Vivarium
0.1 Overview

Vivarium — the live wallpaper app for macOS.

Drop in a clip you already own. Vivarium finds the loop points, trims to them, and cycles the result behind your windows.

Download free See how it works

free while in beta · planned $1.99/month · $14.99 lifetime

0°
occlusion-aware · deep pause when covered per-display · per-video frame rate
v4.8 beta macOS 15.0+ Apple silicon direct download no account
A dark desk at night: a MacBook Pro playing a Vivarium wallpaper, between two speakers, in front of a planted aquarium.
0.2 In place

Behind everything you already have open.

A wallpaper is only as good as it looks under a full screen of windows. Vivarium sits below the desktop icons, pauses when it is covered, and stops on battery.

0.3 Surfaces

Three places it shows up.

Same wallpaper, wherever macOS will take it. Pick one to see it against the tone.

0.3.1 Active

Library

Every loop you have cut, in one grid. Sorted by length, tone, or the display it was made for.

one grid · one window

0.3.2 Lock
The Signature loop as it appears mirrored to the lock screen

Lock screen

Mirror the desktop loop to the lock screen. Direct-download builds only.

mirror · direct download only

0.3.3 Rotate

Playlists

Group loops and let them rotate on a schedule you set. Five minutes to a day.

wall-clock · survives sleep

0.4Everyday details

Your collection. Your routine.

Find a favorite, choose where it plays, and make the desktop feel like yours.

FeatureWhat you can doAvailability LibrarySearch titles and file names; sort by recent, name, or randomAvailable in 4.8 beta PlaylistsRotate your collection on a scheduleAvailable DisplaysChoose a wallpaper for each screenAvailable PowerPause playback and use battery-aware settingsAvailable Your filesImport your own videos and reveal them in FinderAvailable iPhoneExport a Live Photo; motion wallpaper compatibility is still being testedExperimental Apple WatchWatch-face compatibility has not been verified; animated watch faces are not promisedNot supported yet Community uploadsShare your own wallpapers with othersNot open yet

Before you download

What does the beta cost?

It is free while in beta. Planned pricing is $1.99 monthly or $14.99 lifetime. Checkout is not open yet.

Can I take a wallpaper to my iPhone or Apple Watch?

The experimental iPhone export lets you choose a moment, adjust framing and hue, and save a Live Photo for sharing with AirDrop. Lock Screen motion can differ from playback in Photos. Apple Watch support has not been verified; we do not currently advertise animated watch faces.

How will activation and billing work?

The planned checkout uses Lemon Squeezy. Your receipt will contain a licence key to paste into Vivarium’s Profile → Licence panel. Billing and key recovery explains the planned process. Sales remain closed while we test it.

Can I use my own videos?

Yes. Import videos you have permission to use. Your local collection is not automatically uploaded or shared.

Will it keep playing after I close the window?

The wallpaper has a separate background agent. You can control playback from the menu bar. Restart and login behavior are still being tested in this beta.

Does the lock screen work with every video?

Lock-screen mirroring uses undocumented macOS behavior. Use 30 fps footage for now; some higher-frame-rate clips may remain still. FileVault's pre-login screen is a separate limitation.

Can I pause this website's animation?

Use the motion button below. Your preference is remembered in this browser.

0.5 Pricing

Free while it’s in beta.

Everything is unlocked and there is one build, the full one. It costs nothing while Vivarium is in beta. Testers who are here now get a permanent discount when 1.0 ships — not the whole thing free, but a real one.

Checkout is not open yet. The monthly and lifetime prices below are planned launch options. No payment is collected during the free beta.

beta Free while in beta

$0

$1.99/month · $14.99 once, yours forever

  • Your wallpaper library — import, search, and sort
  • Playlists with scheduled rotation
  • A different loop on every display
  • Lock-screen mirror
  • A bundled 4K signature wallpaper
  • Every future version
Download for macOS
MonthlyPlanned

$1.99 / month

Monthly access to Vivarium. Recurring billing; cancel future renewals at any time.

LifetimePlanned

$14.99 once

A one-time Vivarium purchase. No recurring subscription charge.

! Note — Beta builds are not notarized by Apple yet, so macOS will refuse to open the app and may say it is damaged. It is not. Drag it to Applications, then run xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Vivarium.app in Terminal once.

0.6 Requirements

What it needs, and what it will not do.

Three limits worth knowing before you download. They are here rather than in the footer.

System
macOS 15.0 or later
Architecture
Apple silicon
Public version
4.8 beta (build 25)
Formats in
ProRes · H.264 · HEVC
Distribution
direct download · not notarized yet
Account
not required for the local beta
Download for macOS Release notes

Note — The lock-screen mirror ships in the direct-download build only. Store sandboxing blocks the API it uses.

Note — iPhone Live Photo export is experimental. Lock Screen playback can differ from Photos, and motion quality is still being improved.

Note — macOS 15.0 is the floor. Earlier systems have no wallpaper API Vivarium can drive without a helper daemon, and it will not ship one.