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XScreenSaver

xscreensaver · v6.15

2
8.0

Screen savers

Utilities Homepage →
brew install --cask xscreensaver
Compare with: vs. Brooklyn vs. WebViewScreenSaver vs. Aerial Screensaver vs. macshot
40
30-day installs
129
90-day installs
492
365-day installs
Install trend
Trust Score 2/10
✗ Open source +0
✗ Active development +0
✗ Licensed +0
✗ No auto-updates +0
✓ Not deprecated +1
✓ Established (>1yr) +1
✗ Low installs +0

Version History

v6.15
9d ago6.14.1→6.15

Review

Mar 10, 2026

XScreenSaver offers a wide variety of customizable screen savers with a retro and creative flair, making it a favorite for users who enjoy unique visual effects. It has been a staple in the open-source community for years.

XScreenSaver provides a collection of screen savers for macOS, offering various visual effects and animations.

Maturity: The project is stable and widely used, despite no recent commits to the GitHub mirror.

Community: Hacker News discussions highlight its popularity and creative offerings, though some users note its age and compatibility issues with mobile platforms.

Pros

  • + Extensive library of screen savers
  • + Customizable settings for each saver
  • + Open-source and community-driven

Cons

  • - No auto-update feature
  • - Some input-related bugs reported

GitHub

View repo →
273
Stars
79
Forks
22
Issues
-
License
CLast commit: Jan 16, 2026

Community Mentions

hackernews
Jun 2024 XScreenSaver is available on Android. Google requires a privacy policy
hackernews
Apr 2023 Show HN: I recreated a flying toasters screensaver for XScreensaver
hackernews
Apr 2016 Debian XScreenSaver package maintainer responds
hackernews
Apr 2016 “This version of XScreenSaver is very old. Please upgrade”
hackernews
Aug 2012 JWZ ported XScreenSaver to iOS - keeps getting rejected by Apple
Positive sentiment Negative sentiment Neutral / unknown

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