KodeLife vs plugdata
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
KodeLife
This app provides real-time GPU shader editing and graphics prototyping. It allows for live-coding of visual effects and supports various input devices for driving visuals. Projects can be easily exchanged across different platforms.
- Real-time GPU shader editing
- Live-coding for visual effects
- Graphics prototyping sketchpad
- Supports audio input and MIDI
- Cross-platform project exchange
- OpenGL GLSL and Metal Shading Language support
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Kodelife is a real-time GPU shader editor, live-code performance tool and graphics prototyping sketchpad. Lightweight App, Heavyweight Power KodeLife gives you 100% native real-time control over your GPU's power with one lightweight app. Real-time Live-Coding Code is checked, evaluated and updated in the background as you type! Quick prototyping of visual effects without having to wait for compilation. Plug and Play Use your device's audio input and all available MIDI connections or connect a gamepad to drive your visuals. Support for external keyboards, mice and trackpads. Multilingual KodeLife supports all supported flavors of OpenGL GLSL, as well as the Metal Shading Language. Cross-platform Support Take your ideas with you! Exchange your projects with KodeLife running on other platforms. Also available on macOS, Windows and Linux.
plugdata
This app provides a visual programming environment for audio experimentation, prototyping, and education. It allows users to create and run audio patches on their mobile devices, enabling creative sound design on the go.
- Visual programming environment
- Audio experimentation
- Prototyping
- Educational tool
- Standalone application
- Audio plugins
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plugdata is visual programming environment for audio experimentation, prototyping and education. With plugdata for iOS, you can bring your plugdata patches with you everywhere you go. This app ships with a standalone application and audio plugins.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: plugdata at Free against KodeLife's $9.99. KodeLife's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 67%) and rating (4.8 vs 4.4). On ratings volume, 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
plugdata is free to download; KodeLife costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
KodeLife holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 17 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of KodeLife's written reviews are positive against 67% of plugdata's.
KodeLife ships an update every 2 months, plugdata every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 16, 2026 and July 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | KodeLife | plugdata |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (11 ratings) — better | 4.4 (17 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 11 | 17 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 147 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hexler LLC | Timothy Schoen |
Customer experience
KodeLife
plugdata
In-app purchases
KodeLife
No in-app purchases
plugdata
No in-app purchases
