# Waves vs Matrix

The clearest difference is ads: Waves at none against Matrix's shown. Waves also leads on iOS requirement (11.4 vs 15.1). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Waves ships an update every 2 months, Matrix every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Waves | Matrix |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/waves-partial-diff-eq/id1447533890/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **16** | — |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 30 MB | 32 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.4** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tim Lucas](https://appshunter.io/developer/1136916670) | [Om Prakash Chapagain](https://appshunter.io/developer/1618620262) |

## What reviewers say

### Waves

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/waves-partial-diff-eq/id1447533890)

Explore graphical solutions to partial differential equations with interactive activities. Visualize Fourier series and solutions to heat and wave equations, with options to customize conditions and save your work.

**Highlights:** Interactive PDE exploration, Fourier series plotting, Heat equation solutions, Wave equation solutions, Customizable boundary/initial conditions, Save and analyze work

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Matrix

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/matrix-analysis/id1619005601)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Waves free?

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

### Is Matrix free?

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

### Do Waves or Matrix have ads?

Matrix shows ads; Waves does not.

### Which is updated more often, Waves or Matrix?

Waves ships an update every 2 months, and Matrix every 5 weeks. Most recently, Waves was updated on June 1, 2026 and Matrix on September 19, 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.*