Are There Free Desktop Pets? (2026)

Yes, there are free desktop pets, and some of them are lovely. There is also a point where paying a little gets you something free apps do not. Here are the best free options in 2026, and how to know when a paid one is worth it.

The best free desktop pets

Shimeji is the free classic. Little characters climb your windows, and thousands of community sprite packs let you swap in almost any character. It is endlessly moddable, though it can take some setup. Here is an honest Shimeji comparison.

Desktop Goose is the free chaotic one. A single goose honks, steals your cursor, and drags notes across your screen. It is a brilliant joke rather than a calm companion, as we cover in our Desktop Goose comparison.

Is PebbletsIO free?

PebbletsIO is free to download, and it comes with a free duck to start. The rest of the companions are hand-crafted 3D pets that you buy once and keep forever, with no subscription. So you can start free, live with your duck as long as you like, and only pay if you want more of the set. There is even a K-pop idol line if you want a proper show.

Free or paid: which is right for you?

If you want free, endlessly moddable, or gleefully chaotic, the classics are hard to beat. If you want a calm, premium set of characters that just work and stay yours forever, that is what we built PebbletsIO to be. New to all this? Start with our short guide.