XScreenSaver vs Spooky the Ghost
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
XScreenSaver
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.
- Historic graphics demos
- Educational visual content
- Interactive demo playback
- Large collection of visuals
- Cross-platform heritage
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The XScreenSaver application is a large collection of historic and educational graphics demos. XScreenSaver is the standard screen saver collection shipped on most Linux and Unix systems. I released the first version in 1992. In 2006, I ported it to MacOS, and in 2012 I ported it to iOS. This application is not a screen saver, of course, since iOS doesn't have those. But it does let you play with the hundreds of graphics demos that are a part of the XScreenSaver collection.
Spooky the Ghost
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This Halloween enjoy Spooky the Ghost. Spooky is a cute talking ghost! Just ask Spooky a question and press the ask me button, Spooky will speak random answer. Touch Spooky's eyes, nose and body to see what he says. Spooky is fun and entertaining for kids and adults of all ages. Happy Halloween! ** This app is intended for entertainment purposes only and does not provide true question answering functionality. ** ** Airplay requires an iOS device with AirPlay Mirroring, a wireless network, and a TV connected to an Apple TV ** _________________________________________________________ ** If you like this app, please write a review and also share this app with your friends, family and associates on Social Media. Thank you for your support. ** We work very hard to make our apps the best they can be and want our users to have a great user experience. If you have ideas on how to make this app better, or If you are experiencing technical problems with this app, please contact us by pressing the "App Support" button located in the Information screen. Thank you.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: XScreenSaver at Free against Spooky the Ghost's $0.99. XScreenSaver also leads on update cadence (every 6 months vs every 40 months). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
XScreenSaver is free to download; Spooky the Ghost costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
XScreenSaver ships an update every 6 months, Spooky the Ghost every 40 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | XScreenSaver | Spooky the Ghost |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (109 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 92.9% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 109 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months — better | Every 40 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 37 MB | 42 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jamie Zawinski | JS Digital Productions, Inc. |
Bugs and requests
XScreenSaver
Reported bugs
5 issues- Photo library screensaver crashes on iOS 13
- GLText reveals password when system info is selected
- Framebuffer loading failures requiring app restart
- Crashes on certain devices or configurations
- Difficult UI for exiting screensavers on larger phones
Requested features
11 requests- Favorites or bookmarking system to save preferred screensavers
- Hide or exclude unwanted screensavers from rotation
- Ability to select specific channels in XAnalogTV screensaver
- Widget support for iOS standby mode
- Prevent auto-lock feature to keep screen on
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- Apple TV version
- Windows port of the application
- Larger hit areas for corner icons
- Faster scrubbing through screensavers
- Donate button for supporting development
- Screensavers featuring pentagons
Spooky the Ghost
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
XScreenSaver
No in-app purchases
Spooky the Ghost
No in-app purchases
