DesktopHut lets you put live wallpapers on your computer screen and mobile phone. You can use both 3D and 2D animated wallpapers. DesktopHut is the best tool to get these dynamic wallpapers on your PC!
Everyone wants a desktop that feels alive, personalized, and unique. For years, Wallpaper Engine has been the go-to paid solution for bringing animated wallpapers to life. It's a powerful piece of software with a massive community.
But what if you could get all the power, performance, and features you need without the price tag? What if there was a free alternative that was deeply integrated with a massive library of high-quality content?
This is where Luna comes in. As the official engine of DesktopHut, Luna was built from the ground up to be the best free alternative to Wallpaper Engine on the market. In this article, we'll do an honest comparison and show you why a free, powerful alternative might be the perfect choice for you.
There's no denying that Wallpaper Engine is an excellent piece of software. Its biggest strengths are the deep integration with the Steam Workshop and a very advanced editor for users who want to create complex, interactive wallpapers from scratch.
However, that power comes with a price tag and a level of complexity that isn't for everyone. For the vast majority of users who simply want to find a beautiful animated wallpaper and apply it easily, there's a smarter way.
(Image: A clean screenshot of Luna's user interface, showing how simple it is)
Our philosophy behind Luna is simple: creating a stunning desktop shouldn't cost you money or system resources. Luna is a complete, standalone live wallpaper engine that offers a feature-rich experience without compromise.
Here’s how Luna stands as the ultimate free alternative.
This is the biggest difference. Luna is, and always will be, completely free. No hidden costs, no premium-only features. You get access to the full suite of tools—including multi-monitor support, a wallpaper scheduler, and a widget engine—at no cost. This makes high-end desktop customization accessible to everyone.
We know that performance is critical. A beautiful desktop is worthless if it lags your games. Luna is designed for incredibly low CPU usage by utilizing a powerful MPV player backend and full hardware decoding.
Crucially, Luna automatically pauses all wallpaper animations when you enter a full-screen application or game, dropping resource usage to nearly zero. You get the beauty when you want it and the performance when you need it.
While Wallpaper Engine relies on the Steam Workshop, Luna is directly integrated with the entire DesktopHut library.
This means you can browse, download, and apply thousands of curated 4K, HD, and Ultra HDR wallpapers directly from within the Luna application. There's no need to browse a separate workshop; the content is right at your fingertips, and new wallpapers are added daily.
To make it easy, here’s a direct comparison of the key features users care about.
| Feature | Luna (from DesktopHut) | Wallpaper Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Completely Free | Paid (One-time purchase on Steam) |
| Content Source | Integrated DesktopHut Gallery | Steam Workshop |
| True Multi-Monitor Support | ✅ Yes (Different wallpapers per monitor) | ✅ Yes |
| Wallpaper Scheduler | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes (Via Playlists) |
| Desktop Widget Engine | ✅ Yes (Web-based widgets) | Limited / Community-created |
| Performance Pausing | ✅ Yes (On fullscreen/game) | ✅ Yes |
| Video Adjustments (Hue, etc.) | ✅ Yes (Real-time sliders) | ✅ Yes |
| Developer | DesktopHut Team | Kristjan Skutta |
(Image: A screenshot showing Luna's multi-monitor settings window)
Luna is the perfect choice for:
While Wallpaper Engine is a great tool, Luna proves that you don't need to pay to have a powerful, lightweight, and feature-rich live wallpaper experience. With its seamless integration of content and a robust set of features, Luna isn't just a free alternative—it's a genuine competitor and the smartest choice for anyone looking to bring their desktop to life.
Ready to see the difference for yourself?
We're incredibly proud of what we've built, and we're constantly working on new features. What are your favorite features in a wallpaper engine? Let us know in the comments below!