Spirograph Maker vs Pendulum Paint Bucket
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Spirograph Maker
Easily create intricate spirograph patterns by adjusting gear size and pen color. Explore a variety of designs with this intuitive drawing application.
- Easy spirograph creation
- Adjustable gear size
- Customizable pen color
- Draw various figures
- Intuitive interface
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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.
Pendulum Paint Bucket
Unleash your creativity with a unique painting and drawing experience. Swing a paint bucket to create stunning patterns, doodles, and bucket art. It's a fun and relaxing way to express yourself, regardless of your artistic skill level.
- Pendulum motion painting
- Create bucket art and doodles
- Save and share patterns
- Realistic paint effects
- Stress relief and relaxation
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Just express yourself and unleash your creativity by swinging the bucket again and again. It's one of the best fun painting and drawing app that brings a fun and amazing drawing experience to anyone who wants to be creative, regardless of skill level. How It Works: - Select your favorite color combinations, swing the paint bucket, and let the motion do its work. - You can paint, doodle, and create bucket art with a pendulum motion. - The number of loops is increasing at expert levels in bucket paint art. - Just draw whatever you want and become a doodling master. - Save patterns to the image gallery. - Share patterns with your friends Features: - Fun, creativity, and relaxation. - A great way to relieve stress. - Paint stunning patterns like a spiral draw. - Realistic paint, affected by pressure and gravity. There's nothing more satisfying than watching pendulum art unfold right in front of your eyes.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Spirograph Maker at 4.4 against Pendulum Paint Bucket's 3.6. Spirograph Maker also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 months). Pendulum Paint Bucket's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 18.6). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and in-app purchases 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. Spirograph Maker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Pendulum Paint Bucket sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Spirograph Maker holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 88 and 30 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 53% of Spirograph Maker's written reviews are positive against 50% of Pendulum Paint Bucket's.
Spirograph Maker ships an update fortnightly, Pendulum Paint Bucket every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Spirograph Maker | Pendulum Paint Bucket |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (88 ratings) — better | 3.6 (30 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 52.9% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 88 — better | 30 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 25 MB | 104 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | KYWorks | VECTOR LABS LIMITED |
Customer experience
Spirograph Maker
Pendulum Paint Bucket
In-app purchases
Spirograph Maker
- Remove Ads$3.99
Pendulum Paint Bucket
- Remove Ads$4.99
Questions
Is Spirograph Maker free?
Is Pendulum Paint Bucket free?
Which has better reviews, Spirograph Maker or Pendulum Paint Bucket?
Do Spirograph Maker or Pendulum Paint Bucket have ads?
Which is updated more often, Spirograph Maker or Pendulum Paint Bucket?
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