Pixel Soup
Pixel Soup is a macOS application that generates live, animated wallpapers entirely on your GPU.
Our verdict
Who it's for
Generate infinite animated wallpapers on your GPU
Who should look elsewhere
Requires a recent version of macOS
Pros
- +One-time payment with updates included, no subscription
- +Privacy-focused with no account, analytics, or data leaving your Mac
- +Battery-efficient GPU rendering that adapts to system state
Cons
- −Requires a recent version of macOS
- −Mac App Store version not yet available
Key features
- ✓11 generative shape types including Flow, Mesh, Plasma, Ripple, Aurora, Cells, Topo, Whorl, Sonar, Mosh, and Weave
- ✓9 dithering styles: Smooth, Poster, Bayer 4 and 8, Noise, Halftone, Lines, Diamond, ASCII, and Benday dots
- ✓12 built-in color palettes plus custom palettes with up to 5 colors
- ✓Photo import to dither your own images into wallpapers
- ✓Auto-rotation to a new wallpaper hourly or daily with a Previous button to go back
- ✓PNG export at multiple resolutions: current display, 6K, iPhone, or 2048 square
- ✓GPU-accelerated rendering that pauses when windows cover the desktop
- ✓Multi-display support with automatic resolution handling
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Billing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launch Week Price | $4.99 | month | Full app; Updates included; License for up to 3 Macs |
| Regular Price | $9.99 | month | Full app; Updates included; License for up to 3 Macs |