Best Shimeji Alternatives

For Mac, Windows & Linux — 2026

Love the idea of Shimeji but want something cross-platform, easier to set up, or with more built-in pets? Here are the best alternatives — starting with the one we'd install first.

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The short answer

  • Best Shimeji alternative overall: Pets Therapy — free, native on macOS/Windows/Linux, 100+ pets, custom-pet support, no Java needed.
  • Closest to classic Shimeji: Shimeji-ee (the maintained fork) if you must have the original character packs.
  • For comedy instead of a companion: Desktop Goose.

Shimeji is a classic: little characters that hang off your windows, climb around and multiply across your screen. It's charming — but it's Java-based, mostly Windows-oriented, and fiddly to set up, especially on Mac and Linux. If any of that is bugging you, these alternatives give you the same "cute characters living on my desktop" feeling with fewer headaches.

Why look for a Shimeji alternative?

  • Platform pain: Shimeji leans on Java and is awkward on modern macOS and Linux.
  • Setup friction: installing character packs manually can be clunky.
  • Variety out of the box: base Shimeji is one character; you build variety yourself.
  • Performance: some builds are heavier than a lightweight native app.
Alternative Platforms Built-in pets Custom pets Price
Pets Therapy macOS, Windows, Linux 100+ Yes Free (optional sub)
Shimeji-ee Windows (Java) 1 + packs Yes Free
Desktop Goose Windows, macOS 1 Limited Pay what you want
eSheep64 Windows 1 No Free
Desktop Ponies Windows, macOS, Linux Many (ponies) Yes Free

The best Shimeji alternatives

1. Pets Therapy — the best all-round replacement

Pets Therapy gives you the Shimeji feeling — cute animated characters roaming your desktop — but as a native app on macOS, Windows and Linux, with no Java to wrangle. Instead of starting with one character, you get 100+ pets out of the box (cats, dinos, apes, dogs, pandas, koalas, sloths, birds, fish and more), each with real animations and physics. And like Shimeji, it's fully customizable — you can create or import your own pet sprites. It's free, with an optional subscription for extra pets.

👉 Explore Pets Therapy · Mac · Windows · make your own

2. Shimeji-ee — if you want the real thing, maintained

If your heart is set on actual Shimeji character packs — especially anime — the community-maintained Shimeji-ee fork is the way to run them today. Best-in-class for character selection; still Windows/Java-centric.

3. Desktop Goose — chaos, not companionship

A very different vibe: Desktop Goose is a prank pet that actively messes with you. Great fun, but it's one character and not a calm companion. Runs on Windows and macOS.

4. eSheep64 — the featherweight classic

A revival of the original desktop sheep — tiny, free, Windows-only, one character. Ideal if you want minimalism.

5. Desktop Ponies — for the MLP crowd

If you specifically want ponies, Desktop Ponies has a large cast and runs across Windows, macOS and Linux. Niche, but well-loved.

FAQ

Is there a Shimeji for Mac?

Not a great native one — Shimeji is Java-based and clunky on macOS. Pets Therapy is the closest native Mac experience and also runs on Windows and Linux.

Is there a Shimeji for Linux?

Running Shimeji on Linux means dealing with Java. Pets Therapy runs on Linux natively, which most desktop-pet apps don't.

Can I import my own characters?

Yes — Pets Therapy supports custom pets, so you can bring your own sprites and animations much like Shimeji packs.

Try Pets Therapy — Free