XScreenSaver

XScreenSaver

by Jamie Zawinski

104 ratings
98 reviews
Free

Details

  • Released
  • Updated
  • August 1, 2012
  • March 31, 2026

Features

XScreenSaver screenshot #1 for iPhone
XScreenSaver screenshot #2 for iPhone
XScreenSaver screenshot #3 for iPhone
XScreenSaver screenshot #4 for iPhone
XScreenSaver screenshot #5 for iPhone
iphone
ipad
πŸ–ΌοΈGet Icon
Iconsβ†˜οΈŽ

About

Explore a vast collection of historic and educational graphics demos originally designed for Linux and Unix systems. This application allows you to interact with hundreds of these visual demonstrations, ported from the classic screen saver collection.

βœ“Historic graphics demos
βœ“Educational visual content
βœ“Interactive demo playback
βœ“Large collection of visuals
βœ“Cross-platform heritage
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What users say

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What's New in XScreenSaver

6.15

March 31, 2026

New hacks, worldpieces, bestill, bubblecolors, darktransit, downfall, driftclouds, goldenapollian, noxfire, prococean, rigrekt, trainmandala, trizm and universeball. Higher resolution Earth imagery in glplanet, dymaxionmap sphereeversion, cubocteversion and platonicfolding. Text in right-to-left languages is rendered properly.

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User reviews

perfect

No ads, no data collection, it does exactly what it is supposed to do. Reminds me of when computers were fun.

This is one of my favorites

Yes, I come from the age of screen burn in, so old school screensavers are a favorite.

I also come from a time when there was nothing but analog TV signals, so the one I use most is XAnalogTV. I just wish it had a control where you could select which of the 12 different channels would be displayed as it cycles through the channels.
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awesome

i love the variety, this is perfect for my ipad when its on my stand charging not doing anything. i like the skull loop one. this app is weirdly underrated because theres no other app like this

Very fun. What if widget for ios standby mode?

I have had this on my Mac for ages now. Put this on my iPhone and was messing with it.

But what if widget for iOS’ standby mode when plugged in and locked on side? What if we lived on the moon? Where is Waldo?

This is by far one of the best apps of 2024 PERIOD!

I have to point out that I use my iPad Pro and my Macbook Pro M2 for Music Production, Song Writing, Sound Productions, Recording...
Even though its an amazing job, its still a job, and work needs to be done to meet standards and deadlines.
Most music apps/software/programs are becoming more and more user friuendly... The GUIs are full of beautiful eye candy and resemble analog equipment.
Because software is much cheaper than hardware, it appeals to 'Starving Artist' and musicians. And since the early stages of Windows, Linux and Mac musicians have
migrated to the world of PC's!

So I have been a part of the ever growing screen savers since 1995, and this brings back memories, and been an inspiration!

The amount of content and the control you have over these amazing screen savers is well worth over $100 ...

I feel like this app is too good to be true!
i can only hope that this app is able to be on the app store for years and years!

Thank you so much for this AMAZING APP!
Also thank you for allowing it to be used on iPad as well as Macbook!
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Developer apps

User experience

🐞

Reported Bugs

5 issues

Photo library screensaver crashes on iOS 13

Bug

GLText reveals password when system info is selected

Bug

Framebuffer loading failures requiring app restart

Bug

Crashes on certain devices or configurations

Bug

Difficult UI for exiting screensavers on larger phones

Bug
✨

Requested Features

11 requests

Favorites or bookmarking system to save preferred screensavers

Feature

Hide or exclude unwanted screensavers from rotation

Feature

Ability to select specific channels in XAnalogTV screensaver

Feature

Widget support for iOS standby mode

Feature

Prevent auto-lock feature to keep screen on

Feature

Apple TV version

Feature

Windows port of the application

Feature

Larger hit areas for corner icons

Feature

Faster scrubbing through screensavers

Feature

Donate button for supporting development

Feature

Screensavers featuring pentagons

Feature

FAQ

What is XScreenSaver?

XScreenSaver is a large collection of historic and educational graphics demonstrations. Originally developed as a standard screen saver for Linux and Unix systems, it has been ported to iOS to allow users to interact with these visual demos.

What can I do with this app?

This application allows you to play with and explore hundreds of graphics demonstrations that are part of the XScreenSaver collection. While not a screen saver on iOS, it provides an interactive way to experience these visual pieces.

Is this app free to use?

Yes, the application is available for free. There are no in-app purchases or advertisements mentioned, indicating a completely free experience for users.

What kind of graphics are included?

The app features a collection of historic and educational graphics demos. These are visual demonstrations that have been part of the XScreenSaver collection since its early releases in 1992.

What is the history of XScreenSaver?

The first version of XScreenSaver was released in 1992 as a standard screen saver for Linux and Unix systems. It was later ported to MacOS in 2006 and then to iOS in 2012, bringing its collection of graphics demos to mobile devices.