# Cadran — Desktop Clock for macOS

> Cadran is a free macOS app that renders 22 hand-crafted clock faces directly on your desktop wallpaper — behind your icons, across every Space and display. It also works as a native macOS screensaver. One app, two modes. Pro unlocks all 22 faces for a one-time $9.99 payment, no subscription.

## Product Overview

Cadran displays a clock on the macOS wallpaper layer, not as a floating window or widget. The clock sits behind desktop icons and Finder windows, staying visible without ever getting in the way. It works across all Spaces and all connected displays.

The app includes 22 clock faces organized into 6 style categories. Six faces are available for free, and the remaining 16 unlock with a one-time Cadran Pro purchase. All 22 faces also work as native macOS screen savers, even on the free tier.

Cadran is a native macOS app built with Swift and SwiftUI. It requires macOS Sonoma 14.0 or later and runs on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. The app is Apple Notarized and available as a direct download from cadranapp.com — no Mac App Store required.

Key capabilities:
- Wallpaper-layer rendering — the clock is always visible behind icons and windows
- 22 handcrafted clock faces across 6 categories
- 40+ built-in background presets with automatic text contrast
- Transparent mode — render the clock over your existing wallpaper
- Dynamic Sky backgrounds — gradients that follow the sun throughout the day (Pro)
- Per-monitor face and color assignment (Pro)
- Custom text and background colors, solid or gradient (Pro)
- Move and resize — drag the clock anywhere on your desktop and resize it freely (Pro)
- Complications — live overlays for weather, date, battery, moon phase, sunrise, and sunset (Pro)
- Per-face color customization — assign unique color palettes to each face (Pro)
- Full-screen preview before applying
- Built-in screen saver mode — all 22 faces available as screen savers
- Weather-aware faces via Apple WeatherKit (native macOS framework, no API key needed)
- Daily curated quotes on the Adage face (365 quotes, one per day)
- Automatic updates via built-in updater
- No account required, no analytics, no telemetry

## The 22 Clock Faces

### Numeric (digital clock faces)
1. **Pura** — A clean, minimal digital clock with large numerals on a dark background. The essence of time, nothing more.
2. **Departure** — Inspired by split-flap airport departure boards. Characters flip mechanically to reveal the current time.
3. **Stencil** — Bold stenciled numerals with an industrial, utilitarian feel. Time displayed in a heavy, stamped typeface.
4. **Cipher** — Encrypted-look digital clock with a dark, moody aesthetic. Numerals appear as if decoded from a cipher.
5. **Arcade** — Pixel-art retro gaming aesthetic. Time displayed in chunky pixel numerals with vibrant colors.

### Analog (traditional clock hands)
6. **Orbit** — A modern analog clock with orbiting hour and minute indicators. Smooth, continuous movement.
7. **Sablier** — French for "hourglass." An elegant analog face with refined proportions and subtle tick marks.
8. **Phase** — An analog clock face that incorporates the current moon phase as a central design element.
9. **Titan** — A bold, industrial analog clock with heavy markers and substantial hands. Built to stand out.
10. **Foundry** — Forged-metal aesthetic with a brushed steel look. Analog hands with an artisan, workshop feel.
11. **Quartz** — Retro LCD clock with fourteen-segment digits that lean in italic. Ghost segments glow behind the active ones like a real liquid crystal display. Zeros show as "O" for vintage calculator authenticity.

### Data (information-rich faces)
12. **Clima** — Weather-aware clock face that displays current temperature, conditions, and location alongside the time. Uses Apple WeatherKit for weather data, refreshing every 30 minutes.
13. **Platform** — Train station platform display aesthetic. Time and date shown as if on a departure information board.
14. **Metric** — Data-dense clock showing time alongside system metrics in a dashboard-style layout.

### Abstract (artistic and expressive)
15. **Prose** — Time spelled out in natural language ("twenty past three"). A literary, typographic approach to telling time.
16. **Spectrum** — Color spectrum visualization that shifts hue based on the current time. An abstract, chromatic time display.
17. **Adage** — Displays a new curated quote every day alongside the current time. 365 unique quotes, one for each day of the year.
18. **Dessau** — Bauhaus-inspired geometric design. Clean shapes, primary colors, and modernist composition.

### Matrix (grid and pattern-based)
19. **Syntax** — Code-editor aesthetic with syntax-highlighted time display. Monospaced font on a dark background, like reading source code.
20. **Carbon** — Dark carbon-fiber texture with glowing numerals. A technical, high-performance aesthetic.
21. **Halftone** — Print halftone dot pattern aesthetic. Time numerals rendered as if through a newspaper printing process.

### Spectrum (color and light-driven)
22. **Horizon** — Gradient sky that shifts color based on time of day. Sunrise warmth in the morning, deep blue at night.

## Features

### Free (included with download)
- 6 clock faces (Pura, Orbit, Prose, Clima, Departure, Spectrum)
- 40+ background presets
- Transparent mode (clock over your existing wallpaper)
- Automatic text contrast adjustment
- Full-screen preview
- Screen saver mode with all 22 faces
- Automatic updates
- Clock language selection (English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean)
- Hide Dock icon option
- Hide seconds on analog faces
- Keyboard shortcuts for gallery navigation

### Pro ($9.99 one-time)
- All 22 clock faces (16 additional premium faces)
- Per-monitor face assignment
- Per-face color customization
- Custom text and background colors (solid or gradient)
- Dynamic Sky backgrounds
- Move and resize the clock freely
- Complications (weather, date, battery, moon phase, sunrise, sunset)
- Every future face included at no extra cost
- Up to 3 Macs per license

## Pricing

| Feature | Free | Pro ($9.99) |
|---|---|---|
| Clock faces | 6 | All 22 |
| Background presets | 40+ | 40+ |
| Transparent mode | Yes | Yes |
| Screen saver | All 22 faces | All 22 faces |
| Per-monitor faces | No | Yes |
| Custom colors | No | Yes |
| Dynamic Sky | No | Yes |
| Move & resize | No | Yes |
| Complications | No | Yes |
| Per-face colors | No | Yes |
| Price | Free forever | $9.99 one-time |
| Devices | Unlimited | Up to 3 Macs |

Pro is a one-time purchase through Polar (polar.sh). No subscription, no recurring fees. Each license activates on up to 3 Macs simultaneously. Devices can be deactivated and reactivated at any time.

## FAQ

**Q: Does Cadran slow down my Mac?**
A: No. You won't even notice it's running. Fans stay quiet, battery stays full, Mac stays cool.

**Q: Can I use a different face on each monitor?**
A: Yes, with Cadran Pro. Assign a unique face and color palette to each display.

**Q: Will it work with my current wallpaper?**
A: Yes. Transparent mode renders the clock over your existing wallpaper. Text contrast adjusts automatically.

**Q: Is Cadran really free?**
A: Yes. 6 faces, background presets, and screen saver mode are free forever. Pro adds 16 premium faces and per-monitor controls.

**Q: What macOS versions does Cadran support?**
A: macOS Sonoma 14.0 and later, on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

**Q: Does it work with Stage Manager?**
A: Yes. Cadran renders at the wallpaper layer, below Stage Manager windows. It stays visible without interfering.

**Q: How many Macs can I use Cadran Pro on?**
A: Up to 3. Each Pro license allows activation on 3 devices at the same time. You can deactivate a device anytime in-app to free up a slot.

**Q: My license key isn't working. What should I do?**
A: This usually means you have already activated your key on 3 devices, which is the maximum. Visit your account at polar.sh to check activations and deactivate a device you no longer use.

## System Requirements

- macOS Sonoma 14.0 or later
- Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4) or Intel Mac
- About 25 MB disk space
- Location permission is optional (used only for weather data via Apple WeatherKit)
- No account required to use the app

## Privacy

Cadran is built with privacy as a core principle:
- No account required — your preferences stay on your device
- No analytics SDKs — no Google Analytics, no Mixpanel, no tracking
- No telemetry or crash reporting
- No cookies on the website
- The only network calls are optional weather data requests to Apple WeatherKit (Apple's native macOS framework, refreshing every 30 minutes when enabled)
- License validation is handled through Polar (polar.sh) with minimal data exchange
- Apple Notarized for security
- The website uses Vercel Web Analytics for aggregate page view counts only — no personal data collected

Full privacy policy: https://cadranapp.com/en/privacy

## Comparisons

### Cadran vs Fliqlo
Fliqlo is a popular flip-clock screensaver for macOS. Cadran differs in several key ways:
- Cadran works as both a wallpaper clock AND a screensaver; Fliqlo is screensaver-only
- Cadran offers 22 different face designs; Fliqlo has one flip-clock design
- Cadran renders on the wallpaper layer, always visible behind your icons; Fliqlo only appears when the screensaver activates
- Cadran supports per-monitor configuration and custom colors; Fliqlo has limited customization
- Cadran includes weather, date, battery, and moon phase complications; Fliqlo shows time only
- Cadran is actively maintained for macOS Sonoma and later; Fliqlo has had compatibility issues with recent macOS versions
- Both have free tiers; Cadran Pro is $9.99 one-time for all features

### Cadran vs Padbury Clock
Padbury Clock is a minimalist screensaver for macOS. Compared to Cadran:
- Cadran works as a persistent wallpaper clock in addition to a screensaver; Padbury Clock is screensaver-only
- Cadran offers 22 designs across 6 categories; Padbury Clock has one minimal digital design
- Cadran supports multi-monitor setups with different faces per display; Padbury Clock shows the same design everywhere
- Cadran includes live complications (weather, battery, moon phase); Padbury Clock shows time only
- Cadran is actively developed with regular updates; Padbury Clock has not been updated recently
- Cadran supports macOS Sonoma 14.0+; Padbury Clock may have compatibility issues with newer macOS versions

## Links

- Website: https://cadranapp.com
- Download: https://cadranapp.com/en/download
- Face Gallery: https://cadranapp.com/en/gallery
- Changelog: https://cadranapp.com/en/changelog
- Support: https://cadranapp.com/en/support
- Privacy Policy: https://cadranapp.com/en/privacy
- Terms of Service: https://cadranapp.com/en/terms
- Refund Policy: https://cadranapp.com/en/refund
- About: https://cadranapp.com/en/about
- Legal Notice: https://cadranapp.com/en/legal
- Blog — How to Add a Clock to Your Mac Desktop: https://cadranapp.com/en/blog/how-to-add-clock-to-mac-desktop
- Blog — Best Mac Wallpaper Apps in 2026: https://cadranapp.com/en/blog/best-mac-wallpaper-apps
- Blog — How to Customize Your Mac Desktop: https://cadranapp.com/en/blog/how-to-customize-mac-desktop
- Contact: support@cadranapp.com

## Languages

Cadran is localized for:
- English
- French (Français)
- German (Deutsch)
- Spanish (Español)
- Japanese (日本語)
- Korean (한국어)
- Portuguese (Português)
- Brazilian Portuguese (Português do Brasil)

The landing page, in-app interface, and clock face text are all fully localized. Users can also set the clock language independently of their macOS system language.

## Developer

Cadran is built by Ilyes Abd-Lillah, an indie developer and designer based in Toulouse, France. Cadran started as a weekend project — a desire to have a clock on the desktop that felt native to macOS, not a widget or floating window. It evolved into a full product with 22 handcrafted clock faces, each designed from first sketch to final build.

Every face, animation, and interaction is crafted by one person. Cadran Pro revenue sustains ongoing development, with new faces and features shipping regularly.

## Version History

### v1.1 (March 2026)
- New tabbed editor (background, color, complications, move & resize)
- Complications: weather, date, battery, moon phase, sunrise, sunset
- Per-face color customization
- Move and resize the clock freely
- Gallery redesign with larger previews
- Redesigned menu bar panel
- Hide seconds on analog faces
- Hide Dock icon option
- Clock language selection
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Korean localization

### v1.0 (February 2026)
- Initial release with 22 clock faces
- Dynamic Sky backgrounds
- Custom colors (solid and gradient)
- Per-monitor face assignment
- Full-screen preview
- Daily curated quotes (Adage face)
- Screen saver mode
- macOS Sonoma 14.0+ support

### v1.0.1 — v1.0.34 (February — March 2026)
- Screen saver improvements and additional faces
- License system overhaul with better activation flow
- Multi-display sync fixes
- Clock face alignment refinements
- macOS Sequoia compatibility
- Weather reliability improvements with auto-refresh after wake