Compare
Lively Wallpaper
and Seasill.
Lively is free, open source and very good, on Windows. There is no Mac version. If you only use Windows, start with Lively. Seasill is for a Mac, or a Mac and a PC together, and for a catalogue you can search by what you mean.
We make Seasill. Lively is free and made by people who give their work away, so we have been careful: every fact about it comes from its own site and GitHub page, linked where it is used and checked on 28 September 2026. If something here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
Is there a Lively Wallpaper for Mac?
No. Lively is built with WinUI 3, Windows’ own interface framework, for Windows 10 and 11. Its official downloads are the Microsoft Store and its GitHub releases; a “Lively for Mac” download anywhere else isn’t from its author.
If you want what Lively gives on a PC, free and open source, on a Mac: Phosphene plays any video on the desktop and the lock screen, for macOS 26 or later. Seasill grew from it. And our guide to live wallpaper on a Mac covers the rest.
Sources, checked on 28 September 2026: Lively Wallpaper on GitHub; rocksdanister.com/lively; Phosphene on GitHub.
Side by side.
| Lively Wallpaper | Seasill | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free, for as long as you like. Seasill $29 a year; Seasill Pro $59 a year7-day free trial on both |
| Source code | Open (GPL-3.0) | Closed |
| Runs on | Windows 10 (version 1809 or later from the Microsoft Store) and 11 | Windows 10 (version 2004 or later) and 11, and macOS 26 or later on Apple silicon |
| Kinds of wallpaper | Video and GIF, web pages, and apps and games made with Unity or Godot | Video, from the catalogue and your own files |
| Where wallpapers come from | What you bring, and a small gallery it comes with | Seasill’s own catalogue of more than 76,000, searchable by words or by what you mean, with More like this; and what you bring |
| Your own videos | Yes | Yes: never limited, never marked, on every plan |
| Screensaver | Yes | On the Mac, chosen wallpapers as the screen saver |
Sources, checked on 28 September 2026: github.com/rocksdanister/lively; rocksdanister.com/lively.
Which to choose.
Lively is the better choice if
Windows is all you use, and you want free and open source. It plays your videos, GIFs and web pages beautifully, and costs nothing.
Seasill is the better choice if
you use a Mac, or a Mac and a PC (Seasill Pro covers three computers in any mix), or you would rather find wallpapers in a catalogue chosen for you, by describing what you want, than bring every one yourself.
Wallpaper Engine or Lively?
Both are for Windows only, so this is a question about a PC, and here is our reading of their own pages.
Wallpaper Engine costs $4.99 once on Steam. Its strength is the Steam Workshop, where its users share wallpapers (over a million, it says), and an editor for 2D and 3D animated scenes, some of which react to the mouse. Lively is free and open source; it plays your videos, GIFs and web pages, and can run apps made with Unity or Godot as wallpapers.
Want the most to choose from and don’t mind $4.99: Wallpaper Engine. Want free, open and light: Lively. Want the same wallpaper app on a Mac as well: neither runs there, which is where Seasill comes in.
Sources, checked on 28 September 2026: Wallpaper Engine on Steam; Lively Wallpaper on GitHub.
Credit where it’s due.
Lively Wallpaper is the work of rocksdanister and its contributors, given away under the GPL-3.0. It is the best-known open-source live wallpaper app for Windows, and it shows what a free app can be. Seasill is a separate, closed-source app and contains none of Lively’s code.
Questions.
Is there a Lively Wallpaper for Mac?
No. Lively is built with Windows’ own WinUI 3 for Windows 10 and 11, and its official downloads are the Microsoft Store and its GitHub page. A free, open-source app that does a similar job on a Mac is Phosphene.
Should I use Lively or Seasill on Windows?
If Windows is all you use and you want free and open source, Lively. Seasill makes more sense if you also use a Mac, or want a catalogue of wallpapers you can search by what you mean.
Wallpaper Engine or Lively?
Both are for Windows. Wallpaper Engine costs $4.99 and has the Steam Workshop’s community library and an editor for scenes; Lively is free and open source and plays your videos, GIFs and web pages. Neither runs on a Mac.
Does Seasill contain any of Lively’s code?
No. Seasill is a separate, closed-source app and contains none of Lively’s code.
Hear the day it’s out.
Seasill isn’t published yet. Leave your address and we will write when it is ready to download; nothing is added until you confirm.
Lively Wallpaper is the work of its author and contributors, and Wallpaper Engine is a trademark of its owner. Seasill is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by either; their names are used here only to say which products are being compared.