KakuchiThe short version
Both put live information on your desktop: system meters, clocks, weather, music. Rainmeter calls a full desktop design a skin suite; Kakuchi calls it a setup, a single file with the widgets, their positions, the theme and the wallpaper that installs in one click.
Rainmeter is free, open source and has many years of community skins. Kakuchi is a paid Mac app with 50+ widgets built in, widgets in the notch, menu bar and lock screen, and an AI builder that makes a widget you describe.
Rainmeter is the free, open-source desktop customization tool for Windows, with a huge community of skins. Its own headline: “What's on your desktop?”
Side by side
| Feature | Kakuchi | Rainmeter |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | macOS 14 or later, Apple Silicon and Intel | Windows 7 to 11 |
| Where widgets go | Desktop, notch, menu bar, lock screen | The Windows desktop |
| Ready-made widgets | 50+ built in, plus a gallery | A few starter skins, plus community skins |
| Make your own | Describe it and AI builds it, with your AI plan, your own key or a local model, or write JSX | Write skins in Rainmeter's own language |
| Share a whole desktop | Yes, as a setup file | Yes, as a skin package |
| Themes | 10, applied to every widget at once | Each skin has its own look |
| Price | $14.99 one-time at launch (regular $24) | Free and open source (GPL v2) |
Checked October 2026 from rainmeter.net. “Not stated” means we couldn’t find it on their pages, not that it’s missing. Products change, so check before you decide. Kakuchi isn’t affiliated with Rainmeter.
Choose Rainmeter if
- You're on Windows.
- You want free and open source, and years of community skins to choose from.
Choose Kakuchi if
- You're on a Mac. Rainmeter doesn't run on macOS.
- You want widgets beyond the desktop: the notch, the menu bar, the lock screen and on top of full-screen apps.
- You want to describe a widget in plain words instead of writing a skin.
- You want whole-desktop setups that install, and undo, in one click.
Questions
- Is there a Rainmeter for Mac?
- No. Rainmeter only runs on Windows. On a Mac, Kakuchi does the same job: live widgets on your desktop, and whole-desktop setups you can share and install in one click.
- Can I use my Rainmeter skins in Kakuchi?
- Not directly; Rainmeter skins are made for Windows. Kakuchi's AI builder can make a widget like one if you describe what it shows and how it looks.
- Is Kakuchi free like Rainmeter?
- No. Kakuchi is $14.99 one-time at launch, with lifetime updates and a 14-day money-back guarantee.