Comparison

Springs'nThingsLite vs Cell Zoo

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

Head to head
About

Springs'nThingsLite

Explore physics simulations with a moveable ball and adjustable springs. Experiment with gravity, damping, and motion responses to touch and device tilting. Offers a fun and educational experience for understanding dynamic systems.

Highlights
  • Adjustable spring length and stiffness
  • Simulate up to 4 springs
  • Transform springs into fixed springs or pendulums
  • Respond to tilt and shake motions
  • Adjustable gravity and damping
  • Accurate physics simulation
Features
Read full description

Springs'nThings - Version 1.8 Both Physics and Fun Springs ‘n Things is an entertaining demonstration application and educational display for the iPhone/iPad. It simulates the dynamics of up to four springs connected to a moveable ball. Touch, drag and release the ball to see it bounce around. The length and stiffness of the springs can be individually adjusted. One of the springs can be transformed into a fixed spring or a pendulum. The ball can be made to respond to the tilting and shaking motions of the iPhone/iPad. The motion of the ball can be perpetual or it can be slowed by spring resistance by viscous damping as if it were moving in air or water. Bounces forever 0-4 springs Air, water or vacuum viscosity - upgrade to fully adjustable Turn gravity on or off - shake and tilt sensitive Real computer simulation accurate to 1% Upgrade to: ---- 10 springs ---- adjustable viscosity ---- adjustable mass and spring resistance Screen shots below: 1) 4 springs 2) a pendulum and a spring 3) modify mass/viscosity screen showing a pendulum 4) modify springs screen showing a fixed spring 5) full screen with a fixed spring and 3 additional springs

About

Cell Zoo

Explore mesmerizing cellular automata simulations with alien organisms that evolve in real-time. Interact with living art, place it in your environment with AR, and fine-tune dozens of parameters to create unique patterns. Experience stunning visuals and emergent ecosystems.

Highlights
  • Real-time organism evolution
  • Interactive touch controls
  • Augmented Reality (AR) mode
  • Multiple living systems (Physarum, Lenia, Gray-Scott, Particle Life)
  • Extensive parameter tuning
  • GPU-accelerated simulations
Features
Read full description

The most beautiful cellular automata simulator on iOS. Watch alien organisms evolve in real time. Touch them, breed them, teach them to sing. Place them on your desk in AR. Cell Zoo is a pocket terrarium for mathematical life. ELEVEN LIVING WORLDS Slime molds that solve mazes. Continuous creatures that swim, split, and breathe. Chemistry that paints leopard spots and coral. Electromagnetic waves, self-assembling DNA, even your own words dissolving into life. New in 2.2: Chimera, where four rival physics share one map and fight over the borders. Every world runs real math at up to 120 frames per second, and none of them behaves the way you expect. IT GROWS INTO YOUR PHOTOS Hand the colony a picture and watch it grow into the bright shapes — your face, your handwriting, your dog. A living sketch, not a copy. IT LISTENS. IT SINGS. Turn on Hearing and the colony moves to your music: bass makes it surge, treble makes it shimmer. Turn on Voice and the simulation sings back — a generative soundtrack drawn from the colony's own rhythms, never the same twice. A NEW CREATURE EVERY DAY Hatch the Daily Specimen each morning. Creatures you keep sync across your devices with iCloud. SHARE WHAT YOU GROW Send any creature by link. It hatches on your friend's device exactly as you made it — same genes, same colors, same behavior. BREED THEM (Premium) Cross two creatures and hatch the offspring. Mutate genomes. Pit colonies against each other in the arena and carry the winner's line forward. 30+ RENDER MODES (Premium) Photoreal protoplasm, holographic diffraction, infrared, liquid metal, bioluminescent deep-sea glow, aurora, soap film. Every mode is a handcrafted Metal shader. AR MODE (Premium) Grow a colony on your table, floor, or wall. In 3D, a living structure floats in your room — walk around it. Walk through it. TUNE EVERYTHING Sensor angles, diffusion rates, decay, species counts — every slider changes behavior live, and all of them are free. Capture the results in photo mode with pro exposure and cinematic filters. Built native with Metal: 120Hz ProMotion, HDR bloom, MetalFX upscaling. No accounts, no ads, no analytics. Premium is a single one-time purchase. Terms: https://cellzoo.app/#terms

Screenshots

Springs'nThingsLite1 screens
Cell Zoo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Springs'nThingsLite at 5.0 against Cell Zoo's 3.7. Springs'nThingsLite also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 26.0). Cell Zoo's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 38 months) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Springs'nThingsLite sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Cell Zoo sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Springs'nThingsLite holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Springs'nThingsLite ships an update every 38 months, Cell Zoo every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Springs'nThingsLite versus Cell Zoo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSprings'nThingsLiteCell Zoo
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better3.7 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings13 — better
Update frequencyEvery 38 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPeter KramerAleksander Allen

Customer experience

Springs'nThingsLite

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%

Cell Zoo

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Springs'nThingsLite

One-time1
  • upgrade to 10 springs and adjustable parameters$1.99
1 purchases

Cell Zoo

One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$3.99

Questions

Is Springs'nThingsLite free?
Springs'nThingsLite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cell Zoo free?
Cell Zoo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Springs'nThingsLite or Cell Zoo?
Springs'nThingsLite is rated higher. Springs'nThingsLite averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Cell Zoo averages 3.7 from 3 ratings.
Do Springs'nThingsLite or Cell Zoo have ads?
Neither Springs'nThingsLite nor Cell Zoo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Springs'nThingsLite or Cell Zoo?
Springs'nThingsLite ships an update every 38 months, and Cell Zoo every 2 weeks. Most recently, Springs'nThingsLite was updated on November 1, 2026 and Cell Zoo on October 31, 2026.

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