Shimeji alternative for Mac
A Shimeji Alternative for Mac: Your Pet, Not a Pixel Sprite
If you like the idea of a little companion on your desktop but want it to be your own cat or dog, this is that, in 3D, made from your photos.
What Shimeji is
Shimeji is a free desktop pet program that started as a Japanese Java app. Small pixel-art characters live on your screen and wander around your windows. Over the years its community has made many character packs, most of them anime characters. It's charming, it's free, and for a lot of people it was their first desktop pet.
We like it. The idea of a small creature keeping you company while you work is a good one, and Shimeji proved that people want it. We just wanted to build a different version of that idea.
Shimeji and staywith.pet side by side
These are different things with the same spirit. Here's how they compare on the things people usually ask about.
| Shimeji | staywith.pet | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free 3D preview, then $19 once |
| Look | Pixel-art sprites | A 3D model of your pet |
| Characters | Community character packs, mostly anime | Your own cat or dog, made from your photos |
| Animations | Depends on the pack | 25 per pet |
| Where it runs | Depends on the version you use | Mac only: Apple silicon, macOS 14 or newer |
| Made by | Originally a Japanese Java app, extended by its community | A native Mac app, sold directly |
| Updates | Depends on the pack and the port | All future behaviours and updates included |
Shimeji details vary a lot between packs and ports, so where the honest answer is "it depends", that's what the table says.
If you love a desktop companion but want it to be yours
Shimeji characters are someone else's creation. That's part of the appeal. But if you have a cat or dog at home, the animal you'd most like to see on your screen is probably them.
That's what we make. In the Mac app you add photos of your pet (a side view and a clear face are enough to start) and in under ten minutes you see them in 3D, free. Their coat, their markings, the ear that flops. You can compare the model with your photos and ask for changes before paying. The custom desktop pet page goes into which photos work best.
Once they move in, your pet walks the Dock and the bottom of your screen, jumps up and naps on top of your windows, turns to watch your cursor, and comes when you call from the menu bar. Scroll over them to pet them. Pick them up and drop them somewhere else. Step away for about five minutes and they fall asleep. There are 25 animations per pet, and you can turn on sounds, including recordings of your own pet if you have them.
Walks the Dock
Likes being petted
Watches the cursor
Sleeps when you're away
Built for the Mac
staywith.pet is a native Mac app for Apple silicon. It uses about 2.5% of the CPU while walking, stops when your screen is locked, and slows down on battery. Clicks pass straight through your pet to the window underneath, and it never takes focus from the app you're typing in. When you're on a call, hide it, or keep it out of screen sharing.
If you're curious about everything it does in a day, the desktop pet for Mac page covers it. And if you're weighing up what's safe to install, we wrote about whether desktop pets are safe.
Who should stick with Shimeji
Plainly: some people should keep using Shimeji, and that's fine.
- If you want anime characters, or any character that isn't a real cat or dog. We don't make those.
- If you want something free. Shimeji costs nothing; keeping a pet with us is $19.
- If you're on Windows, Linux, or an Intel Mac. We only run on Apple silicon Macs with macOS 14 or newer.
- If you want pixel-art anime characters. Our own pixel pets are cats and dogs: ten of them come with staywith.pet, next to your pet in 3D.
If none of those is you, and there's a pet at home you'd like on your screen, try the free preview and see if it looks like them. For a wider view of the options, see our list of the best desktop pets.
What it costs
The 3D preview is free. Keeping your pet is $19 once: no subscription, up to three Macs, two free regenerations, and every behaviour we add later. Another pet is $9. If it doesn't look like your pet, there's a 14-day money back promise.
How it works
Step 1
Add photos
In the Mac app, add a few photos of your cat or dog. A side view and a face are enough to start.
Step 2
See them in 3D, free
In under ten minutes you can turn them around and compare them with your photos. Nothing to pay yet.
Step 3
They move in
Keep them for a one-time price and they live on your desktop: walking the Dock, napping on your windows.
Pricing
Free
See your own pet in 3D before you pay anything.
$19 once
Keep them. No subscription. Up to 3 of your Macs, 2 free regenerations, every behaviour we add later.
14-day money back
If it doesn't look like your pet, you get your money back. No questions asked.
Another pet is $9. All pricing
Questions
Is staywith.pet a Shimeji for Mac?
It's the same idea, a small companion living on your desktop, but a different kind of thing. Instead of a pixel-art character pack, it's your own cat or dog rebuilt in 3D from your photos, as a native Mac app.
Is it free like Shimeji?
Seeing your pet in 3D is free. Keeping them is $19 once, with no subscription. Shimeji is free, and if free matters most, it's a good choice.
Can I get an anime character instead of my pet?
No. We only make cats and dogs from photos of real pets. If you want an anime character on your desktop, Shimeji and its community packs are the better fit.
Does it work on Windows?
No. It's Mac only, for Apple silicon Macs (M1 or later) on macOS 14 or newer.
Will a 3D pet slow my Mac down more than a sprite?
It uses about 2.5% of the CPU while walking, measured on Apple silicon, and it stops when your screen is locked. On battery it slows down to save power.
Meet them in 3D
Download the Mac app, add a few photos, and see your pet in 3D before you pay anything.
See your pet in 3D free