Fresco

Free plan Linux

What Fresco is

Fresco is a Linux app for animated desktop wallpapers made from video, GIFs, images, slideshows and playlists. Slideshow transitions are supported, and a catalog of curated, licensed wallpapers can be browsed in the app. Different monitors can use separate wallpapers, selected from a wallpaper’s context menu. Four widgets provide synced lyrics, a clock, an audio visualiser and album art shown on a turning record. Lyrics follow MPRIS media, looking for local .lrc files before LRCLIB. Video playback uses GPU hardware decoding through mpv with VA-API or NVDEC. Fresco supports X11 and the Wayland layer-shell compositors COSMIC, Hyprland, Sway and KDE Plasma 6; on GNOME Wayland it displays a still frame, and widgets are unavailable. It can pause on battery or when a window goes fullscreen on a display. A daemon keeps wallpapers running after the app closes and restores them after reboot. Fresco is free forever under GPL-3.0 and is made by Dibbayajyoti Roy.

Who it suits

Fresco suits Linux users who want moving or changing desktop backgrounds, including users with multiple monitors. It is less suited to GNOME Wayland users seeking live wallpapers or widgets.

What it does well

Supports video, GIF, slideshow and playlist wallpapers
Separate wallpaper can run on each monitor
Includes four widgets, including lyrics and an audio visualiser
Can pause on battery or during fullscreen windows

What to know first

GNOME Wayland displays only a still frame
Widgets are unavailable on GNOME Wayland

Limits

Fresco is free forever under GPL-3.0. On GNOME Wayland, wallpapers show as still frames and widgets are unavailable.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Free	Free forever · GPL-3.0	Free

As fresco.dibbayajyoti.com lists them, read 8 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Visit the Fresco website.
Choose the one-line installer or .deb release, or find Fresco in the deepin App Store.
Run Fresco on a supported Linux desktop environment.
Browse the wallpaper catalog or choose a wallpaper to use.
For separate monitor backgrounds, select a wallpaper for each monitor from its context menu.

Verdict

Fresco offers several animated wallpaper formats, monitor-specific backgrounds and playback controls. Check its compositor support first: GNOME Wayland is limited to a still frame without widgets.

Questions

How much does Fresco cost?

Fresco is free forever. Its Free plan costs nothing.

Which platforms and desktops does Fresco support?

Linux is the listed platform. Fresco supports X11 and the Wayland layer-shell compositors COSMIC, Hyprland, Sway, and KDE Plasma 6.

Does Fresco work on GNOME Wayland?

It displays a still frame on GNOME Wayland, and its widgets are unavailable there.

Is Fresco open source?

Fresco is licensed under GPL-3.0.

Who makes Fresco?

The product site names Dibbayajyoti Roy as its maker.

How can I install Fresco?

The site offers a one-line installer and a .deb release. Fresco is also available in the deepin App Store.

Facts from Fresco's own pages

Automation: A daemon keeps the wallpaper running after the app closes and restores it after reboot. · fresco.dibbayajyoti.com, 8 Oct 2026
Desktop support: Fresco supports X11 and the Wayland layer-shell compositors COSMIC, Hyprland, Sway, and KDE Plasma 6; GNOME Wayland shows a still frame only. · fresco.dibbayajyoti.com, 8 Oct 2026
Distribution: The site offers a one-line installer and a .deb release, and says Fresco is also available in the deepin App Store. · fresco.dibbayajyoti.com, 8 Oct 2026
License and price: Fresco is described as free forever and licensed under GPL-3.0. · fresco.dibbayajyoti.com, 8 Oct 2026
Maker: The product site names Dibbayajyoti Roy as Fresco’s maker. · fresco.dibbayajyoti.com, 8 Oct 2026
Multi-monitor: Each monitor can run its own wallpaper, selected from a wallpaper’s context menu. · fresco.dibbayajyoti.com, 8 Oct 2026
Music integration: Lyrics follow media playing over MPRIS, using local .lrc files first and LRCLIB afterward. · fresco.dibbayajyoti.com, 8 Oct 2026
Notable limitation: Widgets are unavailable on GNOME Wayland because it has no live wallpaper surface, according to the site. · fresco.dibbayajyoti.com, 8 Oct 2026
Playback: It uses GPU hardware decoding through mpv with VA-API or NVDEC. · fresco.dibbayajyoti.com, 8 Oct 2026
Power features: Fresco can pause on battery and automatically pause a monitor’s wallpaper when a window on that display goes fullscreen. · fresco.dibbayajyoti.com, 8 Oct 2026
Privacy-related behavior: The audio visualiser asks before listening to audio, and the site says user and country counts include installs that opted in to anonymous telemetry. · fresco.dibbayajyoti.com, 8 Oct 2026
Wallpaper catalog: Fresco includes a catalog of curated, licensed wallpapers that users can browse in the app. · fresco.dibbayajyoti.com, 8 Oct 2026
Wallpaper features: It supports video and GIF wallpapers, image slideshows with transitions, and video playlists. · fresco.dibbayajyoti.com, 8 Oct 2026
What it does: Fresco sets video, GIF, image, slideshow, and playlist wallpapers as animated Linux desktop backgrounds. · fresco.dibbayajyoti.com, 8 Oct 2026
Widgets: Its four wallpaper widgets are synced song lyrics, a clock, an audio visualiser, and album art on a turning record. · fresco.dibbayajyoti.com, 8 Oct 2026

Where Fresco stands on Freedom251

Desktop Wallpaper Software#13 of 34