# Shaders vs ntfy

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ntfy at 79% against Shaders's 23%. ntfy also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.1) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 21 months). Shaders's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ntfy holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ntfy has 469 ratings behind it against 48, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 23% of Shaders's written reviews are positive against 79% of ntfy's.

Shaders ships an update every 21 months, ntfy fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shaders | ntfy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.1 (48 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shaders-shader-editor/id1221602862/reviews) | **[4.8 (469 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ntfy/id1625396347/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 48 | **469** |
| Positive reviews | 23.1% of reviews | **78.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 21 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 2 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Proof of Concept](https://appshunter.io/developer/1293750743) | [Philipp Heckel](https://appshunter.io/developer/1625396349) |

## What reviewers say

### Shaders

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shaders-shader-editor/id1221602862)

Create, view, and share custom graphics programs that run on the GPU. Learn how to integrate these visual effects into your own applications.

**Highlights:** Create custom shaders, View shaders, Share shaders with users, Learn shader integration, GPU graphics programming

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### ntfy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ntfy/id1625396347)

This app allows you to send push notifications to your phone from scripts or other applications using simple HTTP requests. It acts as a client for a free, open-source pub-sub service, enabling you to receive alerts and updates directly on your device.

**Highlights:** Send notifications via REST API, Subscribe to topics, Publish messages via HTTP, Integrates with Bash/PowerShell, Free and open source client

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple and easy to use
- 🔒 Great for self-hosting
- 👍 Reliable and works as expected
- 🚀 Quick and easy to set up
- 🚀 Lightweight and functional

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Notification issues on iOS
- 🔍 Limited features compared to other platforms
- 🔍 Lacks customization options
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or delivery issues

**Reported bugs**

- Notifications not working on iOS
- Broken click URLs in notifications
- Compatibility issues with iOS notification summarizing

**Requested features**

- Ability to change notification sounds
- Support for Apple Watch
- Customizable topic names/aliases
- Improved iOS notification handling
- All topics view and read/unread indicators


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shaders free?

Shaders is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ntfy free?

ntfy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Shaders or ntfy?

ntfy is rated higher. Shaders averages 2.1 out of 5 from 48 ratings, while ntfy averages 4.8 from 469 ratings.

### Do Shaders or ntfy have ads?

Neither Shaders nor ntfy shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Shaders or ntfy?

Shaders ships an update every 21 months, and ntfy fortnightly. Most recently, Shaders was updated on October 23, 2026 and ntfy on October 21, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*