# Magical Rays vs Simpleffects

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Magical Rays at none against Simpleffects's 5. Simpleffects's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 8 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Simpleffects sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Magical Rays asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Magical Rays against 4.7 for Simpleffects. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 206 and 320 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of Magical Rays's written reviews are positive against 94% of Simpleffects's.

Magical Rays ships an update every 8 months, Simpleffects every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Magical Rays | Simpleffects |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (206 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magical-rays/id445795692/reviews) | **[4.7 (320 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simpleffects/id1036930769/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 206 | **320** |
| Positive reviews | 83.2% of reviews | **93.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 7 MB | 56 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **8.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Plus Inc. (Japan)](https://appshunter.io/developer/445792061) | [Pawel Delimata](https://appshunter.io/developer/1017402848) |

## What reviewers say

### Magical Rays

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magical-rays/id445795692)

Experience a calming and meditative light effect application. Touch the screen to interact with dynamic light rays and create ever-changing visual patterns for relaxation and zen healing.

**Highlights:** Interactive light ray attraction, Dynamic and changing light patterns, Zen and healing atmosphere, Touch screen interaction, Relaxing visual experience

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 😌 Very relaxing and calming
- ✨ Beautiful and mesmerizing visuals
- 👍 Free to play
- 🚫 No ads mentioned positively
- 🧸 Great for kids

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💨 Too fast for some users
- 🤷‍♀️ Not much to do
- 🎶 Annoying or disliked music/sound effects
- ❓ Unclear purpose of the game
- ⚠️ Ads are intrusive/unremovable

**Reported bugs**

- Ads are intrusive and cannot be removed
- Sound effects are unavoidable
- App quits unexpectedly when saving a photo
- Google ads banner is persistent and ruins the experience

**Requested features**

- Add option to slow down or speed up the game
- Add a color wheel for particle customization
- Add more music options
- Add option to change background color
- Add option to permanently remove ads


### Simpleffects

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simpleffects/id1036930769)

Explore a generative art toy with 60 unique visual effects controllable by touch. Enhance your photos with particle systems and diverse artistic styles for unique results.

**Highlights:** 60 visual effects, Finger-controlled interface, Effect modification options, Particle effects, Photo import from camera/library, Generative art creation

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

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| No Ads | $2.99 | one-time |
| Coffee tip | $3.99 | one-time |
| Burger tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| Fuel tip | $7.99 | one-time |
| Rent tip | $10.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Generative art toy
- 😌 Highly satisfying
- ✨ Mesmerizing visuals
- 🧘‍♀️ Calming and relaxing
- 🧠 Great for autism/ADHD

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🎶 No music
- 😞 Not always calming

**Reported bugs**

- Forced review prompt

**Requested features**

- Ability to apply effects to photos
- Smaller preview boxes for faster scrolling
- Vector format output
- Slower ambient music option


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Magical Rays free?

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

### Is Simpleffects free?

Simpleffects is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Magical Rays or Simpleffects?

Simpleffects is rated higher. Magical Rays averages 4.6 out of 5 from 206 ratings, while Simpleffects averages 4.7 from 320 ratings.

### Do Magical Rays or Simpleffects have ads?

Magical Rays shows ads; Simpleffects does not.

### Which is updated more often, Magical Rays or Simpleffects?

Magical Rays ships an update every 8 months, and Simpleffects every 8 days. Most recently, Magical Rays was updated on September 25, 2026 and Simpleffects on October 2, 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.*