Rainmeter review (2026): is it any good?
Free Windows desktop customization tool with community skins
Rainmeter report card
Good · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for custom desktop skins on Windows
Rainmeter puts skins on your Windows desktop, from clocks to CPU meters, and it is free and open source. Beyond a few starter skins you have to find or build skins and tweak them by hand, and skins from outside rainmeter.net come at your own risk.
Who Rainmeter is for
- Fits if you want live system stats on a custom Windows desktop
- Works for hobbyists who like editing their own skins
Who Rainmeter is not for
- Skip it if you are on Mac or Linux, as it is Windows only
- Not for you if you want a finished look out of the box, as only a few starter skins ship with it
- Watch out: skins from outside rainmeter.net are downloaded at your own risk, the site warns
- Too light for support, as help comes from forums and Discord
Why Rainmeter gets a 2.6
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- AValue for moneyFree, open source under GPL v2 since 2001, under 60% of the cheaper quarter.
- AFree plan and trialThe whole app is free, with no paid edition listed.
- CFeaturesSkins, hardware meters and a skin language. The finished look depends on skins you find or write, so it is a toolkit more than a finished product.
- CEase of useNo rating on record. The site says a finished look usually means finding or building skins and tweaking them by hand.
- DPlatforms and integrationsWindows 7 or above only. No Mac, Linux or phone version.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Rainmeter's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/rainmeter#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/rainmeter.svg" alt="Rainmeter: 2.6 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Rainmeter stands among desktop utilities
Rainmeter's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 35 of the 96 other desktop utilities we grade, and level with 25.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 53 of 96) and worst on platforms and integrations (D, above 0).
Rainmeter has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 97 desktop utilities we grade, cut by the letter each got. Rainmeter’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 24 of 96, level with 72
- AFree plan and trialAbove 53 of 96, level with 43
- CFeaturesAbove 1 of 96, level with 67
- CEase of useAbove 4 of 96, level with 29
- DPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 96, level with 61
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 52 desktop utilities. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Keep Rainmeter, or make your own?
Keep it
Rainmeter is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
What you could not
- Readings from inside the operating system.
- A real app for Windows. Something home-made would be a web page.
What this rests on. Rainmeter’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Rainmeter?
Rainmeter puts customizable skins on the Windows desktop, from hardware usage meters to audio visualizers. It ships with a few starter skins, and most people install skins made by the community or write their own in a simple configuration language.
Worth knowing
- Windows 7 or above only.
- Skins from sources other than rainmeter.net are downloaded at the user's own risk, as the site warns.
- Beyond a few starter skins, getting a finished look usually means finding or building skins and tweaking them by hand.
Key features
- Desktop skins
- Displays customizable skins directly on the desktop, such as clocks, weather, system meters and audio visualizers.
- Hardware usage meters
- Skins can read system statistics like CPU, memory and network use.
- Own skins
- Skins are written in a simple language, so users can modify existing ones or build new ones.
- Community skin library
- The vendor points to DeviantArt, Reddit, its own forums and Discord as places to find skins.
- Light resource use
- The site says it uses very little hardware resources on Windows 7 through Windows 11.
- Documentation
- A getting-started guide and a documentation site cover the skin language and the app.
Rainmeter pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, Rainmeter is free to use.
- Starts at
- Free
- Free plan
- The full app is free, open source software under the GNU GPL v2 license.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Open source under the GNU GPL v2 license; no paid edition is listed. |
Read from rainmeter.net on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Rainmeter before you buy.
Rainmeter alternatives
- Rainmeter vs Wallpaper Engine
From $4.99 one-time
- Rainmeter vs Fences
Free trial · from $9.99/yr
Common questions
Does Rainmeter have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Rainmeter is listed for Windows.
Does Rainmeter have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Rainmeter is listed for Windows.
Is Rainmeter open source?
Yes. Rainmeter is open source, according to its own site.
Does Rainmeter work offline?
Yes, according to its own site. What works without a connection differs by plan and platform, so check the vendor's page for the detail.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.