Reality Augmenter vs Q Surface
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Reality Augmenter
This app enables projection mapping by allowing users to project images and videos onto surfaces. It offers a powerful geometry editor and supports various texture sources, including camera roll, Dropbox, and webpages.
- Projection mapping capabilities
- Camera roll, Dropbox, and webpage texture sources
- Scrolling text with font control
- Precise quad geometry editor
- Remote control functionality
- Layer-based content management
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The Reality Augmenter is a video/projection mapping app and requires a projector This app can connect to a projector via a standard video adapter for your device, or wirelessly via an Airplay or Google Cast enabled device. Key Features Use camera roll for video, image and slide show texture sources Import photos and videos from directly from Dropbox Scrolling text source with font control Any number of source texture subdivisions Use any source texture as a mask Webpages as textures Airplay enabled for wireless connection Precise quad geometry editor with pan and zoom Display and UI decoupled so app acts as remote control Details The Reality Augmenter is a tool for projection mapping, a technique to project images onto surfaces without precise alignment of the projector. The app is ideal for art installations, window displays, visual merchandising, galleries, nightclub visuals, display booths and anything else you can dream up. The Reality Augmenter uses the projector as a secondary display, while the iOS device is used to configure the display. Sources Tab Pick videos and photos and albums from the camera roll, create text or specify webpages to use as sources from the Sources tab. Once created you can edit various aspects of the source depending on it's type. Sources can be cropped using the crop icon in the top right of any source editor. Layers Tab Create layers in the Layers tab, sources can be assigned to and combined in layers, layers are projected. The Edit Layer view allows you to select sources as the main layer image (required), and optionally set an overlay and a mask. When used as a mask, the source image used is converted to black and white, the threshold controls the cut off point of the mask. You can toggle between layer geometry and layer properties with the switch in the top right. Edit the geometry to drag and map the four corners of the quad to the surface being mapped. The secondary display will highlight the quad being edited to help with mapping. You can zoom in and out with the pinch gesture. At higher zoom levels, corners will snap to the corners of nearby layers. Once snapped, the the circle around the corner will change to orange, and all snapped corners will move along with your current layer. To remove a snapped corner, simply hold before dragging the corner away. Output Tab The Output tab provides facilities to play and pause the entire project, flip the output of the secondary display, and activate a basic screensaver for when the device will be in use a long time. Projects Tab New projects can be accessed, created and deleted here. The number of photo and videos supported varies between device, and will be affected by size and quality of videos and photos used. For long periods of use, it's recommended to turn off screen locking and keep the iOS device plugged in to power. The app has a built in screensaver that can be activated to turn the display off. As the Reality Augmenter currently runs using Metal, drawing will be suspended if the app enters background. Notifications also pause output, for long periods of unattended use, you should turn off all notifications.
Q Surface
This utility app enables remote adjustment of video surface control points for QLab 4, allowing users to fine-tune projections while physically near them. It requires QLab version 4.0.0 or higher on a connected Mac.
- Remote video surface control
- Adjust control points
- Real-time projection tuning
- QLab 4 compatibility
- Network connectivity
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Q Surface allows you to adjust the control points of your video surfaces in QLab 4, while standing right next to the projection. Please feel free to contact me directly at contact@oscarbouwmans.nl. All feedback is very much appreciated. IMPORTANT NOTE #1: this app will NOT work for QLab version 3 or lower. IMPORTANT NTOE #2: this app will NOT work with the FREE version of QLab. In order for Q Surface to work properly, a Mac must be running QLab version 4.0.0 or higher (either licensed for video, or in 'demo' mode activated via the QLab -> Activate Demo Mode menu), and be connected to the same network as the iOS device running Q Surface (e.g. same WiFi network). (QLAB, QCART, TIXATO, GO BUTTON, ULTRASONIC and FIGURE 53 are registered trademarks of Figure 53, LLC. Seller of this application is not affiliated with Figure 53, LLC.)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Q Surface at Free against Reality Augmenter's $5.99. Q Surface also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.7) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.6). Reality Augmenter's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (10 vs 1). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Q Surface is free to download; Reality Augmenter costs $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Q Surface holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Reality Augmenter has 10 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Reality Augmenter ships an update every 3 weeks, Q Surface every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Reality Augmenter | Q Surface |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $5.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 2.7 (10 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 18.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 10 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 8.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 18 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | George Brown | Oscar Bouwmans |
Customer experience
Reality Augmenter
Q Surface
In-app purchases
Reality Augmenter
No in-app purchases
Q Surface
No in-app purchases








