Comparison

XScreenSaver vs PulseU

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Historic graphics demos
  • Educational visual content
  • Interactive demo playback
  • Large collection of visuals
  • Cross-platform heritage
Features
Read full description

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.

About

PulseU

This app aggregates campus event listings from various official Rutgers sources into a single, easy-to-navigate feed. Users can filter events by date and campus, follow specific organizations, and save events for later. It offers a personalized experience without requiring an account.

Highlights
  • Unified event feed from official Rutgers sources
  • Filter events by date, campus, and online
  • Personalized feed by following orgs/teams
  • Save events and get notified of changes
  • Full dark mode support
  • Free food event toggle
Features
Read full description

PulseU is the campus events app built by a Rutgers student, for Rutgers students. Rutgers events are scattered across dozens of websites. Games on ScarletKnights.com. Fitness classes on the Rec portal. Concerts at Mason Gross, exhibitions at the Zimmerli, and talks and workshops on a different page for every school and department. PulseU pulls it all into one fast feed, so you never miss something worth showing up for. THE PULSE The biggest weekends on campus get a tab of their own. Homecoming, Rutgers Day and more come with the full schedule, every venue, and a drawn map of campus that lights up the buildings where something is on. WHAT'S INSIDE • One feed from public Rutgers sources: ScarletKnights, Rutgers Recreation, Mason Gross School of the Arts, Scarlet Arts Rx, ScarletWell, Rutgers Libraries, the Zimmerli Art Museum, Career Exploration and Success, Student Affairs, and more schools and departments • Browse today, this week or the weekend, and search by campus: College Ave, Livingston, Busch, Cook/Douglass, off-campus and online • Follow the organizations and teams you care about and get a notification when they post something new • Save events, add them to your calendar or set a reminder, and see in Alerts when one changes its time or place • Share any event or organization with a link that previews the title, time and place • Free food and paid filters • Dark mode that follows your phone NO ACCOUNT REQUIRED PulseU is free and anonymous. No sign-up, no login, and we never ask for your name or email. Saved events stay on your device. If you turn on notifications, the organizations you follow are stored with an anonymous device token, only so we can tell you when they post. ALWAYS LINKED TO THE SOURCE Every event links back to its original page. PulseU is a discovery layer, not a replacement. Always check the details before you go. RUN A CLUB, DEPARTMENT OR VENUE? Want your events featured in PulseU? Email pulseu.app@gmail.com. Not an official Rutgers University product. Event information is aggregated from public sources and may change.

Screenshots

XScreenSaver4 screens
PulseU4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: XScreenSaver at 4.9 against PulseU's 4.2. XScreenSaver also leads on ratings volume (106 vs 5). PulseU's advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs every 6 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

XScreenSaver holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: XScreenSaver has 106 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

XScreenSaver ships an update every 6 months, PulseU every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
XScreenSaver versus PulseU: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterXScreenSaverPulseU
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (106 ratings) — better4.2 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews92.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings106 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 11 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.616.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB55 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJamie ZawinskiGabriel Gonzalez

Customer experience

XScreenSaver

All ratings106 ratings
Positive97.2%
Neutral0.9%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews98 reviews
Positive92.9%
Neutral1.0%
Negative6.1%

PulseU

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

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
Show 6 more
  • 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

PulseU

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

XScreenSaver

No in-app purchases

None

PulseU

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is XScreenSaver free?
XScreenSaver is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PulseU free?
PulseU is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, XScreenSaver or PulseU?
XScreenSaver is rated higher. XScreenSaver averages 4.9 out of 5 from 106 ratings, while PulseU averages 4.2 from 5 ratings.
Do XScreenSaver or PulseU have ads?
Neither XScreenSaver nor PulseU shows ads.
Which is updated more often, XScreenSaver or PulseU?
XScreenSaver ships an update every 6 months, and PulseU every 11 days. Most recently, XScreenSaver was updated on October 17, 2026 and PulseU on October 7, 2026.

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