Pixel Soup app icon

Pixel Soup

Animated pixel-art wallpapers for your Mac desktop

Mac$9.99 once

The verdict

Every wallpaper in Pixel Soup is generated from a shape, a palette, a dither pattern and a seed, so you can roll through over 100,000 combinations or dither your own photo into 8-bit art. Animated ones drift slowly behind your icons and pause when windows cover the desktop, which keeps battery drain low. It does one decorative job, so skip it if a still wallpaper is all you ever want.

The Useful TechResearched and written with AI under our rulesUpdated 14 Oct 2026

Get it if

You change your wallpaper often and want something nobody else has, including moving pixel art.

Skip it if

You are happy with Apple's built-in dynamic and aerial wallpapers, which cost nothing.

Screenshots 4

What it helps you do

  • Make a wallpaper nobody else has
  • Turn a photo into dithered pixel art
  • Export wallpapers sized for your iPhone
  • Animate your desktop without draining battery

Plans and prices

  • License

    $9.99

    $9.99 once for up to 3 Macs, or $4.99 during launch week

  • Mac App Store

    The same app at the same price, without the trial

  • Trial

    3 days free from the website, with no account or card

What changed

  1. Version 1.1.3

    You can now hide the handle. Choose Hidden under Handle Position in the menu bar icon, and your desktop stays completely clean. The menu bar icon still opens the editor and switches wallpapers. Thanks to Eugene for the idea. ( · - · )ゝ

  2. Added to The Useful Apps

Pick something else if

All 4 Pixel Soup alternatives

The details

Runs on
Mac
Requires
macOS 14.0 or later
Version
1.1.3
Size
1 MB
Made by
Madhav Oberoi
Free trial
Try the paid version first
No account
Works without signing up
Privacy
Collects no data, per its App Store label
Family Sharing
1 purchase for the family

Developer's websiteSpot a wrong price or fact?