HONEST COMPARISON · CHECKED 2026-10-09
Hangly vs OpenPets
Different kinds of thing. OpenPets is an animated pet and, now, an assistant; Hangly is an ornament.
Free download • macOS 14+ and Windows 10+ • • Install help
Quick answer
OpenPets is a free, open-source desktop pet for Windows, macOS and Linux that roams your screen, with a plugin SDK and, since v4, an AI assistant you can talk to. Hangly is a different idea: a charm that hangs still and stays out of the way.
Key takeaways
- OpenPets is a pet that moves and talks; Hangly is a charm that hangs
- Both are free; OpenPets is open source, as is Hangly's Windows app
- OpenPets runs on Linux too
- Hangly never needs attention; OpenPets is built to interact
What is OpenPets?
OpenPets is free, open-source desktop pets for Windows, macOS and Linux: animated pets from a gallery, a sandboxed plugin SDK, optional local integrations with coding tools, and since v4 an AI assistant you can type or talk to, which can set reminders and start focus sessions.
Taken from their own site on 2026-10-09. Products change — check theirs before deciding.
How Hangly differs
Hangly hangs one to three charms from a fixed point and lets every click through. It has no assistant and no behaviour beyond swinging.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Hangly | OpenPets |
|---|---|---|
| Kind | Charm that hangs | Pet that roams, with an AI assistant |
| Price | Free | Free, open source |
| Platforms | macOS 14+, Windows 10+ | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Interrupts you | Never | By design, when you ask it to |
| Your own image | Yes | Pet packs and plugins |
Performance
OpenPets animates a moving pet and can run an assistant; Hangly draws one charm and idles at rest. Neither publishes figures.
Customisation
OpenPets: pets, plugins and integrations. 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. OpenPets describes itself as local-first; its assistant and integrations are optional.
Platform support
Hangly: macOS 14+; Windows 10 (version 1809)+ on x64 and Windows 11 on native ARM64. OpenPets: Windows, macOS and Linux.
Where each one wins
Choose OpenPets if…
- Linux support
- An AI assistant and plugin SDK
- Fully open source on every platform
Choose Hangly if…
- Never asks for attention
- 161 ready-made charms and your own images
- A native Windows ARM64 build
Direct answers
Which is better for Mac?
Depends on what you want on screen: a pet that moves and talks (OpenPets) or a charm that hangs still (Hangly).
Which uses fewer resources?
Neither publishes figures. A roaming pet and an assistant do more work than one hanging charm that idles at rest.
Which has more customisation?
OpenPets through plugins and integrations; Hangly through charms, ropes and your own images.
Is there a desktop pet that does not interrupt you?
A charm is the calmer option: Hangly hangs from one point, lets clicks through and never moves on its own except to swing.
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 OpenPets free?
Yes, free and open source (9 October 2026). Hangly is free as well.
Does OpenPets run on Linux?
Yes. Hangly runs on macOS and Windows only.
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 a pet with an AI assistant
- OpenPets v4 chats, talks, sets reminders and starts focus sessions.
- A Linux user
- OpenPets runs on Linux; Hangly does not.
- Someone who wants calm decoration
- Hangly's charm hangs from one point and never wanders.
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 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.
- 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
Choose OpenPets if you want company that does things. Choose Hangly if you want your screen to feel personal without anything asking for attention.