Comparison

Ferromagnetic vs Cymatics Lab

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

Head to head
About

Ferromagnetic

Transform music into real-time visual art with dynamic audio-reactive effects. Enhance personal listening, create ambiance for gatherings, or perform live with captivating visuals that sync to every beat. Offers thousands of unique visual combinations for a fresh experience with every song.

Highlights
  • Real-time audio-reactive visuals
  • Multi-band frequency analysis
  • Automatic beat detection
  • Metal-powered rendering engine
  • Multi-layer compositing system
  • Customizable visual parameters
  • Thousands of unique visual combinations
Features
Read full description

Ferromagnetic: Music Visualizer & VJ App for iPhone, iPad, and Mac Ferromagnetic turns Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube, and any other sound into stunning real-time visuals. It's a professional audio visualizer for everyone, from home listening and house parties to DJ sets, live shows, and VJ performances. FM Visualizer: Effortless Background Visuals Start a System Broadcast and Ferromagnetic follows the audio of Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube, and most other apps on your device. Or use the microphone to visualize anything around you, from a DJ set to a live band. The 12-band frequency analysis and tunable beat detection catch every beat and note, and a GPU-accelerated Metal engine renders it all in multiple layers. Pick a Vibe like Calm, Energetic, Trippy, or Retro to set the mood in one tap. Or let Ferromagnetic take the wheel and build new scenes on its own from over 1,000 combinations. Set how fast the scenes change and choose from ten transition styles, including Morph, Zoom, and Color Distance. Choose from over 20 audio-reactive effects: the signature Ferrofluid and Electromagnetic fields, plus Starfield, Petals, Laser, Glitter, Cloud, Refractions, and more. Build your own scene from three effect layers and particles, each with its own blend mode, and tune every layer to the bass or the highs. Particles burst and flow with the sound, and glitch and shake hit harder as the volume rises. Transform the image with Kaleidoscope, Droste Spiral, Voronoi Mirror, or Tunnel, then shape the look with pixelation, dithering, blur, and color palettes like Vivid, Warm, or Triadic. Show your own logo text on screen, perfect for cafes, bars, and venues. Mirror the visuals to a TV or projector with AirPlay or a cable, and the screen stays awake for as long as the music plays. Visuals render at up to 60 fps. FM Producer: Live Visual Performance On iPad, FM Producer turns Ferromagnetic into a VJ app for live shows. The dual-deck interface works like a DJ controller: prepare the next scene on one deck, then crossfade it in. Add the iPad camera or NDI® sources as live layers, and send your visuals to OBS, Resolume, and other apps with NDI output. Connect a MIDI controller or keyboard, map any control with MIDI Learn, and trigger effects and scenes without touching the screen. FM Producer also unlocks the complete Mac app, with video, image, and 3D model layers, presets, and video recording. Try It Free Download Ferromagnetic for free, then unlock only what you need with an affordable subscription or a one-time purchase. One purchase works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Already on FM Visualizer? Your purchase counts toward FM Producer. NDI® is a registered trademark of Vizrt NDI AB. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula

About

Cymatics Lab

Visualize sound by creating dynamic patterns from music or your own beats. Explore sand and liquid simulations, compose music, and share your creations. Experience sound in a unique visual dimension.

Highlights
  • Sound-to-pattern visualization
  • Sand and liquid simulation modes
  • Built-in music composer
  • Live performance tools
  • Frequency tuning
  • Pattern sharing and remixing
  • Audio and MIDI export
Features
Read full description

Cymatics Lab draws sound as moving patterns. Play a song, hum into the mic or make a beat, and the sound shapes sand on a vibrating plate or ripples of light in water. These are Chladni patterns, the figures a vibrating surface makes, drawn live from what you hear. SAND AND LIQUID Sand Lab has seven modes: Square, Circle, Sphere, Orbital, Cavity, Lissajous and Quasi. Liquid Lab has five: Round, Square, Bubble, Wave Tank and Drop. You can change the plate, the room, the lighting and the colors. MAKE MUSIC YOU CAN SEE The built-in Composer is for anyone, no experience needed, and the pattern moves with every note. • FEEL: tap a preset to start a groove, then turn Energy, Space, Tone and Drive. • BEATS: edit drums, bass, lead and pad on a step grid. • PERFORM: play drum pads or a keyboard and record what you play. • SOUNDS: shape each instrument. • SONG: chain sections into a full song. FIND YOUR FREQUENCY Dial in an exact tone, add a second frequency, or set a timed sweep, and watch the shape change with each hertz. WHAT YOU CAN LISTEN TO The microphone, your own music library, or the Cymatics Lab albums included in the app. Apple Music and Spotify work through the microphone while they play from your speaker. WAVES Release your patterns as Waves for others to find. Browse, save and remix theirs, follow creators, and like and comment. A shared wave link opens right in the app. MADE FOR IPHONE DUO Open it like a book with the Composer on one half and the pattern on the other, or fold it halfway like a laptop. The outer screen can show your pattern to the people across from you. FULL SCREEN AND AIRPLAY Turn your phone for a full-screen pattern, or AirPlay the pattern and music to a compatible TV. SAVE AND EXPORT Capture photos and videos of a pattern. Export your music as audio, separate instrument tracks or MIDI. CYMATICS LAB PRO The app is free to download. Pro unlocks every mode and tool, as a monthly or yearly subscription. If you bought Pro before version 2.0, you keep it for life as a Founder. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your Apple Account is charged at confirmation of purchase and on renewal. You can manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://cymaticslabs.com/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://cymaticslabs.com/privacy/

Screenshots

Ferromagnetic4 screens
Cymatics Lab4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Ferromagnetic at 4.1 against Cymatics Lab's 3.0. Ferromagnetic also leads on ratings volume (26 vs 2) and device support (3 vs 1). Cymatics Lab's advantage is update cadence (daily vs weekly) and review sentiment (100% vs 80%). 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. Ferromagnetic sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month and Cymatics Lab sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Ferromagnetic holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ferromagnetic has 26 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 80% of Ferromagnetic's written reviews are positive against 100% of Cymatics Lab's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ferromagnetic ships an update weekly, Cymatics Lab daily. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Ferromagnetic versus Cymatics Lab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFerromagneticCymatics Lab
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (26 ratings) — better3.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings26 — better2
Update frequencyWeeklyDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB542 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaniel EkeKiefer Studio LLC

Customer experience

Ferromagnetic

All ratings26 ratings
Positive76.9%
Neutral3.8%
Negative19.2%
Written reviews70 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral7.1%
Negative12.9%

Cymatics Lab

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Ferromagnetic

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • Song titles don’t update
  • Custom image wasn’t saving in presets (reported fixed)
  • Logo makes imported images blurry
  • App crashes on launch
  • Poorly implemented controls (MacOS)
Show 9 more
  • Does not work with Apple Music for some users
  • Does not sync with music for some users
  • Repeating visualizer scenes
  • Shoddy integration with Streamlabs
  • Does not work with microphone for some users
  • Visuals are seemingly random and endless
  • App asks to update when there's no update
  • Crashes every time audio input is changed after update
  • Recurring shapes pop up every few seconds

Requested features

20 requests
  • Add a 'go back' button for controls
  • Add Airplay mirroring or tvOS app
  • More options in visualizer types
  • Configurable presets for cycling settings
  • Ability to stream to TV without a cable
Show 15 more
  • Apple TV app development
  • More shaders and 4k-8k resolution options
  • More options to customize and create own shaders
  • More style options (e.g., retro equalizer, symmetric bars)
  • Ability to navigate a catalog or favorite visuals
  • Rotation feature for effects
  • Output to a file without screen capture
  • Choose output frame rate and size
  • Get rid of or manipulate recurring shapes
  • Remove Source/editor column from viewer window
  • Option to load songs directly from user's library
  • Transparency option for windows
  • More customization options
  • Effects inspired by Apple's classic visualizer
  • Bug fix for audio input crashes

Cymatics Lab

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Ferromagnetic

Subscriptions2
  • FM Visualizer7 Days trial$2.491 Month
  • FM Producer7 Days trial$3.991 Month
One-time4
  • A generous tip$0.99
  • FM Visualizer One-TIme$17.99
  • FM Producer Upgrade$39.99
Show 1 more
  • FM Producer One-Time$59.99
2 purchases

Cymatics Lab

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Ferromagnetic free?
Ferromagnetic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cymatics Lab free?
Cymatics Lab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Ferromagnetic or Cymatics Lab?
Ferromagnetic is rated higher. Ferromagnetic averages 4.1 out of 5 from 26 ratings, while Cymatics Lab averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Ferromagnetic or Cymatics Lab have ads?
Neither Ferromagnetic nor Cymatics Lab shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ferromagnetic or Cymatics Lab?
Ferromagnetic ships an update weekly, and Cymatics Lab daily. Most recently, Ferromagnetic was updated on November 3, 2026 and Cymatics Lab on November 9, 2026.

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