Best Desktop Widgets Alternatives in 2026
The top Desktop Widgets alternatives are Monitor Flows, Rainmeter and GadgetPack (formerly 8GadgetPack): 15 desktop widget software our editors would look at instead of Desktop Widgets, in our ranking order.
Desktop Widgets: A cross-platform widget runtime with developer publishing tools and perpetual licenses. Where it falls short: no time-unlimited free plan; the free offering lasts seven days.
Switching from Desktop Widgets? For most desktop widget software buyers the best Desktop Widgets alternative is Monitor Flows, built for windows users needing integrations and multi-monitor layouts.
Why People Look for a Desktop Widgets Alternative
- No time-unlimited free plan; the free offering lasts seven days
- Professional is limited to three device activations
- Continued updates after the included year require maintenance
- No free plan — 14 of the alternatives below have it
Quick Picks by What You Need
- Best overallMonitor Flows9.4
Windows users needing integrations and multi-monitor layouts
Visit Monitor Flows - Lowest priceMonitor Flows9.4
Paid plans from $3/mo
Visit Monitor Flows - Best free optionMonitor Flows9.4
Has a free plan (Desktop Widgets has none)
Visit Monitor Flows
All 15 Desktop Widgets Alternatives, Ranked
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
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Best forWindows users needing integrations and multi-monitor layouts
- Better than Desktop Widgets:
- Free plan
- Editor score 9.4 vs 8.4
A flexible Windows dashboard tool with broad integrations and multi-monitor support.
- Weather widgets
- Calendar widgets
- System monitoring
9.4/10★★★★★Visit Monitor Flows -
Best forWindows users wanting a free skin ecosystem
- Better than Desktop Widgets:
- Free plan
- Editor score 9.3 vs 8.4
A flexible Windows widget toolkit for system data, feeds, controls, and custom layouts.
- Feed widgets
- Weather widgets
- System monitoring
9.3/10★★★★★Visit Rainmeter -
Best forWindows users wanting a ready-made free gadget collection
- Better than Desktop Widgets:
- Free plan
- Editor score 9.0 vs 8.4
A free Windows gadget collection with monitoring, utilities, and desktop organization.
- Feed widgets
- Weather widgets
- Calendar widgets
9.0/10★★★★☆Visit GadgetPack -
Best forWindows users integrating work and personal services
- Better than Desktop Widgets:
- Free plan
- Editor score 8.8 vs 8.4
A flexible Windows dashboard for combining work, personal services, and system information.
- Feed widgets
- Weather widgets
- Calendar widgets
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit Themia -
Best forMac developers creating data-driven widgets
- Better than Desktop Widgets:
- Free plan
- Editor score 8.7 vs 8.4
A flexible Mac widget framework for developers comfortable with code and shell commands.
- Feed widgets
- Weather widgets
- Calendar widgets
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit Übersicht -
Best forCross-platform hardware and system monitoring
- Better than Desktop Widgets:
- Free plan
- Editor score 8.6 vs 8.4
A free, open-source monitor for users who want broad system visibility in one window.
- Calendar widgets
- System monitoring
8.6/10★★★★☆Visit GKrellM -
Best forFree, highly customizable Linux/macOS monitoring
- Better than Desktop Widgets:
- Free plan
- Editor score 8.5 vs 8.4
A flexible open-source monitor for deeply customized desktop system displays.
- Feed widgets
- Calendar widgets
- System monitoring
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit Conky -
Best forMac users wanting lifestyle and productivity widgets
- Better than Desktop Widgets:
- Free plan
A broad macOS widget collection for personal information and productivity.
- Weather widgets
- Calendar widgets
- System monitoring
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit Widgetify -
Best forFeature-rich macOS desktop customization
- Better than Desktop Widgets:
- Free plan
A broad macOS widget library with wallpapers, stickers, backups, and visual controls.
- Weather widgets
- Calendar widgets
- System monitoring
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit WidgetWall -
Best forMac users wanting monitoring and media widgets
- Better than Desktop Widgets:
- Free plan
A broad Mac widget set for monitoring, media, weather, planning, and desktop styling.
- Weather widgets
- Calendar widgets
- System monitoring
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit Widgetter -
Best forMac users wanting broad everyday desktop widgets
- Better than Desktop Widgets:
- Free plan
A broad macOS widget set for notes, planning, monitoring, and desktop organization.
- Calendar widgets
- System monitoring
- Custom layouts
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit DeskWidgets -
Best forUsers turning websites into desktop dashboards
- Better than Desktop Widgets:
- Free plan
A flexible web-to-desktop widget tool with useful free access and a focused scope.
- Feed widgets
- Weather widgets
- Custom layouts
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit Duckboard -
Best forLinux power users who code their widgets
- Better than Desktop Widgets:
- Free plan
A flexible open-source widget system for Linux users who want to code their desktop.
- Calendar widgets
- System monitoring
- Custom layouts
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit Eww -
Best forWindows users building custom widgets
- Better than Desktop Widgets:
- Free plan
A free, open-source Windows widget builder with broad customization options.
- Weather widgets
- System monitoring
- Custom layouts
7.6/10★★★★☆Visit Delta Widgets -
Best forLinux users wanting an all-purpose dashboard
A broad, open-source Linux dashboard for productivity, monitoring, weather, and logs.
- Weather widgets
- Calendar widgets
- System monitoring
7.5/10★★★★☆Visit Dashboard
Desktop Widgets Alternatives: Common Questions
What is the best alternative to Desktop Widgets?
Monitor Flows: #1 in our Desktop Widget Software ranking, with an editor score of 9.4 out of 10. A flexible Windows dashboard tool with broad integrations and multi-monitor support.
Is there a free alternative to Desktop Widgets?
Yes. Monitor Flows, Rainmeter, GadgetPack (formerly 8GadgetPack), Themia and Übersicht have a free plan or a free tier (15 of the 15 alternatives on this page).
Why do people look for Desktop Widgets alternatives?
No time-unlimited free plan; the free offering lasts seven days; Professional is limited to three device activations; Continued updates after the included year require maintenance.
How do I switch from Desktop Widgets?
Export your data from Desktop Widgets (most tools have an export in their settings). Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one. Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on. Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Desktop Widgets.
How to Switch from Desktop Widgets
- Export your data from Desktop Widgets (most tools have an export in their settings).
- Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one.
- Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on.
- Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Desktop Widgets.
Desktop Widgets vs Each Alternative
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Supported platforms | Widget categories | System monitoring | Custom layouts | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Desktop Widgets | No | Cross_platform | Yes | 8.4 | |||
| 1 | Monitor Flows | Yes | $3/mo | Windows | system monitoring; media controls; calendar; weather; smart home | Yes | Yes | 9.4 |
| 2 | Rainmeter | Yes | Free | Windows | memory, battery, RSS feeds, weather forecasts, notes, to-do lists, application launchers, media-player controls | Yes | Yes | 9.3 |
| 3 | GadgetPack (formerly 8GadgetPack) | Yes | Free | Windows | sidebar, agenda, CPU and GPU monitoring, battery, calendar, clipboard, clocks, currency, drives, network monitoring, weather, reminders, slideshow, sticky notes, calculator, volume control, unit converter, radio | Yes | Yes | 9.0 |
| 4 | Themia | Yes | $19 one-time | Windows | Office, Online, System, Themia, Layout, Others | Yes | Yes | 8.8 |
| 5 | Übersicht | Yes | Free | Macos | system monitoring; clocks; calendars; weather; RSS feeds; networking; media; launchers; finance; reminders | Yes | Yes | 8.7 |
| 6 | GKrellM | Yes | Free | Cross_platform | CPU, process, disk, network, internet, memory, swap, filesystem, mailbox, clock, calendar, hostname, battery, temperature, fan, voltage, uptime, plugins | Yes | 8.6 | |
| 7 | Conky | Yes | Free | Cross_platform | text, progress bars, graph widgets, RSS feeds, calendar events | Yes | Yes | 8.5 |
| 8 | Widgetify | Yes | Macos | Photo; music playback and lyrics; translator; world clock; date and time clocks; app shortcuts; folders and files; day master; to-do; sticky notes; reminders; weather; time-zone tracker; statistics; flip clock; browser; focus timer; water reminder; calendar | Yes | Yes | 8.2 | |
| 9 | WidgetWall | Yes | Macos | clock, calculator, photos, stopwatch, timer, app shortcuts, video, games, lava lamp, affirmations, iPod, stocks and crypto, white noise, Pomodoro, alarm, countdown, countup, emoji browser, TikTok, weather, stats, music, calendar, reminders, notes, browser, battery, mirror, Pinterest, bookmarks, canvas, Finder, stickers | Yes | Yes | 8.1 | |
| 10 | Widgetter | Yes | Macos | Date & Time, Calendar, Weather, Battery, Music player, Photo, Internet speed, Currency and cryptocurrency quotes, Tasks and Reminders, CPU, RPM, RAM, HDD/SSD | Yes | Yes | 8.0 | |
| 11 | DeskWidgets | Yes | Macos | Interactive Widgets; Information Widgets | Yes | Yes | 7.9 | |
| 12 | Duckboard | Yes | $29 one-time | Cross_platform | YouTube, X, weather, productivity tools, feeds, custom HTML and embeds | Yes | 7.8 | |
| 13 | Eww | Yes | Free | Linux | combo-box-text, expander, revealer, checkbox, color-button, color-chooser, scale, progress, input, button, image, box, overlay, tooltip, centerbox, scroll, eventbox, label, literal, calendar, stack, transform, circular-progress, graph | Yes | Yes | 7.7 |
| 14 | Delta Widgets | Yes | Free | Windows | date and time, media, audio visualizer, weather, disks, RAM, CPU, battery, system stats, custom HTML, URL/web content | Yes | Yes | 7.6 |
| 15 | Dashboard | Free | Linux | Clock, Calendar, Todo, Notes, Pomodoro, Countdown, Links, Weather, System Status, Htop, AI Chat, Log Tail | Yes | Yes | 7.5 |
Head-to-Head
- Desktop Widgets vs Monitor Flows
- Desktop Widgets vs Rainmeter
- Desktop Widgets vs GadgetPack (formerly 8GadgetPack)
- Desktop Widgets vs Themia
- Desktop Widgets vs Übersicht
- Desktop Widgets vs GKrellM
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update