What is Orbl used for?

Orbl is a free macOS app that turns the desktop wallpaper into a live dashboard with a clock, weather, focus stats, Mac vitals and other widgets. It is a good fit for keeping key numbers visible on the desktop, a calmer alternative to menu bar clutter, and watching Mac health and focus time at a glance.

Yes. Orbl has a free plan, and paid plans start at $29 as a one-time payment.

No. Orbl is proprietary (closed-source) software. In the Productivity category, open-source options include Rectangle, Maccy and Personal Management System.

What are some alternatives to Orbl?

Other SaaS products in the Productivity category include countyourweeks, DockFlow and Glance Switch.

Orbl: features, pricing and alternatives

About Orbl

Orbl draws a calm, living dashboard directly onto your Mac wallpaper, so the information is there whenever you glance at the desktop instead of living in a menu bar or a separate window. Widgets use light type and quiet lines. The core set is a clock with a greeting, weather, and slim bars showing how far through the year and month you are.

Other widgets show your Mac's battery, CPU, memory, disk, Wi-Fi and uptime, typing pace, app-switch counts, how far the cursor moved and active hours, Apple Reminders and event countdowns, and the battery level of connected devices such as AirPods, keyboards and mice. There are also air quality, sunset times, an ISS tracker, sticky notes, a desktop pet, an app usage ranking and a daily quote with an on-this-day note.

Orbl can also pull in live numbers from services such as Stripe, GitHub, Reddit, Bluesky, Product Hunt, Hacker News, Ahrefs, crypto prices and exchange rates. It is described as free forever, private and on-device, and requires macOS 14 or later on Apple Silicon. A keyboard shortcut brings up the full view on demand.

Key features

Live dashboard drawn on the macOS wallpaper
Clock, weather and sunset widgets
Mac battery, CPU, memory and disk stats
Typing pace and active time tracking
Apple Reminders and event countdowns
Battery levels for connected devices
Integrations like Stripe, GitHub and Product Hunt

Good fit for

Keeping key numbers visible on the desktop
A calmer alternative to menu bar clutter
Watching Mac health and focus time at a glance

Tags: macos; desktop-widgets; wallpaper; dashboard; productivity; menu-bar-alternative; focus

Orbl: questions and answers

What is Orbl used for?: Orbl is a free macOS app that turns the desktop wallpaper into a live dashboard with a clock, weather, focus stats, Mac vitals and other widgets. It is a good fit for keeping key numbers visible on the desktop, a calmer alternative to menu bar clutter, and watching Mac health and focus time at a glance.
Is Orbl free?: Yes. Orbl has a free plan, and paid plans start at $29 as a one-time payment.
Is Orbl open source?: No. Orbl is proprietary (closed-source) software. In the Productivity category, open-source options include Rectangle, Maccy and Personal Management System.
What are some alternatives to Orbl?: Other SaaS products in the Productivity category include countyourweeks, DockFlow and Glance Switch.