Comparison

Liquid Math vs Valence 3D

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Liquid Math

Create unique art by harnessing the power of biological simulations. Explore natural patterns and bring your digital brush strokes to life with dynamic, rule-based effects. Save your custom simulations and personalize the visual themes.

Highlights
  • Biological simulation art creation
  • 40+ reaction-diffusion presets
  • Custom simulation rule creation
  • Deep theme customization
  • Save custom rules
Features
Read full description

Liquid Math is a tool for creating art with biological simulations. There are patterns in nature all around you that form spontaneously from surprisingly simple rules. With Liquid Math, you can use these rules to create art with these patterns, which happen naturally in the raised edges of brain corals, pigmentation in animals with stripes, and more. Think of it as a drawing program that brings your brush strokes to life. Features: - 40+ reaction-diffusion presets to get started with. - Make and save your own simulation rules for later. - Change the look with deep theme customization. EPILEPSY WARNING: Liquid Math can produce very rapidly strobing images which may trigger seizures in those with photosensitive epilepsy.

About

Valence 3D

This app is a powerful yet user-friendly 3D modeling and design tool for iPad and iPhone. It offers a comprehensive set of tools for creating, importing, editing, and exporting 3D models, suitable for both beginners and professionals across various industries.

Highlights
  • Extensive primitive shapes library
  • Import and export various 3D file formats
  • Advanced modeling and mesh operations
  • Non-destructive mesh modifiers
  • Intuitive navigation and context-aware tools
  • Automatic saving and iCloud syncing
Features
Read full description

Valence 3D is a powerful, beautiful, minimal, and easy-to-use 3D Polygon & SubD modeling app for iPad & iPhone. No matter whether you're learning 3D modeling for the first time or a professional working in design, construction, gaming, web dev, digital fabrication, architecture, or spatial computing, Valence 3D has what you need to get started! CREATE, IMPORT, EDIT & EXPORT 3D MODELS • 25 primitive shapes are built-in & ready to help you start modeling: plane, box, sphere, squircle, rounded box, arc, circle, cylinder, tube, cone, capsule, torus, icosphere, pipe, revolve, helix, voronoi, text, super shape, noise surfaces, torus knot, faceted gem & tube. • Import existing models, reference images, lidar scans and room plans • Imports: OBJ, STL, USD, USDZ • Exports: PNG, SVG, OBJ, STL, USD, USDZ, GLTF, GLB • Knife tool to create complex and detailed geometry • Move, Rotate, & Scale gizmos make it easy to transform nodes, faces, edges & vertices • Powerful modeling gizmos for extruding, insetting, beveling, poking, creasing & cutting • Multiple selection & automatic loop selection help accelerate your modeling • Tap on one of the gizmo handles to bring up an input field for precise transformations & mesh operations • Robust snapping & alignment commands • Selection operations: grow, shrink, select shell & deselect • Mesh operations: duplicate, instance, set / center pivot, trim by plane, boolean, apply transform & subdivide • Face operations: separate, combine, bridge, extract, poke, collapse, delete, dissolve, harden & soften • Edge operations: extrude, insert vertex, collapse, dissolve, bridge, harden & soften • Vertex operations: insert edge, dissolve, delete & merge • Non-destructive & configurable mesh modifiers: mirror & subdivision • Apply complex transformations using different gizmo pivot points & orientations EASILY NAVIGATE & STAY IN FLOW WHILE DESIGNING • Carefully crafted & fully optimized for iPhone & iPad • Designed to minimize cognitive overload by only showing tools & commands that are contextually relevant • Easily navigate to any part of your model by dragging and pinching: two finger pinch to zoom and roll, and one finger drag to rotate • Pop into the standard orthographic views by tapping one of the handles of the orientation gizmo • Use two & three finger tap gestures to undo & redo • Select components by dragging or using the rectangular selection mode • Your work is saved automatically every two minutes and every time you go back to the gallery • Get an overview of your scene’s structure from the Outliner • Long press on a node in the Outliner to easily rename, duplicate, instance, delete, parent & reorder any object in your scene • Precisely adjust any node’s position, rotation & scale with the Inspector • Adjust material properties, display & modifier options with the Inspector STAY ORGANIZED ACROSS ALL YOUR DEVICES • Preview, share, duplicate, delete & rename your models from the gallery • iCloud syncing keeps all your models up to date, private & accessible across all your devices PREVIEW, MEASURE, & RENDER YOUR CREATIONS • 6 powerful rendering modes: Matcap, Modeling, Wireframe, Physically Based, X-Ray & Path Traced • Export renders in any aspect ratio & scale • Preview your model in AR in two taps • Export your scene as a USDZ & be confident it’ll look consistent on all Apple devices • Tweak your model’s material & see changes in real-time • Tweak-able scene settings: camera field of view, background type, blurriness, intensity & rotation • Get model measurements in one click • Add persistent dimensions between any two surfaces in your scene PURCHASE & COMPATIBILITY • One time purchase unlocks both iPhone & iPad versions • Apple Pencil supported on select iPads • 120 FPS supported on devices with ProMotion displays • Path Tracing is supported on iPads with M series chips & iPhones with A15 Bionic & later • Lidar Scan & Room Plan is supported on devices with a lidar sensor

Screenshots

Liquid Math4 screens
Valence 3D4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Liquid Math at $0.99 against Valence 3D's $19.99. Liquid Math also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.2) and review sentiment (92% vs 61%). Valence 3D's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 7 months) and ratings volume (121 vs 38). On ads, in-app purchases, chart position 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

Liquid Math costs $0.99 and Valence 3D $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Liquid Math holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 38 and 121 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 92% of Liquid Math's written reviews are positive against 61% of Valence 3D's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Liquid Math ships an update every 7 months, Valence 3D weekly. Both last shipped on October 12, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Liquid Math versus Valence 3D: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLiquid MathValence 3D
Price$0.99 — better$19.99
Rating4.8 (38 ratings) — better4.2 (121 ratings)
Positive reviews91.7% of reviews — better60.8% of reviews
Number of ratings38121 — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#119#82 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB196 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJonathan ColeHi-Rez, LLC

Customer experience

Liquid Math

All ratings38 ratings
Positive97.4%
Neutral2.6%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive91.7%
Neutral8.3%
Negative0.0%

Valence 3D

All ratings121 ratings
Positive76.0%
Neutral13.2%
Negative10.7%
Written reviews158 reviews
Positive60.8%
Neutral15.8%
Negative23.4%

Bugs and requests

Liquid Math

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Valence 3D

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes on launch
  • Saved files not loading properly
  • Unreliable vertex/edge/face selection
  • Mesh corruption and data loss
  • Gizmo and navigation issues

Requested features

8 requests
  • Add boolean operations
  • Improve selection and navigation tools
  • Implement curve/spline primitives
  • Add more modeling modifiers (bevel, subdivision, etc.)
  • Provide more detailed documentation and tutorials
Show 3 more
  • Improve performance and stability
  • Add UV editing and texture support
  • Implement keyboard shortcuts and power user features

In-app purchases

None

Liquid Math

No in-app purchases

None

Valence 3D

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Liquid Math free?
Liquid Math costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Valence 3D free?
Valence 3D costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Liquid Math or Valence 3D?
Liquid Math is rated higher. Liquid Math averages 4.8 out of 5 from 38 ratings, while Valence 3D averages 4.2 from 121 ratings.
Do Liquid Math or Valence 3D have ads?
Neither Liquid Math nor Valence 3D shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Liquid Math or Valence 3D?
Liquid Math ships an update every 7 months, and Valence 3D weekly. Most recently, Liquid Math was updated on October 12, 2026 and Valence 3D on October 12, 2026.
Which is more popular, Liquid Math or Valence 3D?
Liquid Math currently peaks at #119 in the App Store charts, and Valence 3D at #82. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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