Comparison

Spirograph Maker vs Espiro

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Spirograph Maker

Easily create intricate spirograph patterns by adjusting gear size and pen color. Explore a variety of designs with this intuitive drawing application.

Highlights
  • Easy spirograph creation
  • Adjustable gear size
  • Customizable pen color
  • Draw various figures
  • Intuitive interface
Features
Read full description

Create mesmerizing geometric art with a single tap. Released in 2017 with over 110,000 downloads — a math-meets-art tool refined over 9 years. Spirograph Maker turns the timeless mechanical drawing toy into a digital playground for your iPhone and iPad. Choose your gears, pick your colors, and watch hypnotic patterns bloom across the screen — no drawing skill required. WHERE MATH MEETS ART The patterns Spirograph creates aren't accidents — they're governed by GCD/LCM and parametric equations. Watch how the lobe count is determined by n/gcd(n,m), see hypotrochoids and epitrochoids come alive on your screen. A visual companion for middle-school number theory and high-school parametric curves. Whether you're a curious learner, a math enthusiast, or just love beautiful patterns, this is where math becomes mesmerizing. In 2022, this app was acknowledged in an academic paper on algebraic combinatorics — the smoothness criteria for Positroid varieties (Billey & Weaver, arXiv:2207.06508). From a child's toy to cutting-edge mathematical research — that's how deep these patterns go. FOUR GEAR SHAPES Not just circles. Draw with ellipse, rounded triangle (a curve of constant width), and teardrop gears too. Change the gear's shape and the symmetry of the pattern changes with it: circles stay regular, ellipses stretch, triangles beat in threes, teardrops curve organically. A strength slider tunes each shape continuously — from nearly circular to sharply pointed. KEY FEATURES - Auto-draw mode: tap once and beautiful patterns appear on their own - Custom color palette with gradient mode for endless combinations - Adjustable gear shapes and sizes: circle / ellipse / rounded triangle / teardrop, plus tooth count - Save your creations directly to your Photo Library - Share to Instagram, Facebook, or anywhere - Full iPad support — a bigger canvas for finer detail - Light and Dark mode WHY SPIROGRAPH MAKER - A meditative break from a busy day — without leaving your phone - A visual bridge between middle-school math and university geometry - Inspired by the classic Spirograph toy, reimagined for modern iOS - Perfect for parents, students, artists, and math enthusiasts - Works offline, anywhere PERFECT FOR - Winding down before bed - Sparking creativity with kids - A short math meditation anytime - Making one-of-a-kind wallpapers - Sharing unique art on Instagram - A short, calm focus break during your day In Japan, downloads notably spike around the start of new school terms and summer breaks — pointing to a growing use as a learning companion. Pull out your phone, tap once, and watch sacred geometry unfold. Whether you're a designer, a doodler, a student, or just love beautiful patterns, Spirograph Maker is the simplest way to make art that mesmerizes. Free to download. Optional ad-free upgrade available.

About

Espiro

Create unique roulette art with this drawing application. It offers an unbounded canvas, smooth animations, and a variety of wheel options to design intricate patterns. Save and share your creations easily with friends or browse an in-app gallery for inspiration.

Highlights
  • Unbounded canvas with custom background color
  • Smooth wheel animation for curve generation
  • Combine multiple wheel types and sizes
  • Over 150 wheel variations
  • Control line color, width, and opacity
  • Save and share drawings
  • In-app user gallery
Features
Read full description

About: Espiro is a simple and practical drawing app for creating roulette art without the hustle of using papers and pencils. It has all you need to draw, save and share your art creation with ease in most enjoyable way possible. Features: - Draw with your finger tip on an unbounded canvas with a background color of your choice. - Enjoy the satisfaction of smooth wheel animation that draws coordinated eye catchy curves. - Combine multiple wheel types and sizes to create harmonic patterns. - Get creative with over 150+ wheel variations. - Control lines color, width and opacity. - Save your drawings on your mobile device local storage. - Show your friends your art creations on your favourite social media platform. - Get inspired by browsing in-app users gallery.

Screenshots

Spirograph Maker4 screens
Espiro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Spirograph Maker at 4.4 against Espiro's 3.4. Spirograph Maker also leads on ratings volume (88 vs 8) and review sentiment (53% vs 40%). Espiro's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Spirograph Maker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Espiro asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Spirograph Maker holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spirograph Maker has 88 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 53% of Spirograph Maker's written reviews are positive against 40% of Espiro's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Spirograph Maker ships an update fortnightly, Espiro monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Spirograph Maker versus Espiro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpirograph MakerEspiro
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (88 ratings) — better3.4 (8 ratings)
Positive reviews52.9% of reviews — better40.0% of reviews
Number of ratings88 — better8
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterMonthly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.67.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB123 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKYWorksThe Orbit Company for Software Development

Customer experience

Spirograph Maker

All ratings88 ratings
Positive83.0%
Neutral9.1%
Negative8.0%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive52.9%
Neutral11.8%
Negative35.3%

Espiro

All ratings8 ratings
Positive62.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative37.5%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Spirograph Maker

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$3.99
None

Espiro

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Spirograph Maker free?
Spirograph Maker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Espiro free?
Espiro is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Spirograph Maker or Espiro?
Spirograph Maker is rated higher. Spirograph Maker averages 4.4 out of 5 from 88 ratings, while Espiro averages 3.4 from 8 ratings.
Do Spirograph Maker or Espiro have ads?
Spirograph Maker shows ads; Espiro does not.
Which is updated more often, Spirograph Maker or Espiro?
Spirograph Maker ships an update fortnightly, and Espiro monthly. Most recently, Spirograph Maker was updated on September 29, 2026 and Espiro on September 18, 2026.

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