ca vs sleepy vidOS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ca
This app transforms your camera's live feed into unique, pixelated images and videos using cellular automata. Customize patterns with various color palettes, directions, rules, and resolutions for a retro aesthetic.
- Cellular automaton image interpretation
- Pixelated output with unique patterns
- Black and white or retro color palettes
- Selfie and split camera modes
- Video recording
- Customizable automaton parameters
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The successor of probably the nerdiest camera app ever made, ca-mera+ uses a cellular automaton to interpret the colors of your camera stream. The resulting images are pixelated and contain unique patterns created by cellular automata. The output can be black and white, or one of several retro color palettes (CGA 4 and 16 colors, 1-bit RGB, etc.). This app provides "selfie" and "split" modes, records video, and lets you change the appearance of the pictures by controlling the automaton application direction, its rules, the resolution, the input brightness, and the input fidelity (i.e. to which extent the cellular automaton is allowed to run freely).
sleepy vidOS
Create unique 3D visuals for performances, music videos, or personal enjoyment. This app is designed to be controlled by a MIDI controller, offering extensive customization of shapes, colors, and effects.
- 3D SDF Oscillators with shape sculpting
- Per-Shape 3D Domain Repetition
- Live Shape Orientation Control
- OKLab Colorizer/Selector
- Internal Modulations for every control
- Audio Follower for every parameter
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vidOS is sleepy's flagship video synthesis ecosystem. It is able to create novel 3D visuals that are great for preforming on stage, creating music videos or just for fun. It is a companion app to Mezzz our wireless haptic midi controller, check out sleepycircuits.com/mezzz for more info about this app and how to purchase our controller. See our Mezzz video guide for a detailed walkthrough of what this app is all about: https://youtu.be/dzWRLWQJRaw Please Note: This app does not (yet) have any touchscreen controls, it is made to be controlled by Mezzz or another MIDI controller (CC Maps can be found @ docs.sleepycircuits.com/mezzz) Features: - 2x 3D SDF Oscillators with parametrized shape sculpting & smooth intersection modes - Per-Shape 3D Domain Repetition Modes - Contextual Help Mode Shows Open Page's Controls - Live Shape Orientation Control w/ Mezzz Gyroscope - Internal Feedback Modes - OKLab Colorizer/Selector (Perceptually Uniform for smooth transitions!) - Internal Modulations for every control with selectable wave shape - Per-Shape Rotation, Offsets, Mirroring & Twisting - Every parameter has an Audio Follower (via mic or USB audio input) More free and premium features on the way!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: sleepy vidOS at Free against ca's $2.99. ca's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (89% vs 75%). 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
sleepy vidOS is free to download; ca costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for ca against 4.7 for sleepy vidOS. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ca has 54 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of ca's written reviews are positive against 75% of sleepy vidOS's.
ca ships an update monthly, sleepy vidOS every 3 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.
| Parameter | ca | sleepy vidOS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (54 ratings) — better | 4.7 (9 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 88.9% of reviews — better | 75.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 54 — better | 9 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — 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 | 11.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 26 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Fritz Menzer | Ronald Sardarian |
Customer experience
ca
sleepy vidOS
In-app purchases
ca
No in-app purchases
sleepy vidOS
No in-app purchases







