# ShaderMania vs PharoSmalltalk

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PharoSmalltalk at none against ShaderMania's 3. PharoSmalltalk also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 16 months) and device support (4 vs 2). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ShaderMania sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. PharoSmalltalk asks for nothing beyond the download.

ShaderMania ships an update every 16 months, PharoSmalltalk weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ShaderMania | PharoSmalltalk |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 16 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 24 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPad, Mac | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Markus Moenig](https://appshunter.io/developer/1448432881) | [Aaron Wohl](https://appshunter.io/developer/1860336063) |

## What reviewers say

### ShaderMania

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadermania/id1541065830)

Create, edit, and share Metal shaders with a live coding environment and real-time preview. Explore a database of public and tutorial shaders, connect nodes to build complex effects, and export your creations. A physical keyboard is recommended for optimal use.

**Highlights:** Live coding of Metal fragment shaders, Real-time preview and playback, Node-based shader creation, Public shader database, Tutorial shaders with video links, Export shader output to PNG, Syntax checking and error display

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Tip | $1.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $9.99 | one-time |


### PharoSmalltalk

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pharosmalltalk/id6759073615)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ShaderMania free?

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

### Is PharoSmalltalk free?

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

### Do ShaderMania or PharoSmalltalk have ads?

Neither ShaderMania nor PharoSmalltalk shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ShaderMania or PharoSmalltalk?

ShaderMania ships an update every 16 months, and PharoSmalltalk weekly. Most recently, ShaderMania was updated on October 2, 2026 and PharoSmalltalk on October 8, 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.*