Comparison

Spirograph Maker vs String Art DIY

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 DIY

Create unique string art designs with this DIY generator. Weave your own patterns or let the app generate them for you. Enjoy a free experience with optional premium features.

Highlights
  • String art generator
  • DIY weaving tool
  • Free to use
  • Premium club functionalities
  • Pattern creation
Features
Read full description

This is the fastest string art/thread art generator app you may ever try. The app is designed as a DIY (Do it yourself) kit which you can use to generate and/or weave the threads yourself. Usage of the app is all free but you may decide to join the Zigzag club to have access to some other cool functionalities. Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://myzigzagart.com/privacy-policy/

Screenshots

Spirograph Maker4 screens
String Art DIY4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: String Art DIY at none against Spirograph Maker's shown. String Art DIY also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.6). Spirograph Maker's advantage is review sentiment (53% vs 20%) and ratings volume (88 vs 20). On price, rating, update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Spirograph Maker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and String Art DIY sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Spirograph Maker against 4.3 for String Art DIY. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 88 and 20 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 53% of Spirograph Maker's written reviews are positive against 20% of String Art DIY's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Spirograph Maker ships an update fortnightly, String Art DIY every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Spirograph Maker versus String Art DIY: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpirograph MakerString Art DIY
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (88 ratings) — better4.3 (20 ratings)
Positive reviews52.9% of reviews — better20.0% of reviews
Number of ratings88 — better20
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 11 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.614.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB79 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperKYWorksMyZigzagArt AB

Customer experience

Spirograph Maker

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

String Art DIY

All ratings20 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative80.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Spirograph Maker

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$3.99
8 purchases

String Art DIY

Subscriptions3
  • Bronze membership$2.991 Month
  • Silver membership$6.991 Month
  • Gold membership$9.991 Month
One-time5
  • X Small credit sack$1.99
  • Pattern pack$4.99
  • Small credit sack$11.99
Show 2 more
  • Medium credit sack$39.99
  • Large credit sack$119.99

Questions

Is Spirograph Maker free?
Spirograph Maker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is String Art DIY free?
String Art DIY is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Spirograph Maker or String Art DIY?
Spirograph Maker is rated higher. Spirograph Maker averages 4.4 out of 5 from 88 ratings, while String Art DIY averages 4.3 from 20 ratings.
Do Spirograph Maker or String Art DIY have ads?
Spirograph Maker shows ads; String Art DIY does not.
Which is updated more often, Spirograph Maker or String Art DIY?
Spirograph Maker ships an update fortnightly, and String Art DIY every 11 days. Most recently, Spirograph Maker was updated on September 25, 2026 and String Art DIY on September 16, 2026.

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