Comparison

Spirograph Maker vs Stickman

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

Stickman

Create your own cartoons by drawing frame by frame. This app offers an easy-to-use interface, drawing lessons, and the ability to color your creations and add stickers. Save your animations as GIFs to share with friends.

Highlights
  • Frame-by-frame drawing
  • Coloring and stickers
  • Save as GIF
  • Share animations
  • Drawing lessons
Features
Read full description

Become a real animator with our application: draw frame by frame and turn your drawings into a cartoon. Application features: - Easy to use interface: anyone can create cartoons - Color your drawing and add colorful stickers - Save the result as GIF and share with your friends - Drawing lessons for beginners

Screenshots

Spirograph Maker4 screens
Stickman4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Spirograph Maker at 4.4 against Stickman's 3.9. Spirograph Maker also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (53% vs 40%). Stickman's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.6). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Spirograph Maker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Stickman sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 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 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 88 and 253 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 53% of Spirograph Maker's written reviews are positive against 40% of Stickman's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Spirograph Maker ships an update fortnightly, Stickman every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Spirograph Maker versus Stickman: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpirograph MakerStickman
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (88 ratings) — better3.9 (253 ratings)
Positive reviews52.9% of reviews — better40.0% of reviews
Number of ratings88253 — better
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 MB372 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKYWorksAppache apps and games ltd

Customer experience

Spirograph Maker

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

Stickman

All ratings253 ratings
Positive70.0%
Neutral4.7%
Negative25.3%
Written reviews165 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral11.5%
Negative48.5%

Bugs and requests

Spirograph Maker

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Stickman

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frames disappearing during animation
  • Inability to access saved projects
  • Loading issues and white screens
  • Unexpected app crashes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add sound and audio support
  • Improve export quality
  • Implement more advanced animation tools
  • Increase frame limit for free version
  • Add ability to move and edit objects

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Spirograph Maker

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$3.99
1 purchases

Stickman

One-time1
  • Premium version$10.99

Questions

Is Spirograph Maker free?
Spirograph Maker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Stickman free?
Stickman is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Spirograph Maker or Stickman?
Spirograph Maker is rated higher. Spirograph Maker averages 4.4 out of 5 from 88 ratings, while Stickman averages 3.9 from 253 ratings.
Do Spirograph Maker or Stickman have ads?
Spirograph Maker shows ads; Stickman does not.
Which is updated more often, Spirograph Maker or Stickman?
Spirograph Maker ships an update fortnightly, and Stickman every 2 months. Most recently, Spirograph Maker was updated on September 17, 2026 and Stickman on September 24, 2026.

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