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Lively Wallpaper for Mac? What to use instead
Lively Wallpaper is free and open source, but it only runs on Windows; there’s no Mac version. The closest free alternative on a Mac is MacScapes: its scenes are drawn live like Lively’s shader wallpapers, the free version has no time limit, and the widgets match the wallpaper. For free video, there’s Aerial, and for web pages, Plash.
By Chris at Neon FrenchieUpdated
The best Lively alternatives for Mac
- Best overall
- MacScapes
- Scenes drawn live, with widgets and schedules. Free to start.
- Free video
- Aerial
- Apple's aerials or your own clips. Open source, macOS 26.
- Web pages
- Plash
- Any website or dashboard as your wallpaper, free.
- Your videos on the Lock Screen
- Phosphene
- Free and open source, macOS 26.
Why there’s no Mac version
Lively is built for Windows 10 (version 1809) and 11, and you get it from the Microsoft Store or its GitHub page. Its last release, 2.2.1.0, came out in September 2025. It plays videos, GIFs, web pages, Shadertoy shaders and even games as wallpaper, all on Windows. Its developers haven’t released a Mac version.
What replaces each Lively feature
| Lively (Windows) | On a Mac | |
|---|---|---|
| Shader wallpapers | Shadertoy shaders and interactive web wallpapers | MacScapes draws 42 scenes of its own live |
| Your own video or GIF | Yes | Aerial and Phosphene, free. MacScapes Pro |
| Web pages | Yes | Plash, free |
| Widgets | Music and system widgets made as wallpapers | MacScapes: 14 widgets in the wallpaper's colors, 3 of them free |
| Pausing | When a full-screen app or game runs | MacScapes stops drawing when windows cover the desktop. Aerial pauses on battery |
| Price | Free and open source | Aerial, Plash and Phosphene are free. MacScapes is free, or $19.99 once for Pro |
The alternatives side by side
| Pick it if | Free | Requires | |
|---|---|---|---|
| MacScapes | You liked Lively's shader wallpapers and want animated scenes drawn live, with widgets to match | Free version with no time limit: 7 scenes, 11 palettes, 3 widgets, 2 schedule rules. The yearly plan starts with a 1-week trial | macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel |
| Aerial | You played videos with Lively and want the same for free | Free and open source (MIT license) | macOS 26 or later for 4.1. Version 4.0.16 for macOS 15 |
| Plash | You used web pages as wallpaper | Free, with no in-app purchases listed | macOS 26.4 or later. Older versions on its website for older macOS |
| Phosphene | You want your own videos on the desktop and Lock Screen | Free and open source (MIT) | macOS 26 or later |
1. MacScapes: best overall
42 scenes, from fog and aurora to plasma and koi, drawn live with Metal and recolored by any of 48 palettes. Widgets, folder icons and ambient sound take their colors and mood from the scene, and schedules change the whole look at set times or with the sun. The free version keeps 7 scenes, the clock, date and day widgets and two schedule rules; Pro is $12.99 a year or $19.99 once.
2. Aerial: free video
Aerial is free and open source. It plays Apple’s aerial videos, community packs or your own .mov and .mp4 files, picks them by time of day, and adds overlays like a clock or the weather. Version 4.1 needs macOS 26; 4.0.16 runs on macOS 15.
3. Plash: web pages
Plash shows any website as your wallpaper, from a dashboard to a WebGL animation, which covers Lively’s web wallpapers. It’s free on the Mac App Store and shows on one display at a time.
Also free: Phosphene
Phosphene plays your own videos as the desktop and Lock Screen wallpaper from System Settings. It’s open source and needs macOS 26.
Coming from Wallpaper Engine instead? See Wallpaper Engine for Mac. For every free option, see free live wallpaper apps for Mac. We make MacScapes; facts about the other apps come from their own pages.