Comparison

Uzu, An Interactive Light Show vs Simple Light Show

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

Simple Light Show

Features
Read full description

A must-have app for parties — camping trips, birthday parties, and more! Simple Light Show is an ultra-simple app that controls your camera's flash and screen in sync with the music (or noise) picked up by your device's microphone. It's the perfect app for setting the mood at birthday parties, gatherings, concerts, or anywhere there's music or noise. Try this at your next get-together: place a soju or beer bottle on top of your camera flash and play some music. (Microphone access required) Simple Light Show makes your nights out even more fun.

Screenshots

Uzu, An Interactive Light Show4 screens
Simple Light Show3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Simple Light Show at Free against Uzu, An Interactive Light Show's $3.99. Simple Light Show also leads on iOS requirement (14.5 vs 17.6). Uzu, An Interactive Light Show's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On update cadence, 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

Simple Light Show 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Uzu, An Interactive Light Show ships an update every 2 months, Simple Light Show every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Uzu, An Interactive Light Show versus Simple Light Show: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUzu, An Interactive Light ShowSimple Light Show
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (265 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews91.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings265 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.614.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperColordodge LabsJAESUNG CHOI (GYEONGNAM)

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

Simple Light Show

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Uzu, An Interactive Light Show

No in-app purchases

None

Simple Light Show

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 Simple Light Show free?
Simple Light Show is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Uzu, An Interactive Light Show or Simple Light Show have ads?
Simple Light Show shows ads; Uzu, An Interactive Light Show does not.
Which is updated more often, Uzu, An Interactive Light Show or Simple Light Show?
Uzu, An Interactive Light Show ships an update every 2 months, and Simple Light Show every 3 months. Most recently, Uzu, An Interactive Light Show was updated on November 6, 2026 and Simple Light Show on November 3, 2026.

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