# Refractive vs Light Code Transmissions

The clearest difference is update cadence: Light Code Transmissions at every 2 weeks against Refractive's every 10 months. Refractive's advantage is iOS requirement (10 vs 16.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Refractive ships an update every 10 months, Light Code Transmissions every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Refractive | Light Code Transmissions |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/refractive/id339056990/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **3** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 20 MB | 49 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10** | 16.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Xavier Daxhelet](https://appshunter.io/developer/339056993) | [Emily Sudduth](https://appshunter.io/developer/1721274803) |

## What reviewers say

### Refractive

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/refractive/id339056990)

This application calculates the refractive index of transparent materials based on wavelength. It assists optical design engineers and students by computing transmission properties, angles, and critical values. Users can also define custom materials for their calculations.

**Highlights:** Refractive index calculation by wavelength, Light transmission angle calculation, Reflection and transmission coefficients, Critical angle and Brewster's angle calculation, Recall of refraction formulas, Custom material definition

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Light Code Transmissions

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/light-code-transmissions/id6503090684)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Refractive free?

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

### Is Light Code Transmissions free?

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

### Do Refractive or Light Code Transmissions have ads?

Neither Refractive nor Light Code Transmissions shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Refractive or Light Code Transmissions?

Refractive ships an update every 10 months, and Light Code Transmissions every 2 weeks. Most recently, Refractive was updated on September 29, 2026 and Light Code Transmissions on September 28, 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.*