HONEST COMPARISON · CHECKED 2026-10-09

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.

About Hangly

Free download • macOS 14+ and Windows 10+ • • Install help

Quick answer

Both hang a charm from the top of a Mac screen on a physics string. Screen Charms is Mac only, free for one charm (Turkey Nazar), and $4.99 once for its full library and custom images; it also has a Pomodoro focus timer. Hangly is free with all 161 charms and your own images, on Mac and Windows.

Key takeaways

Screen Charms is free for one charm; PRO is $4.99 once for the library and custom images
Hangly is free with every one of its 161 charms and custom images
Screen Charms has a Pomodoro timer that swings the charm and plays a chime
Screen Charms is Mac only (macOS 13+); Hangly also runs on Windows, including native ARM64

What is Screen Charms?

Screen Charms is a macOS menu bar app (macOS 13 Ventura or later) that drops a decorative charm from the menu bar on a physics string you can swing and flick. The free version includes one charm, the Turkey Nazar, with all string styles, size and position controls and a Pomodoro focus timer. PRO, $4.99 once by licence key, unlocks the full charm library, custom images and future charms.

Taken from their own site on 2026-10-09. Products change — check theirs before deciding.

How Hangly differs

Hangly has no paid tier: all 161 charms across 21 collections, any image as a charm, nine rope styles and up to three charms on one rope are free, on Mac and on Windows, including a native ARM64 build.

Feature comparison

Hangly compared with Screen Charms, feature by feature
Feature	Hangly	Screen Charms
Price	Free, everything	Free for one charm; PRO $4.99 once
Charms	161 across 21 collections	One free; full library on PRO
Custom images	Free	PRO
Rope / string styles	Nine	Three: thread, silver chain, gold chain
Focus timer	No	Pomodoro, 1–60 minutes, with a chime
macOS	14+	13+
Windows	10+ x64; 11 on native ARM64	No

Performance

Both simulate one charm on a string, which is cheap. Hangly stops its simulation when the charm comes to rest. Screen Charms does not publish its approach.

Customisation

Screen Charms gives the free tier size, string length and position sliders, three string styles and a hide button; the library and custom images are PRO. Hangly includes everything free: 161 charms, nine ropes, size, up to three charms on one rope, multi-monitor placement 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. Screen Charms needs no account and states that PRO works fully offline.

Platform support

Hangly: macOS 14+; Windows 10 (version 1809)+ on x64 and Windows 11 on native ARM64. Screen Charms: macOS 13 Ventura and later.

Where each one wins

Choose Screen Charms if…

A Pomodoro focus timer that swings the charm and chimes
Runs on macOS 13 Ventura, a version older than Hangly supports

Choose Hangly if…

Every charm free, and custom images free
161 charms across 21 collections
Windows, including a native ARM64 build
Nine rope styles and up to three charms on one rope

Direct answers

Which is better for Mac?

Both are native Mac apps that hang a charm from the menu bar. Screen Charms if you want its focus timer and are happy with one charm or paying $4.99; Hangly if you want the full collection and your own images free.

Which uses fewer resources?

Neither publishes figures, and both draw one small charm. Hangly stops animating when the charm is still.

Which has more customisation?

Hangly, without paying: 161 charms, nine ropes, size, several charms on one rope and any image. Screen Charms' library and custom images need PRO.

Is there a free alternative to Screen Charms PRO?

Hangly includes everything Screen Charms PRO unlocks (a large library and your own images) for free, on Mac and Windows. It has no focus timer.

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 Screen Charms free?

Partly. The free version has one charm, the Turkey Nazar, with every string style and the focus timer. PRO, $4.99 once, unlocks the full library and custom images (9 October 2026). Hangly is free with everything.

Does Screen Charms work on Windows?

No, it is a macOS app. Hangly runs on Windows 10 and later, with a native ARM64 build for Windows 11 on ARM.

Which app has a focus timer?

Screen Charms: a 1–60 minute Pomodoro timer that swings your charm and plays a wind chime at the end. Hangly has none.

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 works in Pomodoro sessions: Screen Charms swings the charm and plays a wind chime when a 1–60 minute session ends.
Someone who wants every charm free: Hangly has no paid tier; Screen Charms' free tier is a single charm.
Anyone on Windows: Screen Charms 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 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 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

If you want a focus timer built into your charm and you are on a Mac, Screen Charms does something Hangly does not. If you want the whole collection and your own images without paying, or you use Windows, Hangly.