# Rainmeter review (2026): is it any good? > Free Windows desktop customization tool with community skins Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. 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. - **Category:** Desktop Utilities - **Made by:** Rainmeter (since 2001) - **Website:** https://www.rainmeter.net - **Runs on:** Windows - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you are on Mac or Linux, as it is Windows only. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, Rainmeter is free to use. - **Pricing model:** 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 https://www.rainmeter.net on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Rainmeter before buying. ## 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. ## Good for - Windows users who want a custom desktop layout with live system stats - Hobbyists who like writing or editing their own skins ## 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.6 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. 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. - **Value for money: A.** Free, open source under GPL v2 since 2001, under 60% of the cheaper quarter. - **Free plan and trial: A.** The whole app is free, with no paid edition listed. - **Features: C.** Skins, 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. - **Ease of use: C.** No rating on record. The site says a finished look usually means finding or building skins and tweaking them by hand. - **Platforms and integrations: D.** Windows 7 or above only. No Mac, Linux or phone version. These are ToolGPA's own grades. 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. ## Where it 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. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/utilities ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** Rainmeter is free, so making your own would save you nothing. - You could not: Readings from inside the operating system. - You could not: A real app for Windows. Something home-made would be a web page. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. **Tags:** System monitor, Open source, Works offline ## Alternatives - [Wallpaper Engine](https://toolgpa.com/tools/wallpaper-engine): Animated live wallpapers for Windows, bought once on Steam. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/rainmeter-vs-wallpaper-engine) - [Microsoft PowerToys](https://toolgpa.com/tools/microsoft-powertoys): Free Microsoft utilities for customizing Windows 10 and 11. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/microsoft-powertoys-vs-rainmeter) - [Fences](https://toolgpa.com/tools/fences): Windows desktop organizer that groups icons into shaded areas. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/fences-vs-rainmeter) - [Stats](https://toolgpa.com/tools/stats): Free, open-source system monitor for the Mac menu bar. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/rainmeter-vs-stats) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://www.rainmeter.net - https://www.rainmeter.net/discover/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/rainmeter Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).