HONEST COMPARISON · CHECKED 2026-10-09
Hangly vs Cat Fidget
A pet and a charm. Cat Fidget wins on privacy and on things to do; Hangly wins on platforms and on asking nothing of you.
Free download • macOS 14+ and Windows 10+ • • Install help
Quick answer
Cat Fidget is a free Mac menu-bar cat you pet, feed, drag and fling, with a tamagotchi-style care mode, optional paid breeds and outfits, and no network use at all. Hangly is a free charm for Mac and Windows that hangs and swings, with 161 charms.
Key takeaways
- Cat Fidget is a pet with a care loop; Hangly is a charm
- Cat Fidget is free with one cat; breeds, outfits and a photo pet are optional one-time purchases
- Cat Fidget states no account, no network and no tracking: stricter than Hangly
- Cat Fidget is Mac only, in 20 languages; Hangly runs on Mac and Windows
What is Cat Fidget?
Cat Fidget is a desktop pet for macOS 14 and later, on the Mac App Store: a small cat beneath the menu bar that can stay calm, follow the cursor, stretch on an elastic leash or bounce, which you pet, feed, drag and fling. A Devoted mode adds a tamagotchi-style care loop. One cat is free; nine more breeds ($1.99 each), 44 accessories, 7 bundles or a $9.99 Cat Lover Pass, and a photo pet, are optional one-time purchases. It states no account, no network and no tracking, and is in 20 languages.
Taken from their own site on 2026-10-09. Products change — check theirs before deciding.
How Hangly differs
Hangly is free with everything included, runs on Windows as well, and hangs a charm rather than keeping a pet: nothing to feed, nothing to level up.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Hangly | Cat Fidget |
|---|---|---|
| Kind | Charm | Pet cat with a care loop |
| Price | Free, everything | Free with one cat; cosmetics $0.99–$9.99 |
| Platforms | macOS 14+, Windows 10+ | macOS 14+ |
| Network use | Installation record, usage events, crash reports | None, per its site |
| Your own photo | Free | Optional one-time purchase |
| Languages | English | 20 |
Performance
Cat Fidget runs 60 fps physics while you play; Hangly idles at rest. Neither publishes CPU figures.
Customisation
Cat Fidget: ten breeds, 60 wardrobe pieces, four behaviours, a photo pet. Hangly: 161 charms, nine ropes, size, several charms on one rope and any image.
Privacy
Hangly needs no account and never reads your screen, your files or the images you turn into charms. It does register each installation with its developer (a random ID, the nickname you choose, your city worked out from your connection, your versions and when it was used) and sends anonymous usage events and crash reports; the privacy page lists all of it. Cat Fidget states no account, no network and no tracking, and processes photos on the Mac: the stricter of the two.
Platform support
Hangly: macOS 14+; Windows 10 (version 1809)+ on x64 and Windows 11 on native ARM64. Cat Fidget: macOS 14+, Apple silicon and Intel.
Where each one wins
Choose Cat Fidget if…
- No network use at all
- A care loop with levels and streaks
- Twenty languages
- On the Mac App Store
Choose Hangly if…
- Windows, including native ARM64
- Everything free, including your own photo
- Asks for no attention
Direct answers
Which is better for Mac?
Cat Fidget if you want a cat to play with and look after; Hangly if you want a charm that hangs quietly.
Which uses fewer resources?
Neither publishes figures; a cat you fling runs physics more often than a charm at rest.
Which has more customisation?
Different kinds: Cat Fidget's breeds and wardrobe, Hangly's 161 charms and ropes.
Which is more private?
Cat Fidget, by its own statement: no account, no network, no tracking. Hangly registers each installation and sends usage events and crash reports.
Which is best for menu bar customisation?
Hangly runs from the macOS menu bar and the Windows system tray, but it is not a menu bar customisation tool — it hangs a charm below the menu bar rather than changing the bar itself. For rearranging or hiding menu bar items, a dedicated utility such as Bartender or Ice is the right category. Hangly sits alongside those rather than replacing them.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cat Fidget free?
Yes, with the Classic Black cat. Other breeds, accessories, bundles, the $9.99 Cat Lover Pass and the photo pet are optional one-time purchases (9 October 2026).
Does Cat Fidget run on Windows?
No, macOS 14 and later. Hangly runs on Mac and Windows.
Every Hangly charm is listed on the charms page, including the twelve cultural luck and protection charms this category competes on. More questions are answered on the FAQ page, and the guides cover the wider category.
Best for
- Someone who wants something to care for
- Cat Fidget's Devoted mode has hunger, happiness, energy and streaks.
- Someone who wants no network use at all
- Cat Fidget states no account, no network and no tracking.
- Anyone on Windows
- Cat Fidget is Mac only.
Alternatives
- Hangly vs Lucky Dangle The closest comparison in this list. Both hang a charm on a cord from the top of the screen, on Mac and Windows, and both stay out of every click. Hangly's advantages are price and breadth: free, 161 charms across 21 collections, nine rope styles and a native ARM64 build. Lucky Dangle's is its rituals.
- Hangly vs Screen Dangle Both free, both Mac and Windows. The difference is philosophy: Screen Dangle presents itself as a studio for building a charm, Hangly as a library you choose from — with your own images as an option rather than the starting point.
- Hangly vs DangleJoy Very close in intent: animated charms that hang and sway, with cultural and lucky symbols at the centre of both, and your own images welcome in both. Hangly's edge is being free, with five times the charms and a native Windows ARM64 build. DangleJoy's is reach: Android, the Mac App Store and a site in 12 languages.
- Hangly vs Charmly Near-identical in concept — a charm on a cord with real pendulum physics that stays out of your clicks. Hangly's difference is reach: Windows including native ARM64, 21 collections, and your own images as charms.
- Hangly vs Shimeji Both let you put your own artwork on screen, and there the similarity ends. Shimeji characters roam, climb windows and throw them about, and the popular version today is a browser extension. Hangly is a native desktop app with a charm that stays where you hang it.
- Hangly vs Desktop Goose These are opposites that appeal to the same instinct. Desktop Goose drags mud across your screen and steals your cursor, deliberately. Hangly hangs one charm that cannot interrupt anything. Choose by whether you want to be interfered with.
- Hangly vs RunCat Not really competitors. RunCat is a system monitor in a cat costume: the animation speed reports your CPU load. Hangly is decoration with no monitoring function. Running both is sensible and common.
- Hangly vs Dockling Dockling is a productivity companion that happens to be charming — Pomodoro, streaks, quick notes, $2.99 once. Hangly is decoration that deliberately adds nothing to your workflow. Choose by whether you want your ornament to also prompt you.
- Hangly vs Screen Charms Close in what they do, different in how they charge. Screen Charms gives you one charm free and the rest for $4.99, plus a focus timer. Hangly gives you all 161 charms and custom images free, and runs on Windows too.
- Hangly vs Desk Dangle The closest free pair in the category. Both hang a swinging charm on Mac and Windows, both are click-through, and both take your own images. Desk Dangle is smaller and can use the notch; Hangly is the bigger library.
- Hangly vs Book My Luck The same idea at different prices. Book My Luck is a one-time licence per computer with seasonal collections; Hangly is free with a far larger catalogue.
- Hangly vs Drishti Dangle Both are built around Indian charms. Drishti Dangle adds musical wind chimes and animated 3D models for ₹99, but could not be bought on 9 October 2026. Hangly is free and available now.
- Hangly vs DeskCharm DeskCharm is a developer's project; Hangly is a finished app. Both are free, and both have open source on GitHub.
- Hangly vs OpenPets Different kinds of thing. OpenPets is an animated pet and, now, an assistant; Hangly is an ornament.
- Hangly vs Dockitty Two small delights in different places: the Dock and the top of the screen.
- Hangly vs Googly Eyes Both free, both whimsical, in different places.
- Hangly vs Oneko Different eras and different platforms: Oneko for X11, Hangly for Mac and Windows.
- Every desktop charm app for Mac, compared The whole category in one table, including the ones with no page here.
In short
If you want a cat to look after, Cat Fidget is lovely and very private. If you want a charm that asks nothing of you, on Mac or Windows, Hangly.