Comparison

LispPad Go vs Shader Playground

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

Head to head
About

LispPad Go

This app is a lightweight development environment for writing and running Scheme code on iOS. It features a Scheme interpreter, a console for interaction, and a text editor with syntax highlighting and smart indentation. It supports R7RS standard Scheme with a wide range of libraries, including iOS-specific ones.

Highlights
  • Integrated Scheme interpreter
  • Read-eval-print loop console
  • Syntax highlighting text editor
  • R7RS standard Scheme support
  • iOS-specific libraries
  • Hygienic macros
  • Full numerical tower support
Features
Read full description

LispPad Go is a simple, lightweight, integrated development environment for developing and running Scheme code on iOS. The language supported by LispPad Go is based on the R7RS standard of the Scheme programming language. LispPad Go provides the following components: • A fully integrated Scheme interpreter • A console with a read-eval-print loop to interact with the interpreter • A text editor for writing Scheme code, supporting syntax highlighting, smart indentation, parenthesis matching, etc. • A large range of libraries, including iOS-specific libraries e.g. for networking, graphics, audio, databases, archival, text processing, etc. • Support for the Shortcuts app, allowing the execution of LispPad programs as standalone applications The Scheme dialect supported by LispPad Go provides the following features: • R7RS-compliant libraries • Hygienic macros based on syntax-rules • First-class environments • call/cc, dynamic-wind and exceptions • Dynamically-scoped parameters • Multiple return values • Delayed execution via promises and streams • Support for the full numerical tower consisting of arbitrary size integers, rationals, real numbers, and inexact complex numbers. • Unicode strings and characters • Vectors and bytevectors • Text and binary ports • R7RS-compliant extensible records • R6RS-compliant hashtables and enumerations • Threads

About

Shader Playground

Create and edit Metal shaders in real-time on your iPhone or iPad. Instantly preview your code at 60 FPS, utilize a built-in library of shaders, and export your creations as images or videos. Perfect for graphics programmers and visual artists.

Highlights
  • Real-time 60 FPS shader preview
  • Metal Shading Language syntax highlighting
  • Built-in shader library with 10 examples
  • Multi-pass rendering for complex effects
  • Touch input mapping to shader uniforms
  • Export shaders as PNG images or MP4 videos
Features
Read full description

Shader Playground is a powerful real-time shader editor built for iPhone and iPad. Write Metal fragment shaders, see results instantly at 60 FPS, and export your creations as images or videos. REAL-TIME PREVIEW Write code and watch your shader come alive instantly. The live preview renders at 60 FPS with full support for standard uniforms: iTime, iResolution, iMouse, and iFrame. SHADER EDITOR WITH SYNTAX HIGHLIGHTING A dedicated code editor with Metal Shading Language syntax highlighting, monospace font, and smart keyboard tools — designed for comfortable coding on mobile. BUILT-IN SHADER LIBRARY Get started immediately with 10 ready-to-use shaders including plasma, Mandelbrot fractals, raymarched 3D scenes, Voronoi patterns, ocean waves, and more. Learn by exploring and modifying working examples. MULTI-PASS RENDERING Build complex effects with up to four buffer passes. Chain textures between passes to create feedback loops, blur effects, and advanced post-processing pipelines. TOUCH INPUT Map touch and drag gestures directly to shader uniforms. Create interactive visual experiences that respond to your fingertips. SAVE & LOAD PROJECTS Save your shaders locally and pick up where you left off. Build your personal library of custom effects. EXPORT Capture the perfect frame as a PNG image or render smooth MP4 videos at custom resolution, duration, and frame rate. Save directly to your Camera Roll or share anywhere. Whether you're a graphics programmer, creative coder, student learning GPU programming, or a visual artist exploring generative art — Shader Playground gives you a complete Metal shader development environment in your pocket. Thanks for your support and do visit nitrio.com for more apps for your iOS devices.

Screenshots

LispPad Go4 screens
Shader Playground4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: LispPad Go at Free against Shader Playground's $2.99. LispPad Go also leads on ratings volume (37 vs 1). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

LispPad Go is free to download; Shader Playground costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for LispPad Go against 5.0 for Shader Playground. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LispPad Go has 37 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
LispPad Go versus Shader Playground: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLispPad GoShader Playground
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating4.9 (37 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews96.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings37 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.617.6
Further details — not scored
Size128 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMatthias ZengerHeng Jia Liang

In-app purchases

None

LispPad Go

No in-app purchases

None

Shader Playground

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is LispPad Go free?
LispPad Go is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Shader Playground free?
Shader Playground costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, LispPad Go or Shader Playground?
Shader Playground is rated higher. LispPad Go averages 4.9 out of 5 from 37 ratings, while Shader Playground averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do LispPad Go or Shader Playground have ads?
Neither LispPad Go nor Shader Playground shows ads.

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