Comparison

Slide Rule vs PointAnimate

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

Head to head
About

Slide Rule

Simulates a mechanical analog computer for scientific and engineering calculations. Perform multiplication, division, roots, and trigonometric functions with a digital slide rule.

Highlights
  • Multiplication and division
  • Square and cube roots
  • Trigonometry functions
  • Logarithm calculations
  • Digital slide rule simulation
  • Mechanical analog computer
Features
Read full description

This app is a slide rule simulator. The slide rule (a.k.a. slipstick) is an mechanical analog computer which was formerly used for various scientific calculations, engineering design and surveying. It consists of three linear strips and a sliding cursor and is used for multiplication, division, square, cube, square root, cubic root, trigonometry, logarithm and so on. Please note that trigonometry and logarithm are not supported and the width of the scale is 1,000 pixels in this version.

About

PointAnimate

Visualize 3D point cloud scans with built-in animation presets. Create motion graphics and visual effects directly on your mobile device, supporting various file formats. Ideal for bringing scanned data to life with dynamic visual styles.

Highlights
  • 3D point cloud visualization
  • Built-in animation presets
  • Motion graphics creation
  • Supports OBJ, PLY, LAZ, LAS, XYZ formats
  • RGB color support
  • Export to Files app
Features
Read full description

PointAnimate is a creative app for viewing, editing, and turning point clouds into animated visual effects. Load a point cloud and transform it into dynamic motion graphics with flowing, swirling, distorted, and experimental effects. Designed for visual creators, PointAnimate makes it easy to explore point clouds not just as scans, but as a source for generative visuals, particle animation, and VJ-style content. Alongside the creative tools, PointAnimate also includes practical viewer features so you can prepare your point clouds before animating them. Features Viewer + Editor - View point clouds in 3D (PLY, XYZ, PTS, FBX, LAS, LAZ, E57, FBX and OBJ) - Crop and segment point clouds - Remove noise and outliers - Measure distances - Export and continue working with your creations Animation + VFX - Choose from a range of built-in point cloud animations and VFX - Fine-tune each effect with its own settings and controls - Transform points into different visual styles, including lines, contours, and vein-like structures - Rotate and reposition the point cloud to shape the final visual - Save your favorite settings as presets for quick reuse - POPs (Point Operators) on GPU - New: Stream your visuals over NDI to TouchDesigner, Resolume, OBS, and other VJ software for performance and processing. AR + Live Point Cloud - Explore slit-scan and AR-inspired effects - More effects coming soon Whether you are experimenting with point cloud art, building VJ visuals, or exploring new ways to animate 3D scans, PointAnimate gives you a unique way to create with particles and depth.

Screenshots

Slide Rule3 screens
PointAnimate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: PointAnimate at Free against Slide Rule's $0.99. PointAnimate also leads on rating (5.0 vs 1.0) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 29 months). Slide Rule's advantage is review sentiment (75% vs 50%). On ratings volume, 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

PointAnimate is free to download; Slide Rule costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PointAnimate holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of Slide Rule's written reviews are positive against 50% of PointAnimate's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Slide Rule ships an update every 29 months, PointAnimate every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Slide Rule versus PointAnimate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSlide RulePointAnimate
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating1.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 29 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMasayuki AkamatsuKnoet Studio

Customer experience

Slide Rule

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral4.2%
Negative20.8%

PointAnimate

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

Slide Rule

No in-app purchases

None

PointAnimate

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Slide Rule free?
Slide Rule costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is PointAnimate free?
PointAnimate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Slide Rule or PointAnimate?
PointAnimate is rated higher. Slide Rule averages 1.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while PointAnimate averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Slide Rule or PointAnimate have ads?
Neither Slide Rule nor PointAnimate shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Slide Rule or PointAnimate?
Slide Rule ships an update every 29 months, and PointAnimate every 4 months. Most recently, Slide Rule was updated on September 21, 2026 and PointAnimate on September 5, 2026.

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