Comparison

Uzu, An Interactive Light Show vs MIDI Sprout

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

Head to head
About

Uzu, An Interactive Light Show

Explore a generative design playground that combines math, physics, and art. Create dynamic light shows with interactive particle systems, customizable animations, and drawing modes. Experience endless possibilities for visual creation and interaction.

Highlights
  • Generative particle system
  • Real-time animation modes
  • Interactive 3D manipulation
  • Drawing mode
  • Microphone input response
  • Customizable presets
Features
Read full description

"This is doodling for digital natives . . . mind blowing." — Wired Magazine "Uzu for iPad is endlessly complicated, simply fun." — Ars Technica Uzu is a generative design playground — a math-physics-art toy for anyone who ever loved spirographs, fireworks, planetariums, lava lamps, light painting, kaleidoscopes, or graphing calculators. Touch the screen and watch thousands of particles swirl, spiral, and bloom in real time. Change the entire feel by simply changing how many fingers you use. Relax. Play. Meditate. Create wallpapers. Or lose yourself for an hour tweaking symmetry, animation modes, and effects. Uzu is endlessly deep and simply fun. Now completely rebuilt with a native Metal engine and a beautiful SwiftUI interface — smoother, richer, and more powerful than ever. FEATURES • Fully dynamic generative particle system • 21 animation modes for each touch count (0 through 10) • Rotational, translational, and reflective symmetry • 122 factory presets plus unlimited user presets • 10 visual effects: Glow, Warp, Kaleidoscope, Sparkle, Feedback, Color, Gradient, Pixelate, Scanlines, and Vignette • Export and import presets — save, share, and back up your creations • Fast preset switching, shake to hide the menu, adjustable quality settings • Freeze mode, microphone reactivity, and thousands of possible combinations • Create stunning backgrounds for iPhone and iPad ACCLAIM • Winner of Apple's "App of the Week" • Apple Rewind: Best Generative Art and Sound App • Reached #1 on the App Store • Featured in Apple's "App Store Essentials Hall of Fame" • Seen in the "Year of the iPad" video at the iPad keynote • Featured as an Apple Staff Favorite SUPPORT Questions or stories? We'd love to hear from you. jason@colordodge.com www.colordodge.com

About

MIDI Sprout

Connect a MIDI Sprout device to your iOS device to hear your plants produce harmonious sounds. Experience how environmental changes influence unique melodies and patterns.

Highlights
  • Listen to plant sounds
  • Harmonious melodies
  • Environmental pattern changes
  • Connects via MIDI Sprout device
  • Artist-designed sounds
Features
Read full description

Use this app with your MIDI Sprout to listen to your plants! Plug your MIDI Sprout into the Lightning port using an iConnectMIDI1 cable. Turn on your MIDI Sprout and listen to your plants play harmonious sounds designed by our team of artists. Experience the way patterns and melodies change in relationship to fluctuations in your environment.

Screenshots

Uzu, An Interactive Light Show4 screens
MIDI Sprout3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: MIDI Sprout at Free against Uzu, An Interactive Light Show's $3.99. MIDI Sprout also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 17.6). Uzu, An Interactive Light Show's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.2) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 14 months). On 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

MIDI Sprout is free to download; Uzu, An Interactive Light Show costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Uzu, An Interactive Light Show holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Uzu, An Interactive Light Show has 265 ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Uzu, An Interactive Light Show's written reviews are positive against 67% of MIDI Sprout's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Uzu, An Interactive Light Show ships an update every 2 months, MIDI Sprout every 14 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Uzu, An Interactive Light Show versus MIDI Sprout: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUzu, An Interactive Light ShowMIDI Sprout
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (265 ratings) — better4.2 (17 ratings)
Positive reviews91.1% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings265 — better17
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 14 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.68.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperColordodge LabsData Garden

Customer experience

Uzu, An Interactive Light Show

All ratings261 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral2.3%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews369 reviews
Positive91.1%
Neutral4.1%
Negative4.9%

MIDI Sprout

All ratings17 ratings
Positive76.5%
Neutral11.8%
Negative11.8%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Bugs and requests

Uzu, An Interactive Light Show

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on iOS 4.2 and newer
  • Menu controls not working on iPad Pro
  • Screenshot feature not functioning properly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add music/sound reactive features
  • Implement full-screen mode without UI
  • Introduce more advanced preset options
  • Add ability to save and share custom presets
  • Optimize performance for latest iPad models

MIDI Sprout

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Uzu, An Interactive Light Show

No in-app purchases

None

MIDI Sprout

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Uzu, An Interactive Light Show free?
Uzu, An Interactive Light Show costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is MIDI Sprout free?
MIDI Sprout is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Uzu, An Interactive Light Show or MIDI Sprout?
Uzu, An Interactive Light Show is rated higher. Uzu, An Interactive Light Show averages 4.8 out of 5 from 265 ratings, while MIDI Sprout averages 4.2 from 17 ratings.
Do Uzu, An Interactive Light Show or MIDI Sprout have ads?
Neither Uzu, An Interactive Light Show nor MIDI Sprout shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Uzu, An Interactive Light Show or MIDI Sprout?
Uzu, An Interactive Light Show ships an update every 2 months, and MIDI Sprout every 14 months. Most recently, Uzu, An Interactive Light Show was updated on November 6, 2026 and MIDI Sprout on November 6, 2026.

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