Wallby as a Widgetsmith Alternative
Widgetsmith is the app most people mean when they say "widget app", and for a lot of jobs it is still the right download. This page is a straight account of where Wallby is different and where it is simply behind.
Free on the App Store · iPhone, iOS 17.0 or later
Where Widgetsmith is the better choice
No hedging: if any of these matter to you, download Widgetsmith instead. Wallby does not do them and is not about to.
- Live data. Widgetsmith has weather, tides, health and activity, and astronomy widgets. Wallby has none of them and never calls the network from a widget.
- Timed widgets. Widgetsmith can swap what a widget shows during the day on a schedule. Wallby has no scheduling at all.
- Track record. Widgetsmith has been on the App Store since 2020 and has been refined for years. Wallby is at version 1.1.0 and has no App Store ratings yet.
- Advertising. Wallby's free version shows ads: a banner on the studio screens and at most one full screen ad per session. If that is a dealbreaker, it is a real point against Wallby, and the only way around it here is the Pro subscription.
Side by side
| Feature | Wallby | Widgetsmith |
|---|---|---|
| Widget types | Eight: clock, date, countdown, quote, photo, battery, calendar, monogram | A wider set, including weather, tides, health and astronomy |
| Live data sources | None. Everything is computed on the device | Hosted weather and tide data |
| Timed or scheduled widgets | No | Yes |
| Wallpapers | Thirteen, rendered on the device and saved to Photos | Not its focus |
| Custom app icon images | Yes, 512 pixel icons for the Shortcuts route | Not its focus |
| Named designs in the picker | Yes, every saved design has your name on it | Uses its own naming |
| Free tier | All eight widget types, six themes, seven wallpapers, with ads and a small watermark | Free tier with a premium subscription for the hosted data and extra styles |
| Account required | No | No |
Feature notes about Widgetsmith come from its own public description. Prices and features change, so check its App Store page before you decide.
Where Wallby earns the download
One app for the whole screen
Widgets, wallpapers and icon images in one place, which is normally two or three downloads and two subscriptions.
Named designs
Every design you save gets a name you choose, so Edit Widget shows "Bali countdown" rather than several identical rows.
No fake confirmations
Wallby says plainly that iOS will not let it place a widget, set a wallpaper or replace an icon, then shows the real steps.
The other names you will meet
Widgetsmith is not the only comparison people make. WidgetClub and ScreenKit sell large libraries of ready made theme packs, hundreds of them, where you pick a look and apply the set. If browsing a big catalogue is what you want, they go far wider than Wallby's twelve themes and thirteen wallpapers.
Wallby is the opposite trade: a small curated set where each theme has been picked so the text stays readable, plus honest instructions for the parts iOS keeps to itself. If you would rather choose from twelve good options than four hundred uneven ones, that is the case for it.
Comparison questions
Is Wallby free like Widgetsmith?
Both are free downloads with a paid tier. The difference worth knowing is that Wallby's free version carries advertising, a banner on the studio screens plus at most one full screen ad per session, and Wallby Pro removes it. Check each app's App Store page for its current subscription price.
Can Wallby show the weather?
No. Wallby has no weather widget, no health or activity data, no tides and no astronomy. Its eight widget types are clock, date, countdown, quote, photo, battery, calendar and monogram. If you want weather on your Home Screen, Widgetsmith is the better answer.
Does Wallby have timed widgets?
No. There is no scheduling: a Wallby widget shows the design you assigned to it until you change it. Widgetsmith's timed widgets, which swap what a widget shows during the day, have no equivalent here.
What does Wallby do that Widgetsmith does not?
It covers all three parts of a themed screen in one app: widgets, wallpapers rendered on the device, and images for custom app icons. It also names every design you save, so the widget picker shows "Bali countdown" instead of a list of identical entries.
Try it, it costs nothing to find out
Free on the App Store, iOS 17.0 or later. Start with the themes, the Lock Screen slots or the icon guide.