Spirograph Maker vs Kinetiform
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.
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 review sentiment: Kinetiform at 92% against Spirograph Maker's 53%. Kinetiform also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.4) and ads (none vs shown). Spirograph Maker's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 22 months). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 Kinetiform sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Kinetiform holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 88 and 40 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 53% of Spirograph Maker's written reviews are positive against 92% of Kinetiform's.
Spirograph Maker ships an update fortnightly, Kinetiform every 22 months. Both last shipped on September 29, 2026.
| Parameter | Spirograph Maker | Kinetiform |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (88 ratings) | 4.9 (40 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 52.9% of reviews | 91.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 88 — better | 40 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 22 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 | 13.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 25 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | KYWorks | Colordodge Labs |
Customer experience
Spirograph Maker
Kinetiform
In-app purchases
Spirograph Maker
- Remove Ads$3.99
Kinetiform
- Pro Mode$4.99
Questions
Is Spirograph Maker free?
Is Kinetiform free?
Which has better reviews, Spirograph Maker or Kinetiform?
Do Spirograph Maker or Kinetiform have ads?
Which is updated more often, Spirograph Maker or Kinetiform?
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