Palace vs Waywallen

Palace8.9Visit WWaywallen8.7Visit

Higher score Palace #5 in Desktop Wallpaper Software 8.9/10 Paid ✓ 5 of 6 features Visit Palace

vs

W Waywallen #7 in Desktop Wallpaper Software 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 6 of 6 features Visit Waywallen

• Palace fits best

  Users wanting broad platform coverage and scheduling

• Waywallen fits best

  Linux users across multiple desktop environments

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Side by side

Feature	Palace 8.9/10 Visit ↗	WWaywallen 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.9	8.7
Ranking	#5 in Desktop Wallpaper Software	#7 in Desktop Wallpaper Software
Best for	Users wanting broad platform coverage and scheduling	Linux users across multiple desktop environments
Pricing model	Paid	Free
Starting price	$8 one-time	Free plan
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop, Mobile	Self-hosted, Desktop
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android	Linux
Support	Email, Docs	Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business	Solo, Small business
Features Palace 5/6 · Waywallen 6/6
Live wallpapers	✓	✓
Automatic rotation	✓	✓
Multi-monitor support	✓	✓
Video wallpapers	✓	✓
Interactive wallpapers	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Performance controls	✓	✓
Specs
Platform coverage	Multi_platform	Linux
Our review
Pros	Supports Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and web Handles video, GIF, WebM, and GLSL shader wallpapers Adds per-display schedules, rotation, effects, and multi-monitor spanning	Supports images, videos, scenes, web content, and playlists Works with KDE Plasma, GNOME, Hyprland, Niri, Wayfire, COSMIC, and Sway Includes multi-monitor control and Vulkan or VA-API video decoding
Cons	There is no free plan Requires an $8 one-time purchase The product is proprietary rather than open source	Platform support is limited to Linux Wallpaper Engine scenes and web support require a third-party plugin Mouse input is available only through supported desktop integrations
Our verdict	Palace is a cross-platform wallpaper manager and media engine for people who want more control than a static desktop background. It supports Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and web access, with tools for organizing wallpapers into… Read the review →	Waywallen is an open-source wallpaper manager for Linux desktop environments. It is aimed at users who want more than static backgrounds, with support for image wallpapers, video playback, playlists, Wallhaven, web content, and Wallpaper… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Palace — where it wins

  • Supports Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and web
  • Handles video, GIF, WebM, and GLSL shader wallpapers
  • Adds per-display schedules, rotation, effects, and multi-monitor spanning

  Where it doesn't

  • There is no free plan
  • Requires an $8 one-time purchase
  • The product is proprietary rather than open source

• Waywallen — where it wins

  • Supports images, videos, scenes, web content, and playlists
  • Works with KDE Plasma, GNOME, Hyprland, Niri, Wayfire, COSMIC, and Sway
  • Includes multi-monitor control and Vulkan or VA-API video decoding

  Where it doesn't

  • Platform support is limited to Linux
  • Wallpaper Engine scenes and web support require a third-party plugin
  • Mouse input is available only through supported desktop integrations

• Palace8.9/10 · Paid

  A broad wallpaper manager for scheduled, multi-display backgrounds across major platforms.

  Visit PalaceFull verdict →
• WWaywallen8.7/10 · Free plan

  A broad, open-source wallpaper manager for Linux desktop environments.

  Visit WaywallenFull verdict →