Comparison

Shade vs Goblin Node

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

Head to head
About

Shade

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
Read full description

Shade transforms your device into a professional node-based shader editor. Build stunning, connected shader graphs that render in real time You'll find full support for keyboard shortcuts, drag-and-drop, and documentation built right in Once you're done, export your shader out to Unity 3D or load it straight into Codea. Use them in your games, apps, or anything you make Put your finger on the glass and start creating FEATURES • Connection stacking: no need for explicit arithmetic nodes. Just plug multiple outputs into a single input. Tap to change how they're blended • Automatic swizzling: connect anything to anything. Shade will figure it out and swizzle your connection. Tap the little circle to re-wire the logic • Over 100 nodes for building your shaders, tap any node for help • Live physically-based render preview • Drag-and-drop images right into your graph • Full keyboard support • AR previews, including Face AR for building shaders right on your... face • Video tutorials

About

Goblin Node

Create professional PBR textures and materials on your iPad with a touch-first, non-destructive procedural workflow. Generate reusable patterns, tileable surfaces, and complete material suites anywhere inspiration strikes, without needing a desktop rig.

Highlights
  • Touch-native procedural texturing
  • Non-destructive workflow
  • Modular material generation
  • PBR material suite creation
  • 100+ nodes including generators
  • 3D preview engine
  • One-time purchase for pro features
Features
Read full description

Stop chaining yourself to a desktop rig just to experiment with textures. Goblin Node brings professional, non-destructive and touch-first procedural texturing directly to your iPad. This isn't just another shader editor. Goblin Node has been designed specifically for generating modular and reusable patterns, tileable surfaces and complete PBR material suites wherever inspiration strikes. No subscriptions. No AI bloat. Just pure, portable procedural power. ——————————————————————————— SAY GOODBYE TO DESKTOP TEXTURING FRICTION ——————————————————————————— ⁃ Desktop-Grade Power, Zero Desk Required: Craft materials on the couch, on set, or in transit without compromising node complexity. ⁃ Touch-Native Precision: Effortlessly zoom, pan and edit node graphs with intuitive gestures designed specifically for iPad. ⁃ Focused Texture Workflow: Unlike complex shader editors, Goblin Node lets you skip the math so you can focus on pattern logic, surface wear, and map creation. ⁃ Non-Destructive Freedom: Swap out base patterns or tweak parameters downstream without breaking your material logic or re-doing past work. ⁃ No Subscriptions, Ever: Buy once, keep your tools forever and own your creative pipeline. ——————————————————— WHAT YOU CAN BUILD ——————————————————— ⁃ Complete PBR Material Suites: Generate production-ready maps; Albedo, Normal, Height, Roughness, Metallic, AO, Curvature and more ⁃ Complex Surface Mechanics: Build everything from weathered bricks and organic patinas to intricate weave patterns, tiles, and sci-fi paneling. ⁃ Deep Procedural Engine: Combine 100+ nodes, including generators like Voronoi, Perlin noise, mathematical shapes, text, imported imagery, and custom paint passes. ⁃ Advanced Spatial Transformations: Offset, rotate, distort, warp, mirror, blur and blend with precision controls. ⁃ Atlas & Multi-Asset Packing: Pack, split, and organize multi-texture maps into unified texture atlases for game engine optimization. ⁃ Touch 3D Preview Engine: See light and shadow react to your materials in real time on 3D meshes. ⁃ Modular Material Generators: Expose key parameters to turn your node graphs into reusable, customizable templates for instant variations. ——————————————————— PRO FEATURES (ONE-TIME PURCHASE) ——————————————————— ⁃ 45+ Advanced Nodes: Including Flood Fill, Multi-directional Warp, Slope Blur, Bevel and more! ⁃ One-Tap PBR Batch Export: Export all output channels (PNG, JPG, TIFF, TGA) simultaneously up to 4K—ready to drop straight into Unreal, Unity, or Blender. ⁃ Reusable Templates: Expose node parameters to turn complex graphs into customizable material generators. ⁃ Unlimited Graphs: Build, organize, and export without arbitrary project caps.

Screenshots

Shade4 screens
Goblin Node3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Goblin Node at Free against Shade's $19.99. Goblin Node also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 weeks) and rating (4.5 vs 4.3). Shade's advantage is ratings volume (124 vs 2) and chart position (#170 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Goblin Node is free to download; Shade costs $19.99 up front. Shade sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Goblin Node 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

Goblin Node holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shade has 124 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shade ships an update every 6 weeks, Goblin Node every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Shade versus Goblin Node: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShadeGoblin Node
Price$19.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (124 ratings)4.5 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews63.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings124 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#170 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.614.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size185 MB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTwo Lives LeftRainer Weston

Customer experience

Shade

All ratings124 ratings
Positive79.0%
Neutral8.9%
Negative12.1%
Written reviews69 reviews
Positive63.8%
Neutral18.8%
Negative17.4%

Goblin Node

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Shade

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • 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
Show 7 more
  • Unable to report crashes with debug info
  • No auto-saves leading to lost progress
  • Internal error preventing shader opening after purchase
  • Corrupted or version mismatch error when creating/opening shaders
  • Cannot reactivate from Beta version after official release
  • Exported shaders don't match in Unity
  • App requires payment to create shaders

Requested features

20 requests
  • Edit shader code manually
  • Add Mac support
  • Port Blender to iOS
  • Add UE4 support
  • Add light node (direction, position)
Show 15 more
  • Export to Metal/Blender
  • Add experimental ray tracing option
  • Add support for exporting ShaderGraph or ASE formats
  • Add feature to change texture of the object
  • Add support for Unreal Engine 4
  • Add support for Godot
  • Add support for camera/touch inputs
  • Add more export options
  • Add translation to Chinese
  • Support manual shader compilation besides nodes
  • Add basic PBR materials folder export
  • Add unlit shader for output
  • Add gyro, ALS, accelerometer, heart-rate inputs
  • Add multi-select
  • Adjust long hold-tap gesture time

Goblin Node

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Shade

One-time4
  • 14-day TrialFree
  • Shade ProFree
  • Shade Pro UpgradeFree
Show 1 more
  • Shade Standard$15.99
1 purchases

Goblin Node

One-time1
  • Pro Unlock$9.99

Questions

Is Shade free?
Shade costs $19.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Goblin Node free?
Goblin Node is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Shade or Goblin Node?
Goblin Node is rated higher. Shade averages 4.3 out of 5 from 124 ratings, while Goblin Node averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.
Do Shade or Goblin Node have ads?
Neither Shade nor Goblin Node shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shade or Goblin Node?
Shade ships an update every 6 weeks, and Goblin Node every 9 days. Most recently, Shade was updated on October 9, 2026 and Goblin Node on September 30, 2026.

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