Wallpaper Engine AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Shell Extensions

The best Shell Extension alternative to Wallpaper Engine is ScreenPlay, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 25 alternatives to Wallpaper Engine and three of them are Shell Extensions so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Shell Extension alternatives to Wallpaper Engine are Stardock DeskScapes and VDesktop.

filter to find the best alternatives

Wallpaper Engine alternatives are mainly Shell Extensions, but if you're looking for Wallpapers Hubs or Desktop Customization Tools you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Windows + Free and Mac + Desktop Customization. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Wallpaper Engine.
Wallpaper Engine iconWallpaper Engine
  79
  • ...

Enable dynamic, animated wallpapers on Windows desktop with 3D, videos, and apps support. Share creations via Steam Workshop and stay ad-free.

More about Wallpaper Engine
More about Wallpaper Engine
Wallpaper Engine alternatives page was last updated Feb 13, 2025
Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard
  1. ScreenPlay icon

    ScreenPlay

     31 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    ScreenPlay is an Open Source cross-platform app for displaying Video Wallpaper & Widgets. It is written in modern C++20/Qt6/QML. It currently supports Windows and macOS (x64 and arm).

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Steam
    • Linux
    ScreenPlay screenshot 1

    ScreenPlay Features

    1.  Live Wallpapers
    2.  Video Wallpaper
    3.  Widgets
    4.  Steam Workshop
    5.  Portable
    6.  Visualize Music
    7.  Wallpaper Cycling

    ScreenPlay VS Wallpaper Engine

     
    Comments about ScreenPlay as an Alternative to Wallpaper Engine
    Most Recent Comment
    tvgoing1
    Negative Jun 23, 2024
    0

    It does not support screen sharing, the entire project rely too much on Steam gaming platform. Don't use it.

    Guest
    Positive Oct 12, 2020
    2

    It's open source and cross platform. It also has very active development!

    Guest
    Positive May 18, 2021
    0

    Works great and soon on Linux and Mac as well!

    Wallpaper Engine Icon
    ScreenPlay icon

    • Most users think ScreenPlay is a great Wallpaper Engine alternative.

    • ScreenPlay is the most popular Mac alternative to Wallpaper Engine.

    • ScreenPlay is Free and Open SourceWallpaper Engine is Paid and Proprietary
  2. Stardock DeskScapes icon

    Stardock DeskScapes

     3 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Bring your wallpaper to life with DeskScapes! DeskScapes is a program that allows users to have animated wallpaper on their Windows desktop. It supports playing video as animated wallpaper, dynamically generated content as animated wallpaper, and more.

    License model

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Stardock DeskScapes screenshot 1

    Stardock DeskScapes Features

    1.  Live Wallpapers

    Stardock DeskScapes VS Wallpaper Engine

     
  4. VDesktop icon

    VDesktop

     Like
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    VDesktop is a program that allows users to have animated wallpaper on their Windows desktop. VDesktop supports Windows 7, 8, 10.

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    VDesktop screenshot 1
    Discontinued

    Website no longer exists and no further details available for the app.

    VDesktop Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Video Wallpaper
    3.  Live Wallpapers
    4.  Portable
    5.  Video To Desktop

    VDesktop VS Wallpaper Engine

     
3 of 3 Wallpaper Engine alternatives