Comparison

Waves vs Drawing with Math

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

Head to head
About

Waves

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
Read full description

Waves is an interactive environment for exploring graphical solutions to partial differential equations. Waves currently consists of three activities that explore Fourier series as well as series solutions to the heat and wave equations. Fourier is a tool for plotting a Fourier series that best approximates a periodic function. Diffusion plots solutions to the one-dimensional heat equation in space and animates the time evolution. Waves plots solutions to the one-dimensional wave equation in space and allows. In each of these activities you can specify the appropriate boundary and/or initial conditions. The app contains built-in examples as well as the option to save your work for future analysis. You can use Waves for homework, in-class activities or a new research project.

About

Drawing with Math

This app offers vector and pixel art editors with tools for free drawing, shapes, and function plotting. It allows for linear transformations of images using matrices, eigenvalues, and rotations, alongside pixel image compression.

Highlights
  • Vector and pixel art editors
  • Free drawing and shape tools
  • Function plotting (Cartesian, polar, parametric)
  • Linear image transformations (matrix, rotation)
  • Pixel image compression
  • Editable greeting cards
Features
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Our “Drawing with Math (Vector and Pixel Art)” app combines two main components: * uniquely versatile image editors, * various methods of linear transformations of both user-entered and system images. Image editors are available in vector and pixelated forms. The editors offer such options as: * free drawing, * entry of all standard shapes, * entry of regular Cartesian, polar, or parametric function into image editor. List of several visually appealing functions is provided. The App stores 10 most recent user entries for each type. Vector images can be linearly transformed in a variety of user-defined ways: * 2x2 matrix, * eigenvalues and eigenvectors, * rotation by degree, * reflection across a given vector. Pixelated images can be compressed by segments to user-selected rank. Mathematical context for the above is provided, whenever possible. Explanation of image compression algorithms requires significant understanding of Linear Algebra, and is available in our “Matrix Solver Step by Step” app. Several bonus images with animations and editable greeting cards are also available. Suggestions and any other feedback are welcome! Write to us at graphmath@aol.com.

Screenshots

Waves4 screens
Drawing with Math4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Drawing with Math at 100% against Waves's 50%. Drawing with Math also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Waves's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (16 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Waves holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Waves has 16 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of Waves's written reviews are positive against 100% of Drawing with Math's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Waves ships an update every 2 months, Drawing with Math fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Waves versus Drawing with Math: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWavesDrawing with Math
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (16 ratings) — better4.5 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings16 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.4 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTim LucasYuri Morozov

Customer experience

Waves

All ratings16 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Drawing with Math

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Waves

No in-app purchases

None

Drawing with Math

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Waves free?
Waves is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Drawing with Math free?
Drawing with Math is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Waves or Drawing with Math?
Waves is rated higher. Waves averages 4.8 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Drawing with Math averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.
Do Waves or Drawing with Math have ads?
Neither Waves nor Drawing with Math shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Waves or Drawing with Math?
Waves ships an update every 2 months, and Drawing with Math fortnightly. Most recently, Waves was updated on September 27, 2026 and Drawing with Math on October 6, 2026.

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