# Fractals vs Microscope App

The clearest difference is price: Microscope App at Free against Fractals's $2.99. Microscope App also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 11 months). Fractals's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and device support (3 vs 1). On ads there is nothing between them.

Microscope App is free to download; Fractals costs $2.99 up front. Microscope App sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Fractals asks for nothing beyond the download.

Fractals ships an update every 11 months, Microscope App weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Fractals | Microscope App |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.3 (75 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fractals/id300542371/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **75** | — |
| Positive reviews | 64.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Size | 8 MB | 18 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pomegranate Apps LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/293619496) | [Priya Satralkar](https://appshunter.io/developer/1855094521) |

## What reviewers say

### Fractals

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fractals/id300542371)

Explore intricate mathematical patterns with interactive fractal generation. Manipulate Mandelbrot and Julia sets in real-time, customize equations, and save your creations. Ideal for artistic exploration, educational purposes, or simply a meditative visual experience.

**Highlights:** Real-time fractal manipulation, Mandelbrot and Julia set exploration, Customizable fractal equations, Save fractals to photos, Create fractals album, Intuitive multi-touch controls

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ Beautiful fractal images
- 🎨 Good color options
- 💡 Interactive fractal exploration
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 🚀 Fast rendering (for some)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📉 Limited functionality
- 🐌 Slow rendering (for others)
- 🎨 Limited color customization
- 🚫 No animation
- 📱 Not retina ready (older reviews)

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on startup (iPhone 7+)
- App does not open
- Laggy performance
- App does not install on older devices
- Zooming too much causes app to stop working

**Requested features**

- More fractal types/models
- Ability to input custom equations
- More color control (color numbers, more options)
- Increase/decrease number of colors
- Higher resolution saved images


### Microscope App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microscope-app/id6784896706)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Pro | $1.99 | per month |
| Lifetime Pro | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Fractals free?

Fractals costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Microscope App free?

Microscope App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Fractals or Microscope App have ads?

Neither Fractals nor Microscope App shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Fractals or Microscope App?

Fractals ships an update every 11 months, and Microscope App weekly. Most recently, Fractals was updated on October 12, 2026 and Microscope App on October 6, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*