# Shade vs Mega Voxels

The clearest difference is price: Mega Voxels at Free against Shade's $19.99. Mega Voxels also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 weeks). Shade's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and chart position (#166 vs unranked). On review sentiment, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Mega Voxels is free to download; Shade costs $19.99 up front. Shade sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Mega Voxels sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Mega Voxels holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mega Voxels has 1.8K ratings behind it against 126, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Shade's written reviews are positive against 71% of Mega Voxels's.

Shade ships an update every 6 weeks, Mega Voxels every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shade | Mega Voxels |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $19.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.3 (126 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shade/id1402522815/reviews) | **[4.8 (1.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mega-voxels/id1539984942/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 126 | **1.8K** |
| Positive reviews | 63.8% of reviews | **71.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#166** | — |
| Size | 185 MB | 165 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Two Lives Left](https://appshunter.io/developer/335953314) | [Go Real Games, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1342244656) |

## What reviewers say

### Shade

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shade/id1402522815)

**Currently charting:** #166 Top Paid · Graphics & Design (US App Store)

Design complex visual effects with a node-based shader editor. Create and render real-time shader graphs with intuitive controls and extensive node options. Export your creations for use in game development and other applications.

**Highlights:** Node-based shader graph creation, Real-time rendering preview, Connection stacking and automatic swizzling, Over 100 shader nodes, Drag-and-drop image import, AR previews including Face AR, Export to Unity 3D and Codea

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 14-day Trial | Free | one-time |
| Shade Pro | Free | one-time |
| Shade Pro Upgrade | Free | one-time |
| Shade Standard | $15.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ Amazing app for shaders
- 💡 Commendable bringing shaders to iPad
- 👍 Intuitive and useful
- 🚀 Great for sketching shaders on the go
- 🌟 High quality visuals on iPad

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🔥 Generates significant heat
- 💸 Requires payment to create/export
- ❓ Unclear pricing and trial information
- 📉 Export options limited

**Reported bugs**

- Curvature node crashes the program
- Closing function node crashes and saves incorrectly
- Failed to create new shaders
- iOS 17 crashes the app
- App crashes when opening most shaders

**Requested features**

- Edit shader code manually
- Add Mac support
- Port Blender to iOS
- Add UE4 support
- Add light node (direction, position)


### Mega Voxels

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mega-voxels/id1539984942)

Create 3D pixel art and voxel art with a comprehensive editor. Design intricate scenes, build with blocks, and animate your creations. Share your 3D models and artwork through photos, videos, and augmented reality.

**Highlights:** Full-featured voxel editor, Pixel art editor, Dozens of tools and brushes, Hundreds of 3D voxel models, Create video animations, Augmented Reality (AR) viewing, Import/Export common 3D formats

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Premium | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| Yearly Premium | $49.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🎨 Lots of color options
- 🎨 Fun and creative
- 🎓 Helpful tutorials
- 🔧 Intuitive interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription model
- 🐛 Crashes and data loss
- 🙄 Constant premium upsells
- 🤔 Limited functionality in free version
- 🤔 Confusing controls

**Reported bugs**

- Files randomly disappearing
- App crashing and losing progress
- Issues with importing/exporting models

**Requested features**

- Add undo/redo functionality
- Improve file export options
- Expand free content and features
- Add more tutorials and learning resources
- Improve stability and reduce crashes


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shade free?

Shade costs $19.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Mega Voxels free?

Mega Voxels is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Shade or Mega Voxels?

Mega Voxels is rated higher. Shade averages 4.3 out of 5 from 126 ratings, while Mega Voxels averages 4.8 from 1.8K ratings.

### Do Shade or Mega Voxels have ads?

Mega Voxels shows ads; Shade does not.

### Which is updated more often, Shade or Mega Voxels?

Shade ships an update every 6 weeks, and Mega Voxels every 2 weeks. Most recently, Shade was updated on October 19, 2026 and Mega Voxels on October 13, 2026.

---

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