Comparison

Uzu, An Interactive Light Show vs Conway Cells

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

Conway Cells

Features
Read full description

Conway Cells invites you to discover one of the world's most famous cellular automata: The Game of Life, conceived by mathematician John Conway. Based on simple rules, shapes appear, evolve, and disappear… Each simulation is unique, unpredictable, and mesmerizing. A mathematical classic, accessible to all. Grids of living and dead cells Automatic evolution according to the rules of the Game of Life Amazing patterns, emergence of complex structures Free observation, without objectives or stress An experience that is both playful and contemplative Conway Cells lies at the crossroads of: -a game -a visual experience -a tool for scientific discovery Let the simulation run, experiment, observe… and be amazed. - For whom? Curious minds and science enthusiasts Math and computer science buffs Children, teenagers, and adults Anyone who enjoys calming visual experiences About: This app is passionately developed by KiwisApp, with the aim of promoting simple, elegant, and intelligent projects.

Screenshots

Uzu, An Interactive Light Show4 screens
Conway Cells4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Conway Cells at Free against Uzu, An Interactive Light Show's $3.99. Conway Cells also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 months). Uzu, An Interactive Light Show's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On 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

Conway Cells is free to download; Uzu, An Interactive Light Show costs $3.99 up front. Conway Cells sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Uzu, An Interactive Light Show asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Uzu, An Interactive Light Show ships an update every 2 months, Conway Cells every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Uzu, An Interactive Light Show versus Conway Cells: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUzu, An Interactive Light ShowConway Cells
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (265 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews91.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings265 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#188 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.6 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperColordodge LabsKiwisApp

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

Conway Cells

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Uzu, An Interactive Light Show

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Conway Cells

One-time1
  • No Ads$1.99

Questions

Is Uzu, An Interactive Light Show free?
Uzu, An Interactive Light Show costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Conway Cells free?
Conway Cells is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Uzu, An Interactive Light Show or Conway Cells have ads?
Conway Cells shows ads; Uzu, An Interactive Light Show does not.
Which is updated more often, Uzu, An Interactive Light Show or Conway Cells?
Uzu, An Interactive Light Show ships an update every 2 months, and Conway Cells every 2 days. Most recently, Uzu, An Interactive Light Show was updated on November 10, 2026 and Conway Cells on November 5, 2026.

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