Ripple Tank vs WavesSimulator
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Ripple Tank
Explore wave phenomena with a realistic ripple tank simulation. Create and save your own experiments to visualize concepts like interference, diffraction, and refraction. Ideal for students and educators seeking an interactive learning tool.
- Wave generation with finger touch
- Demonstrates interference and diffraction
- Visualizes refraction and resonance
- Includes Doppler effect examples
- Create and save custom experiments
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A simulation of a ripple tank, or wave tank. Make waves with your finger, or view examples including such wave phenomena as interference, diffraction (single slit, double slit, etc.), refraction, resonance, and the Doppler effect. Create your own experiment and save it for future reference.
WavesSimulator
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You can conduct experiments related to waves on the app. In addition to the waves not attenuating unlike the real model, it also has useful functions such as slow playback, pause, and rewinding time. Main features - Pulse wave generation - Freehand wave generation - Generation of sine waves - Free end reflection - Fixed end reflection - Change the length of the string - Change playback speed - History display for up to 5 seconds - Glossary - 60 FPS or 120 FPS (ProMotion compatible devices only)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: WavesSimulator at $1.99 against Ripple Tank's $5.99. Ripple Tank's advantage is iOS requirement (7.0 vs 15.0). On update cadence, 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
Ripple Tank costs $5.99 and WavesSimulator $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Ripple Tank ships an update every 7 months, WavesSimulator every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ripple Tank | WavesSimulator |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $5.99 | $1.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.4 (7 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 85.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months — better | Every 8 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 7.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 95 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Falstad.com | Tsuyoshi Ohtsuji |
In-app purchases
Ripple Tank
No in-app purchases
WavesSimulator
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Ripple Tank free?
Is WavesSimulator free?
Do Ripple Tank or WavesSimulator have ads?
Which is updated more often, Ripple Tank or WavesSimulator?
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