Macsen vs View Stromboli
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Macsen
A Welsh language voice assistant that performs tasks and provides information. It can play music, access media, control smart devices, and translate speech. It's an open-source project focused on developing Welsh AI technology.
- Welsh language voice commands
- Play Welsh music on Spotify
- Access S4C Clic programs
- Control smart home devices
- Get news and weather updates
- Translate English speech to Welsh text
- Transcribe Welsh speech to text
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Scroll down for English Mae Macsen yn feddalwedd cynorthwyydd personol Cymraeg cod agored tebyg i Alexa neu’r Google Assistant. Ystyr cod agored yw y gall unrhyw un weld, addasu a dosbarthu’r cod fel yr hoffen nhw. Mae’n gweithio fel ap ar ffôn neu dabled yn ogystal â fersiwn ar-lein. Mae’n bosib siarad gyda Macsen mewn Cymraeg naturiol er mwyn gofyn iddo gwblhau tasgau neu ofyn am wybodaeth, Erbyn hyn, mae gan ap Macsen nifer o sgiliau, gan gynnwys y gallu i chwarae cerddoriaeth Cymraeg ar Spotify, rhaglenni ar S4C Clic, rhoi’r golau ymlaen neu i ffwrdd, adrodd y newyddion diweddaraf, darparu rhagolygon y tywydd, defnyddio ChatGPT, cyfieithu lleferydd Saesneg i destun Cymraeg a thrawsgrifio lleferydd Cymraeg i destun. Felly mae modd teipio yn ogystal â defnyddio’r llais i ofyn cwestiynau a rhoi gorchmynion i Macsen. Rydyn ni’n defnyddio’r project hwn i ddangos beth allwn ni greu wrth ddatblygu technoleg lleferydd a deallusrwydd artiffisial Cymraeg. Rydyn ni’n cyhoeddi’r cydrannau a’r adnoddau perthnasol yma yn agored ar y Porth Technolegau Iaith, er mwyn i ddatblygwyr eraill hefyd fedru’u defnyddio. Rydyn ni wrthi yn gwneud ymchwil pellach i’w wella, a’i alluogi mewn sefyllfaoedd eraill. Macsen is an open source Welsh language voice assistant similar to Alexa or the Google Assistant. Open source means that anyone can see, adapt and distribute its code as they wish. It works as an app for phones and tablets. An online version is also available. You can speak in Welsh to Macsen to ask it to do various tasks or provide information. Its growing set of skills include the ability to play Welsh Language music through Spotify, programmes through S4C Clic, turn the light on or off, get the news and weather, use ChatGPT, translate spoken English to Welsh text and transcribe Welsh speech to text. We are using this project to show what we can create when developing Welsh language speech technology and artificial intelligence. We publish relevant components and resources with open licences on the Welsh National Language Technology Portal, so that other developers can also use them. We are also undertaking further research to improve it, and to enable it in other environments.
View Stromboli
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View (Volcanic Interactive Early Warning) Stromboli by the Laboratory of Experimental Geophysics (LGS) of the University of Florence (Italy) is the first APP that allows to follow in real-time the monitoring of an active volcano and to keep up to date on its state of activity, also providing recommendations on the measures to be taken in case of volcanic events. View Stromboli makes available all the main information derived by the volcano monitoring, also providing the self-protection actions to be taken in case of violent explosive eruption (Paroxysm) and/or Tsunami for anyone who is on the Island. View Stromboli gives access to real-time data and cameras used to define the volcano activity state. You can have access to Daily Reports which define the volcanic activity through the 4 levels (Low, Medium, High, and Very High) of the Volcanic Activity Index. View Stromboli also gives access to the parameters used by the Early Warning Systems and allows to receive the alert notifications in case of paroxysm and tsunami used to activate the acoustic alert sirens on the island. In addition, it contains information on the actions to be taken in case of Tsunami and\or Paroxysm (according to the National Department of Civil Protection directions), also through an interactive map that allows you to reach the waiting areas defined by the Municipal Civil Protection Plan. With View Stromboli you can access these real-time data: • visible monitoring cameras; • thermal monitoring cameras; • seismic and infrasound signals; • SO2 and CO2 gas flux into the atmosphere; • thermal images from satellites; • sea state detected by the elastic beacons (MEDE). With View Stromboli you can follow in real-time: • seismic tremor; • amplitude and localization of explosions; • number of rockfalls recorded in the Sciara del Fuoco; • processing of MODIS satellite data. With View Stromboli you can also: • receive notifications from the Early Warning System in case of Paroxysm and Tsunami; • learn to recognize the sound (monotonal and bitonal) of the alert sirens; • know the Island and the location of the waiting areas. The ownership of the documentation, material, and data contained on this APP is owned by LGS and subject to Copyright. The diffusion and use of the contents are allowed for newspapers and/or information sites only under the condition that the source and the material are actively linked and are fully cited as: APP View Stromboli- Experimental Geophysics Laboratory (LGS) - Department of Earth Sciences - University of Florence
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: View Stromboli at 12.0 against Macsen's 15.1. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Macsen ships an update every 18 months, View Stromboli every 19 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Macsen | View Stromboli |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 18 months — better | Every 19 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 50 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bangor University | Made in App |
In-app purchases
Macsen
No in-app purchases
View Stromboli
No in-app purchases









