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10 Best Wallpaper Engine Alternatives in 2023 [Free & Paid]

Wallpaper Engine is currently the most popular premium wallpaper software in the market. Though it’s not expensive, it doesn’t break a bone to check out similar wallpaper software. Read on for more…

Wallpaper Engine has revolutionized our screens with stunning screensavers and wallpapers. The software is straightforward to use. Besides its massive collection of premium wallpapers, users also have the option of importing their videos or pictures and using them as wallpapers on their screens.

Be that as it may, there are several Wallpaper Engine alternative applications, some of which are free. We have put together some of the best ones in this article. Keep reading for the details…..


1. Lively Wallpaper

Lively-Wallpaper

If you’re looking for a Wallpaper Engine alternative that’s feature-rich and very easy to use, Lively Wallpaper is a great pick. You will love the convenience of its drag-and-drop feature that makes for the effortless and fast creation of wallpapers from scratch. It is free, open-source software that supports many wallpaper options.

Some of these include video/gif, HTML files, and audio reaction files. And like the Wallpaper Engine, this software supports the adjustment of parameters to end up with the best wallpaper on your device.


2. ScreenPlay

ScreenPlay

Another excellent wallpaper software that’s very similar features to Wallpaper Engine. The screenplay is an Open Source tool supported across different platforms such as Windows, Android, iOS, macOS, Linux, etc. Besides displaying wallpapers, the software can also display widgets and AppDrawer.

With this Wallpaper Engine alternative, you can decorate your desktop with very beautiful wallpapers. You can choose from a vast collection of videos and pictures on Steam Workshop or upload your creations. Despite being freeware, the app is optimized for DPI screens and supports HDR and 4K wallpapers.

And one last thing, the app has both dark and light modes, so users can easily switch between the two.


3. RainWallpaper

RainWallpaper

Bring life to your desktop with a premium customizable live Wallpaper Engine alternative with a clean UI. RainWallpaper allows you to beautify your desktop with wallpapers containing texts, weather, images, web pages, and videos. Its influential built-in WYSIWYG visual designer will enable you to create your favorite wallpapers very easily. Particular types of Wallpaper software are known to slow down or even cause PCs to freeze.

However, not RainWallpaper. This Wallpaper Engine alternative is very low on CPU and RAM usage, thus ensuring that your PC runs smoothly throughout.

Moreover, the software is preset to pause any live wallpapers on your site whenever you’re gaming or watching videos on full-screen. The RainWallpaper software is integrated with Steam Workshop allowing users to download and use beautiful wallpapers.


4. DeskScapes

DeskScapes

A powerful wallpaper app for creating unique animated video or picture backgrounds on Windows 10. DeskScape packs lots of special effects for the convenient fine-tuning of your wallpapers. These effects include color filters, textures, blurs, and tons of tools. Seamless cloud integration allows for easy sharing of your wallpaper creations with friends and colleagues.

Moreover, the platform also supports wallpaper scschedulesthus allowing you to run different backgrounds at different times.

Lastly, the Wallpaper Engine alternative uses minimal CPU and RAM resources. It will never cause your PC to hang, slow down, or freeze. To live up to this promise, DeskScape allows you to display your system resources on your desktop for easy monitoring.


5. Variety Wallpaper Changer

Variety Wallpaper Changer

Looking for a slim and easy-to-use yet future-rich wallpaper software like Wallpaper Engine? Variety is all you need. The open-source wallpaper changer allows you to use your local images as wallpapers. The platform easily integrates with copyright-free image platforms like Unsplash, where you can download and use free images to create unique desktop backgrounds. If you love simple wallpapers, Variety Wallpaper Changer also allows you to use text or a digital clock as your desktop background.

You can also set screensaver or slideshows to have a different background after a preset time interval. Currently, Variety is only available on Linux-based operating systems such as Fedora, Arch, Debian, and Ubuntu.


6. Weebp

Weebp

If you love animated video backgrounds, then Weebp-2 is your perfect wallpaper software. Among other features, the Wallpaper tool supports loads of visual effects and styling options. Currently, the Wallpaper Engine alternative has only been tested on Windows 10, 8.1, and 7, though it also works excellently on a range of Linux systems.

And because it only supports MPV video formats, Weebp-2 allows you to download and use Steam or YouTube videos as live Wallpapers on your desktop. This Wallpaper Engine is free and open source. You won’t have to worry about expensive premium packages.


7. GoodPaper Wallpapers

GoodPaper Wallpapers

Liven up your desktop with top-quality images of celebrities, artists, themes, texts, nature, etc., using Goodpaper Wallpapers. The Wallpaper Engine alternative is straightforward to set up and use. Currently, it’s only available on Android & Windows 10, 8.1, 8, XP, and Vista. With their massive database of elegant images, you can never miss something for your desktop.

Goodpaper is very light on CPU, and RAM usage hence won’t slow your computer. It’s also worth mentioning that the software is set to pause all live desktop backgrounds while you’re watching your favorite movie or playing a video game.


8. Plastuer

Plastuer

Plastuer is your go-to application for creating desktop backgrounds on Windows. With this tool, your background can be anything from web pages to gifs, videos, pictures, etc. The Wallpaper alternative readily integrates with Steam. Meaning you can easily download and use very attractive gaming pictures from the gaming platform. Like most live wallpaper software, this app is gamer-friendly.

Meaning, it will automatically pause any animated backgrounds whenever you’re gaming or watching videos in full-screen mode. Plastuer is very easy to install and use. Once you’ve set it up, it will automatically launch whenever your PC starts.


9. Desktopr

Desktopr

Desktopr is a wallpaper application that allows you to set any of your favorite websites as a desktop background. Some of the big names that usually feature desktop backgrounds among many Desktopr users include Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Basecamp, etc. It’s very easy to set up and use. You can be sure this one has no learning curves. No learning curves with this one.

Currently, it is only available for Mac users who only need a simple desktop background. The Wallpaper Engine alternative is very light. Meaning, it only uses very little RAM and CPU resources thus ensuring your PC always runs smoothly. Moreover, it doesn’t support video backgrounds which are often resource-heavy.


10. Live Desktop

Live Desktop

Live Desktop is a premium software for changing the background on Windows. Its low CPU usage means you can still enjoy animated backgrounds without compromising the performance of your PC. It is integrated into Steam making it very easy to download trendy pictures of your favorite game icons and use your desktop wallpaper.

Alternatively, you can upload pictures and videos from your PC. What’s more, Live Desktop is only compatible with Windows 10 devices. If you’re looking for a software app for changing your Windows desktop background that is very similar to the Wallpaper Engine, check out Live Desktop.


Conclusion

With this roundup of the best Wallpaper Engine alternatives, you are now better placed to add some life to your desktop’s background. Try any of the wallpaper applications in this compilation and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Michael

Michael Reddy is a tech enthusiast, entertainment buff, and avid traveler who loves exploring Linux and sharing unique insights with readers.