Comparison

Spirograph Maker vs String Art Designer

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

String Art Designer

Create intricate string art designs with various string types and modes. Transform photos into unique string art pieces. Offers in-app purchases for expanded features and unlimited string options.

Highlights
  • Math-String mode
  • Cyclic string type
  • Step string type
  • Custom string type
  • Portrait mode for photo art
  • In-app purchases for advanced features
Features
Read full description

String Art Designer makes possible to design string art with using various strings. Math-String mode Availabe string types: - cyclic string string will be hooked on pins with a specified cycle - verious step string string will be hooked on start/end pin which are moved by specified rule - custom string string will be hooked on specified pins Portrait mode make string art from photo In-App Purchase: - unlimited number strings for math-string mode - make string art from your photo (from Photo library) Note: A photo editing app would help to get better Portrait String Art

Screenshots

Spirograph Maker4 screens
String Art Designer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Spirograph Maker at 53% against String Art Designer's 0%. Spirograph Maker also leads on rating (4.4 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (88 vs 2). String Art Designer's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.6). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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 and String Art Designer sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Spirograph Maker holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spirograph Maker has 88 ratings behind it against 2, 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 0% of String Art Designer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Spirograph Maker ships an update fortnightly, String Art Designer every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Spirograph Maker versus String Art Designer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpirograph MakerString Art Designer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (88 ratings) — better3.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews52.9% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings88 — better2
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.616.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKYWorksTomoaki Yagishita

Customer experience

Spirograph Maker

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

String Art Designer

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Spirograph Maker

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$3.99
2 purchases

String Art Designer

One-time2
  • Unlimited String$5.99
  • PortraitArt$19.99

Questions

Is Spirograph Maker free?
Spirograph Maker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is String Art Designer free?
String Art Designer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Spirograph Maker or String Art Designer?
Spirograph Maker is rated higher. Spirograph Maker averages 4.4 out of 5 from 88 ratings, while String Art Designer averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Spirograph Maker or String Art Designer have ads?
Spirograph Maker shows ads; String Art Designer does not.
Which is updated more often, Spirograph Maker or String Art Designer?
Spirograph Maker ships an update fortnightly, and String Art Designer every 2 months. Most recently, Spirograph Maker was updated on September 29, 2026 and String Art Designer on September 14, 2026.

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