HONEST COMPARISON · CHECKED 2026-10-09

Hangly vs Charmly

Near-identical in concept — a charm on a cord with real pendulum physics that stays out of your clicks. Hangly's difference is reach: Windows including native ARM64, 21 collections, and your own images as charms.

About Hangly

Free download • macOS 14+ and Windows 10+ • • Install help

Quick answer

Near-identical in concept: a charm on a cord with real pendulum physics that lets clicks through. Charmly is a free Mac app with 45 charms across 10 packs, emoji charms, and a cord you pull to switch dark mode. Hangly is free too, and adds Windows including native ARM64, 161 charms across 21 collections, charms from your own images, nine rope styles and adjustable sizing.

Key takeaways

Same core idea, down to the pendulum physics
Both are free; Charmly is Mac only, Hangly also runs on Windows including ARM64
Hangly ships 161 charms across 21 collections; Charmly 45 across 10 packs
Hangly takes your own images; Charmly takes any emoji
Only Charmly lets you pull the cord to switch dark mode

What is Charmly?

Charmly, distributed through Glaze, hangs a good-luck charm from the top of your screen and leaves it there. It sways on its cord with real pendulum physics, notices when you point at it, and switches the Mac between light and dark when you pull the cord. It has 45 charms across 10 packs, eight hand-drawn world charms and seasonal packs that surface on their own, and any emoji can be a charm.

Taken from their own site on 2026-10-09. Products change — check theirs before deciding.

How Hangly differs

The core idea is the same, down to the pendulum physics. Hangly adds platform reach — Windows 10+ on x64 and Windows 11 on native ARM64 — plus 21 named collections, custom charms from your own images, nine rope styles and adjustable sizing.

Feature comparison

Hangly compared with Charmly, feature by feature
Feature	Hangly	Charmly
macOS	14+, Apple Silicon & Intel	Yes
Windows	10+ x64; 11 on native ARM64	No
Pendulum physics	Yes	Yes
Custom charms	Any image	Any emoji
Charms	161 across 21 collections	45 across 10 packs
Pull the cord for dark mode	No	Yes
Price	Free, no paid tier	Free (Glaze listing)
Distribution	Direct download, signed & notarised	Through Glaze

Performance

Both simulate a pendulum, which is arithmetic rather than a load. Hangly stops the simulation once the charm settles. Neither publishes benchmarks.

Customisation

Hangly ships more of it: 21 collections, 161 charms, nine ropes, adjustable size and any image as a charm. Charmly has 45 charms across 10 packs, emoji charms and favourites.

Privacy

Hangly needs no account and never reads your screen, your files or the images you turn into charms. It does register each installation with its developer (a random ID, the nickname you choose, your city worked out from your connection, your versions and when it was used) and sends anonymous usage events and crash reports; the privacy page lists all of it. Charmly's terms are published through Glaze.

Platform support

Hangly: macOS 14+ and Windows 10+ including native ARM64. Charmly: presented as a Mac app.

Where each one wins

Choose Charmly if…

Pull the cord to switch the Mac between light and dark
Seasonal packs that surface on their own
Any emoji as a charm

Choose Hangly if…

Windows 10+ including native ARM64
21 themed collections
Custom charms from your own images
Nine rope styles and adjustable sizing

Direct answers

Which is better for Mac?

On Mac alone they are very close: both are free, both hang a charm on a cord with pendulum physics, and neither intercepts clicks. Hangly ships more charms and accepts your own images; Charmly has the dark-mode cord and emoji charms.

Which uses fewer resources?

Neither publishes figures, and both simulate a single pendulum, which is trivial arithmetic. Hangly stops simulating once the charm is at rest.

Which has more customisation?

Hangly: 21 collections, 161 charms, nine rope styles, adjustable size and custom images from your own files.

Which works on Windows?

Hangly. Charmly is presented as a Mac app; Hangly runs on Windows 10 and later, including a native ARM64 build.

Which is best for menu bar customisation?

Hangly runs from the macOS menu bar and the Windows system tray, but it is not a menu bar customisation tool — it hangs a charm below the menu bar rather than changing the bar itself. For rearranging or hiding menu bar items, a dedicated utility such as Bartender or Ice is the right category. Hangly sits alongside those rather than replacing them.

Frequently asked questions

Does Charmly work on Windows?

Charmly is presented as a Mac app. Hangly runs on Windows 10 and later, including a native ARM64 build.

Is there a free Charmly alternative?

Hangly is free with no paid tier and covers the same idea — a charm on a cord with pendulum physics that ignores clicks.

Every Hangly charm is listed on the charms page, including the twelve cultural luck and protection charms this category competes on. More questions are answered on the FAQ page, and the guides cover the wider category.

Best for

Anyone on Windows: Charmly is presented as a Mac app; Hangly runs on Windows 10+ including ARM64.
Someone who wants the charm to be a light switch: Pull Charmly's cord and the Mac switches between light and dark.
Someone with a photo they want hanging: Hangly turns any image into a charm.

Alternatives

Hangly vs Lucky Dangle The closest comparison in this list. Both hang a charm on a cord from the top of the screen, on Mac and Windows, and both stay out of every click. Hangly's advantages are price and breadth: free, 161 charms across 21 collections, nine rope styles and a native ARM64 build. Lucky Dangle's is its rituals.
Hangly vs Screen Dangle Both free, both Mac and Windows. The difference is philosophy: Screen Dangle presents itself as a studio for building a charm, Hangly as a library you choose from — with your own images as an option rather than the starting point.
Hangly vs DangleJoy Very close in intent: animated charms that hang and sway, with cultural and lucky symbols at the centre of both, and your own images welcome in both. Hangly's edge is being free, with five times the charms and a native Windows ARM64 build. DangleJoy's is reach: Android, the Mac App Store and a site in 12 languages.
Hangly vs Shimeji Both let you put your own artwork on screen, and there the similarity ends. Shimeji characters roam, climb windows and throw them about, and the popular version today is a browser extension. Hangly is a native desktop app with a charm that stays where you hang it.
Hangly vs Desktop Goose These are opposites that appeal to the same instinct. Desktop Goose drags mud across your screen and steals your cursor, deliberately. Hangly hangs one charm that cannot interrupt anything. Choose by whether you want to be interfered with.
Hangly vs RunCat Not really competitors. RunCat is a system monitor in a cat costume: the animation speed reports your CPU load. Hangly is decoration with no monitoring function. Running both is sensible and common.
Hangly vs Dockling Dockling is a productivity companion that happens to be charming — Pomodoro, streaks, quick notes, $2.99 once. Hangly is decoration that deliberately adds nothing to your workflow. Choose by whether you want your ornament to also prompt you.
Hangly vs Screen Charms Close in what they do, different in how they charge. Screen Charms gives you one charm free and the rest for $4.99, plus a focus timer. Hangly gives you all 161 charms and custom images free, and runs on Windows too.
Hangly vs Desk Dangle The closest free pair in the category. Both hang a swinging charm on Mac and Windows, both are click-through, and both take your own images. Desk Dangle is smaller and can use the notch; Hangly is the bigger library.
Hangly vs Book My Luck The same idea at different prices. Book My Luck is a one-time licence per computer with seasonal collections; Hangly is free with a far larger catalogue.
Hangly vs Drishti Dangle Both are built around Indian charms. Drishti Dangle adds musical wind chimes and animated 3D models for ₹99, but could not be bought on 9 October 2026. Hangly is free and available now.
Hangly vs DeskCharm DeskCharm is a developer's project; Hangly is a finished app. Both are free, and both have open source on GitHub.
Hangly vs OpenPets Different kinds of thing. OpenPets is an animated pet and, now, an assistant; Hangly is an ornament.
Hangly vs Cat Fidget A pet and a charm. Cat Fidget wins on privacy and on things to do; Hangly wins on platforms and on asking nothing of you.
Hangly vs Dockitty Two small delights in different places: the Dock and the top of the screen.
Hangly vs Googly Eyes Both free, both whimsical, in different places.
Hangly vs Oneko Different eras and different platforms: Oneko for X11, Hangly for Mac and Windows.
Every desktop charm app for Mac, compared The whole category in one table, including the ones with no page here.

In short

If you are on a Mac and like the idea of pulling the cord for dark mode, Charmly is a lovely choice. If you want more charms, your own images, or Windows, Hangly. Both are free.