lively vs Rainmeter
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, ratings, and alternatives.
Lively is a free and open-source software that allows users to set animated desktop wallpapers and screensavers. It is powered by WinUI 3 and provides a unique way to customize your desktop experience.
Rainmeter is a free and open-source (GNU GPL v2) desktop customization tool for Windows. It lets users display customizable widgets called 'skins' on the desktop, ranging from simple clocks and system monitors to full audio visualizers and complete desktop shell replacements. Skins are written in a plain-text configuration format and can pull in live data such as CPU/RAM usage, weather feeds, or RSS. A large community publishes thousands of free skins on DeviantArt and the Rainmeter forums, and users can write their own with the built-in scripting and plugin system.
- Highly customizable
- Completely free and open-source
- Regularly updated with new features and improvements
- Easy to use and navigate interface
- Completely free with no paid tier or ads
- Huge library of community-made skins covering almost any style
- Very low resource footprint for what it enables visually
- Open source, so the codebase and skin format are fully inspectable
- Limited to Windows users
- May consume system resources
- Limited support options
- Windows only, no Mac or Linux version
- Learning to write or heavily customize skins has a real learning curve
- Poorly coded third-party skins can occasionally cause instability or high CPU use
More alternatives & similar tools
Alternatives to lively
View all →Alternatives to Rainmeter
View all →
Multi-monitor management utility for custom taskbars, wallpapers, and window automation.
The Verdict
AI-generated from listing dataBoth tools are free and Windows‑only, but lively focuses on easy animated wallpapers while Rainmeter offers a deeper, scriptable widget ecosystem at the cost of a steeper learning curve.
Key differences
- •Primary purpose: animated wallpapers (lively) vs. full‑desktop widgets/skins (Rainmeter)
- •Ease of use: lively’s simple UI vs. Rainmeter’s learning curve for skin creation
- •Customization depth: Rainmeter supports Lua scripting and thousands of community skins; lively is limited to wallpapers/screensavers
- •Community ecosystem: Rainmeter has a massive skin library and dedicated forums; lively’s community is smaller
Pricing & value
Both are free, open‑source desktop apps with no paid tiers.
Ease of use / learning curve
lively advertises an easy‑to‑navigate interface; Rainmeter requires learning skin creation and Lua scripting.
Features & depth
Rainmeter provides widgets, Lua scripting, and a vast skin library; lively only handles animated wallpapers/screensavers.
Integrations & ecosystem
Rainmeter’s community offers thousands of skins and plugins; lively’s ecosystem is limited to its own repo and Reddit.
Support
Both rely on community support via GitHub issues and forums (Reddit for lively, Rainmeter forums for Rainmeter).
Choose lively if…
Users who want simple, free animated wallpapers/screensavers with minimal setup.
Choose Rainmeter if…
Power users seeking extensive, scriptable desktop widgets and a large skin ecosystem.
Common questions
Is there any cost to use either tool?
No. Both lively and Rainmeter are free and open‑source.
Which tool uses more system resources?
Both can consume resources, but lively’s focus on wallpapers may be lighter than Rainmeter’s extensive widgets, especially poorly coded skins.
Can I create my own custom widgets or scripts?
Rainmeter supports Lua scripting and custom skins; lively does not provide scripting capabilities.