How to get a clock screensaver on your Mac
macOS has no clock screen saver. Show Tahoe's clock over your screen saver, install free Fliqlo, or fade every screen to a big clock with Koi's idle screen.
Start here
What Fliqlo is, and why it may not be working
Fliqlo is the free flip clock screen saver: big white numbers flipping over on black. Its site lists version 1.9.5 for Mac, which requires macOS 14 or later. It doesn't say anything about macOS Tahoe or macOS 27, so whether it's been tested there is unclear.
If it stopped working after an update, you're not alone, and it may not be Fliqlo's fault. On Apple's developer forums, developers report third-party screen savers on Tahoe showing a black screen, starting twice, or refusing to start until a restart, and an Apple engineer has acknowledged the issues. A restart is worth trying first.
We make Koi, so read this with that in mind. Koi is first below because it's ours, and its idle screen isn't a screen saver at all, which we explain. Every fact about another app comes from that app's own site or GitHub page, and Apple's from its own guides, checked October 25, 2026.
The picks
The best Fliqlo alternatives for Mac in 2026
1. Koi's idle screen
Best for: A big calm clock that never starts during a call or a video
Koi is a Mac assistant that lives in your MacBook's notch, and Koi 2.0 has an idle screen. Turn on Show an idle screen in Settings, Notch & tools, Idle screen, and after a few minutes with nobody at your Mac every screen fades to black with one of two looks: Time, a big calm clock, or Kois, a crowd of little Kois floating and bumping about. A move or a key brings everything back.
Pick when it starts: after 1, 2, 5, 10, 15 or 30 minutes, 5 to begin with. Try it shows it straight away. It never comes on during a call, a recording or a video. Koi draws it itself, so it doesn't go through macOS's screen saver, where the Tahoe bugs above were reported.
Where Fliqlo does better: it's free, it's a real screen saver in System Settings, and it has the flip. Koi's clock doesn't flip, it doesn't lock your Mac, and it comes with Koi, at $20 a month, $7 for a first week, or Lifetime, paid once, with no free trial.
2. Aerial
Best for: Free, open source and kept up to date
Aerial is a free, open source screen saver (MIT) with no tracking. Version 4.1.9 came out on October 23, 2026 and needs macOS 26 Tahoe or later, on Apple silicon or Intel; Sequoia gets 4.0.16. Its site says macOS Sonoma added aerials of its own and Aerial goes further. It isn't a clock first, but it's the most actively kept screen saver here.
3. Apple's screen savers with the clock
Best for: Nothing to install
macOS has no clock screen saver, but on Tahoe the clock can show over the one you pick. Screen savers are in System Settings, Wallpaper, Screen Saver: the Landscape, Cityscape, Underwater and Earth aerials, slow-motion macOS images, your photos and more. According to MacTech, Tahoe's Clock Appearance, in Wallpaper settings, has six font styles and lets you show the clock on the Lock Screen and the screen saver.
It's free and already there. The clock is small, over the picture, not a big clock on black like Fliqlo's.
4. Brooklyn
Best for: Apple's 2018 event animations, free
Brooklyn is free and open source (MIT), and recreates the animations from Apple's October 2018 event. Its README says it's not actively maintained, so it may not behave on the newest macOS. No clock.
Comparison
Fliqlo vs the alternatives
From each one's own site or Apple's guides, checked October 25, 2026.
| Price | Clock | A macOS screen saver | Needs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fliqlo | Free | A big flip clock | Yes | macOS 14 |
| Koi's idle screen | Comes with Koi: $20 a month, or Lifetime, paid once | A big calm clock, or floating Kois | No, Koi's own screen | macOS 14 |
| Aerial | Free, open source | No | Yes | macOS 26 (4.0.16 for 15) |
| Apple's screen savers | Free, built in | A small clock on Tahoe | Yes | Built in |
| Brooklyn | Free, open source | No | Yes | Not actively maintained |
Gotchas
If Fliqlo or any screen saver won't start
- Restart the Mac. On Tahoe, developers report third-party screen savers that won't start until a restart.
- Check the timing. On Tahoe it's Start Screen Saver, in System Settings, Wallpaper, Screen Saver.
- If the display turns off before the screen saver's start time, the screen saver never shows. Turning the display off is in Lock Screen settings.
Honest take
When Fliqlo is still the better pick
Stay on Fliqlo if
- It works on your Mac, and you like the flip.
- You want a real screen saver in System Settings.
- You want it free.
- You don't need dictation, call recording or an assistant.
Choosing
Which Fliqlo alternative should you pick?
- Free and kept up to date? Aerial.
- Nothing to install? Apple's screen savers, with the clock on Tahoe.
- Apple's 2018 animations? Brooklyn, knowing it isn't maintained.
- A big clock that waits during calls and videos, with dictation, call recording and an assistant in the same app? Koi.
Every option is in the best screensavers for Mac. See Koi's plans.
Keep exploring
The best screensavers for Mac in 2026
The best Mac screensavers in 2026: Apple's aerials, Aerial, Fliqlo's flip clock, Brooklyn and Koi's idle screen. What's free, what's kept up, how to set one.
How to hide desktop icons and widgets on your Mac
Hide every desktop icon and widget on a Mac before a screen share or recording: Desktop & Dock settings, a Terminal command, or one tap of Shift with Koi.
Koi 2.0: your notch, a teleprompter and a board on your desktop
Koi 2.0 moves into your MacBook's notch, with a teleprompter under the camera, a board on your desktop, Spotify, AirDrop, keyboard sounds and an idle screen.
Support
Frequently asked questions
On macOS Tahoe, developers report third-party screen savers showing a black screen or not starting until a restart, and an Apple engineer has acknowledged it. Fliqlo's site lists macOS 14 or later and doesn't mention Tahoe. Try a restart first.
Yes. Fliqlo for Mac is free. Its site lists version 1.9.5, for macOS 14 or later.
No. On Tahoe the clock can show over the screen saver you pick, from Clock Appearance in Wallpaper settings, but there's no big clock screen saver like Fliqlo's.
No. Koi draws it itself over every screen after the minutes you pick, and a move or a key brings everything back. It doesn't lock your Mac, and it never starts during a call, a recording or a video.