palettes, with widgets, folder icons and sound to match. iWallpaper is still the pick for older Macs and for the lowest one-time price.
By Chris at Neon FrenchieUpdated
MacScapes and iWallpaper side by side
| MacScapes | iWallpaper | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free. Pro is $19.99 once, for up to 3 Macs | Free. Removing the watermark is $6.99, an in-app purchase |
| Without paying | Free version with no time limit: 7 scenes, 11 palettes, 3 widgets, 2 schedule rules | Free download, with a watermark until you pay $6.99 |
| Where to get it | Direct download from macscapes.app, notarized by Apple | Mac App Store |
| Requires | macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel | macOS 10.15 or later |
| Latest version | 1.0, October 2026 | 1.1.3, Jun 12, 2025 |
| Scenes drawn live | Yes: 42 scenes and 48 palettes, plus 9 Living Stills (pictures with depth) | Not listed |
| Your own video | Yes, with Pro. Movies loop silently. Your own photos are free | Yes, you can upload your own videos, privately or shared |
| Wallpaper library | No download library. Every scene ships with the app | Wallpapers uploaded by its users, ranked by popularity or date. No count published |
| Desktop widgets | 14 widgets that take their colors from the wallpaper. Clock, date and day are free | Not listed |
| Changes on a schedule | By the clock, at sunrise or at sunset. 2 rules free, more with Pro | Not listed |
| Different wallpaper per display | Yes, with Pro | Yes, separate settings for each display, in four aspect ratios |
| Lock Screen | A still of the current scene, set as your desktop picture. Not animated | Not listed |
| Sound | 10 ambient sounds, with Pro | Some wallpapers have sound, with volume in the menu bar |
| Folder icons | 70 patterns in your palette, 8 of them free | Not listed |
| On battery | Drops to 30 fps at half resolution on battery or in Low Power Mode. Pro adds a battery vibe | Stays still when it can't be seen, with battery and low-power saving modes |
| Web pages as wallpaper | No | Not listed |
Why look for an iWallpaper alternative?
iWallpaper is small, free to download and works on old Macs. These are the reasons people look elsewhere:
- The watermark. Wallpapers show a watermark until you pay $6.99. Its listing says this one-time purchase unlocks all wallpapers; the in-app purchase is named Remove watermark.
- Other people’s uploads. The library is made of wallpapers its users share, ranked by popularity or date, and the App Store rates the app 16+.
- Slow updates. Version 1.1.3 came in June 2025, more than three years after 1.1.2.
- Only the wallpaper. Its listing mentions no widgets, folder icons, schedules or Lock Screen support.
Where MacScapes is ahead
- Scenes drawn live. The 42 scenes are small Metal programs rather than video files, so none of them is a clip on a loop, and any of the 48 palettes can recolor them. See every scene.
- A free version you’d keep. 7 scenes, 11 palettes and the clock, date and day widgets, with nothing stamped on them.
- A desktop that matches. Widgets that take their colors from the scene, folder icons in the same palette, and ten ambient sounds with Pro, saved together as a vibe.
- Schedules. The vibe can change at a set time, at sunrise or at sunset, and with Pro a battery vibe takes over when you unplug.
- Nothing to download. Every scene ships with the app, so there’s no library to browse or files to fetch.
Where iWallpaper is ahead
- Older Macs. It needs macOS 10.15 Catalina or later. MacScapes needs macOS 14.
- The price. $6.99 once, against $19.99 for MacScapes Pro for life.
- Footage and your own videos. A shared library of video wallpapers, and you can upload your own, privately or for others. In MacScapes, your own video needs Pro, and there’s no footage library.
- Unusual displays. Separate settings for each display, in standard, vertical, 21:9 and 32:9 ratios.
- Its size. The download is 1.1 MB, against about 31 MB for MacScapes.
What each one costs
| MacScapes | iWallpaper | |
|---|---|---|
| Free use | 7 scenes, 11 palettes, 3 widgets, no watermark, no time limit | Free download, wallpapers show a watermark |
| Subscription | None | None |
| Pay once | $19.99 for Pro for life | $6.99 to remove the watermark |
| Refunds | Within 30 days of buying Pro | Through Apple |
MacScapes Pro is one purchase, with no subscription. For other apps you can use without paying, and which of them add a watermark, see free live wallpaper apps for Mac.
Privacy and what’s inside
iWallpaper’s App Store listing says it collects no data, and its description says it uses Apple’s CloudKit and links to no other domains, so you don’t need an account beyond iCloud. Apple notes that these labels come from the developer and aren’t verified. We haven’t opened its download. MacScapes runs in the App Sandbox and has no account; it sends anonymous usage counts, which you can turn off, and asks MET Norway for a forecast when you use the weather widget. For how to check any wallpaper app yourself, see are live wallpaper apps safe on Mac.
Battery
Both stop when nobody’s looking. iWallpaper says its wallpapers move only while they can be seen, and it has battery-saving and low-power modes that hold them still. MacScapes pauses while windows hide the desktop, and with Save energy on battery (on unless you turn it off) it runs at no more than 30 frames per second, at half resolution, on battery or in Low Power Mode. Our battery guide explains how to measure what either costs on your MacBook.
Looking at other video apps? See MacScapes vs Wallspace and our ranking of the best wallpaper apps for Mac. We make MacScapes; everything about iWallpaper here comes from its App Store listing, its release notes and its developer’s help page.