# xFractal vs First Light

The clearest difference is review sentiment: First Light at 100% against xFractal's 71%. xFractal's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

xFractal ships an update every 6 weeks, First Light every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | xFractal | First Light |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-light-cosmic-viewer/id6780022564/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **3** |
| Positive reviews | 71.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 9 MB | 75 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jean Bovet](https://appshunter.io/developer/300642267) | [Thomas Sola](https://appshunter.io/developer/6780022566) |

## What reviewers say

### xFractal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xfractal/id300642264)

Explore the intricate beauty of fractals with real-time GPU rendering. Zoom infinitely into the Mandelbrot and Julia sets, discover various fractal types, and enjoy smooth coloring with multiple palettes. Replay your explorations as animated movies.

**Highlights:** Mandelbrot, Julia, Newton, and Multibrot fractals, Deep zoom capabilities, Multiple classic color palettes, Julia presets and Multibrot exponents, Exploration replay as animated movie, Cross-device continuity

**Features:** Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases:** none


### First Light

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-light-cosmic-viewer/id6780022564)

Explore the universe's earliest light with real cosmic microwave background data. Pan across the oldest light in the universe, switch between satellites, and observe shifts in frequency bands. This educational app brings real science and cosmic history to your mobile device.

**Highlights:** Explore cosmic microwave background data, Immersive sky exploration via phone movement, Switch between COBE, WMAP, and Planck satellites, Adjust frequency bands to see universe shifts, Utilizes real scientific data

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is xFractal free?

xFractal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is First Light free?

First Light is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do xFractal or First Light have ads?

Neither xFractal nor First Light shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, xFractal or First Light?

xFractal ships an update every 6 weeks, and First Light every 3 weeks. Most recently, xFractal was updated on October 30, 2026 and First Light on October 15, 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.*