Comparison

Abstractor vs Mono Lab

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

Head to head
About

Abstractor

This drawing app uses generative magic and dynamic flow brushes to create unique, animated artwork. Explore infinite possibilities with brushes that respond to your gestures, imported images, and algorithmic patterns.

Highlights
  • Generative flow brushes
  • Image-driven velocity maps
  • Algorithmic particle behavior
  • Color shifting based on stroke
  • Layer support
  • Color source layers
Features
Read full description

ABSTRACTOR: PAINT WITH GENERATIVE MAGIC Unleash your vision with Abstractor, a poetic drawing app for iPad and iPhone, crafted for artist explorers and playful creators. Paint with infinite possibilities, where every stroke pulses with generative magic. FLOW BRUSHES: THE HEART OF CREATION Dive into the soul of Abstractor with flow brushes, where particles swirl like living liquids, leaving hypnotic trails across your canvas. These dynamic tools respond to three unique velocity maps: • Stroke Paths: Your gestures carve flowing rivers, guiding particles along vibrant trails. • Image-Driven Flow: Import an image to shape a velocity field, infusing brushes with textured, directional energy. • Algorithmic Soul: Add generated noise or patterns to give particles a distinct character—turbulent storms or gentle ripples. Tune particle behaviors in real time, sculpting their essence like a visual composer. Blend these maps to create mesmerizing, emergent patterns that surprise and inspire, making every stroke a performance. Colors shift with stroke angle, pressure, or speed, weaving emotion into every line. Use familiar layers or bind tools to them for tailored magic. Paint over a color source layer, pulling hues from imported images to craft radiant distortions—flow brushes shine here, warping visuals into dreamlike abstractions. Abstractor is your canvas for boundless wonder. Download now and let your art flow eternal.

About

Mono Lab

Explore creative image manipulation with a focus on black and white effects. This app offers a wide range of tools for distortion, texture, and structural changes, allowing for unique artistic experimentation.

Highlights
  • 129 black and white filters
  • Sensor-based filters controlled by device movement
  • 12 dimensional surfaces and 13 lenses for 3D distortion
  • Interactive filters responding to touch
  • Raster and vector output options
  • Save directly to Files
Features
Read full description

Mono Lab is designed for exploring the unexpected. Experiment with images in black and white. From subtle relief to structural collapse, topology drift, mesh warps, fracture effects, misregistration, and controlled instability, every tool is built for focused experimentation. Responsive. Direct. Tactile. // Interactive Filters (X) Distortion that responds to you. Shift the image through movement and contact. Tilt to bend structure. Rotate to redirect tension. Touch to anchor, drag to stretch, hold to resist. Each gesture leaves a trace. Each motion reshapes the result. // 3D Surface Mode A dimensional approach to distortion. Map images across 12 surfaces and interpret them through 13 lenses. Adjust depth. Refine spatial tension. Each surface behaves differently. Each lens reshapes the outcome. Monochromatic. Structure, tone, dimension, possibility. What You Can Do • 158 filters for black and white distortion • Touch and motion control transformations • 12 surfaces. 13 lenses • Press, drag, and hold to reshape the image like a surface • Refine light, contrast, and structure • Warp topology and form • Collapse, fracture, and distort • Create raster and vector outputs • Build layered misregistrations • Adjust pressure, grain, and tone • Stack transformations • Save your favorite filters to the Index • Save directly to Files Mono Lab is for designers, artists, photographers, illustrators, and visual experimenters working in black and white.

Screenshots

Abstractor4 screens
Mono Lab4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Abstractor at Free against Mono Lab's $4.99. Mono Lab's advantage is review sentiment (94% vs 71%) and chart position (#4 vs unranked). On rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Abstractor is free to download; Mono Lab costs $4.99 up front. Abstractor sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Mono Lab sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Abstractor against 5.0 for Mono Lab. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 21 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of Abstractor's written reviews are positive against 94% of Mono Lab's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Abstractor versus Mono Lab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAbstractorMono Lab
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating5.0 (5 ratings)5.0 (21 ratings)
Positive reviews71.4% of reviews94.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings521 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#4 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB57 MB
Age rating4+4+
DevelopersuperdiagonalInner Circle

Customer experience

Abstractor

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral14.3%
Negative14.3%

Mono Lab

All ratings21 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive94.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.6%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Abstractor

Subscriptions2
  • All Access · 1 Month$0.991 Month
  • Premium · 1 Year14 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • All-Access$9.99
4 purchases

Mono Lab

One-time4
  • Pheno Set$1.99
  • Print Set$1.99
  • ASCII Set$1.99
Show 1 more
  • Dither Set$1.99

Questions

Is Abstractor free?
Abstractor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mono Lab free?
Mono Lab costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Abstractor or Mono Lab?
Abstractor and Mono Lab are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5 and 21 ratings respectively.
Do Abstractor or Mono Lab have ads?
Neither Abstractor nor Mono Lab shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Abstractor or Mono Lab?
Abstractor ships an update every 5 days, and Mono Lab every 5 days. Most recently, Abstractor was updated on October 20, 2026 and Mono Lab on October 18, 2026.

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