variant vs Kinetiform
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
variant
This app generates ever-changing music and imagery based on user input and randomness. Experience a unique audiovisual artwork that evolves with every interaction, enhanced by 3D Touch pressure sensitivity.
- Generative audiovisual artwork
- Evolving music and imagery
- 3D Touch pressure sensitivity
- Multi-finger interaction
- Interactive controls
- Screenshot functionality
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variant:cascade is an audiovisual artwork that creates beautiful, ever-changing music and imagery. The app combines user input and built-in randomness to create images and music that will continually change, grow and evolve, offering a new and different experience every time. For users of all ages, variant:cascade is a chance to explore and experience a unique work of generative art. variant:cascade was specifically designed to take advantage of the 3D Touch sensor on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus: increased pressure on the phone’s screen will intensify and transform the visual and musical experience. To interact with variant:cascade, draw a line with your finger on the screen and the visuals will respond to your drawing. Pressing more deeply on the 3D Touch screen will change the width and speed of the visuals as well as transform the music. (Users on devices without 3D Touch can vary how much of their finger touches the screen to trigger this effect.) You can use multiple fingers to interact with variant:cascade, and each will independently influence the visuals and music. You can view the indeterminate audio engine by tapping the dot in the lower right. The display shows the different elements of the musical composition as they are loaded by the engine through a combination of chance and user input. The center button opens a menu of settings for the app, and the button to the right allows you to take screenshots of the visuals, automatically saving them to your photo library. The Variant apps are a new series of generative audiovisual artworks from Interval Studios featuring visuals by Joshue Ott and music by Kenneth Kirschner. Each Variant features a unique visual composition by Ott based on his superDraw visual performance software, as well as a new indeterminate musical composition by Kirschner. Each Variant app also offers a different set of interactive controls for the user, ranging from the ability to subtly influence the development of the piece to total interactive control over both visuals and sound. All of the Variants are generative artworks: through a varying combination of built-in randomness and user input, each Variant will continually grow and evolve over time without ever directly repeating itself either visually or musically, offering the user an ever-changing, ever-evolving audiovisual experience.
Kinetiform
This app transforms your doodles into dynamic abstract art. Shapes automatically connect and fill with unique patterns, while kaleidoscopic animations add a mesmerizing visual experience. You can also let the app create art for you with its Auto Draw feature.
- Automatic shape detection and pattern filling
- Auto Draw for generative art creation
- Regenerate patterns
- 36 preset kaleidoscopic effects
- Customizable kaleidoscope settings
- Save and share drawings
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Kinetiform is doodling reimagined. It is a canvas with a mind of its own. Draw abstract shapes that automatically connect and fill with randomly generated patterns. Use Auto Draw to sit back and watch as the app creates a unique random composition right before your eyes. Watch as your drawing is tumbled and twisted through beautiful kaleidoscopic animations. Features: - Automatically detects shapes and fills them with random procedural patterns - Auto Draw creates procedural art as you watch and finishes lines for you - Regenerate any pattern after it’s been drawn - 36 preset kaleidoscopic effects - Advanced kaleidoscope settings let you fully configure the effect - Pan and zoom feature that interacts with kaleidoscope effects - Draw into the kaleidoscope - Customize your drawing experience with several control options - Create a color palette and save it, or load one of 200 preset color palettes - Choose which patterns you want to use and how often they will randomly appear - Save drawings to work on them later - Save images to your photo library or share them on social media - 100 levels of undo
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: variant at none against Kinetiform's 1. variant also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 22 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 92%). Kinetiform's advantage is ratings volume (40 vs 3). On price, rating, ads 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
Both are free to download. Kinetiform sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. variant asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for variant against 4.9 for Kinetiform. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Kinetiform has 40 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of variant's written reviews are positive against 92% of Kinetiform's.
variant ships an update every 3 weeks, Kinetiform every 22 months. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | variant | Kinetiform |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | 4.9 (40 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 91.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 40 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 22 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 13.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 63 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Interval Studios | Colordodge Labs |
Customer experience
variant
Kinetiform
In-app purchases
variant
No in-app purchases
Kinetiform
- Pro Mode$4.99









