SwirlPaint vs Makanim Light
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SwirlPaint
Create mesmerizing, symmetrical art with a simple swipe. This app generates kaleidoscope-like images by mirroring your strokes across multiple lines. Save your unique creations directly to your device's photo library.
- Kaleidoscope image generation
- Adjustable number of lines
- Customizable line colors
- Multi-touch support
- Save drawings to Camera Roll
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A simple paint program which generates kaleidoscope-like images with the swipe of a finger. Features: - Change number of lines - Change line color - Multi-touch support - Save drawing to Camera Roll
Makanim Light
Create stunning, interactive animations with multi-touch gestures. Explore endless visual effects, shapes, and patterns for relaxation or live performance. Save your creations as wallpapers.
- Multi-touch graphic generator
- Real-time preset editing
- Up to 3-finger gestures
- Multiple animation modes and shapes
- Adjustable speed, size, and chaos
- Save creations as screenshots/wallpapers
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AppAdvice.com review: "This generative art app will provide you with pure visual stimulation." AppSplit.com review: "With its level of customization, it's definitely still worthy to try it." Want to relax or have fun? Enjoy an amazing graphic experience with Makanim. Create stunning animations by playing with multi-touch. Snap your creations and use them as wallpapers. Play with Makanim at home for fun, at a party, or on stage for VJing: improvise during live performances and create new animations on the fly. Makanim offers endless combinations of visual effects by changing nine simple parameters. You can spend hours discovering the different ways to animate shapes. Makanim is a powerful app that can both entertain and relax. FEATURES - Multi-touch particle generator - Up to 10 fingers at once, depending on your device - 10 animation modes - 48 beautiful and original shapes - 22 color palettes - 112 editable presets, saved as you play - Thousands of possible combinations - Edit presets in real time - Switch between modes, shapes and colors - Control speed, size and chaos - Background color and particle opacity controls - Random button for surprise combinations - Interactive sounds - Animation auto-play - Screenshot button to save images to your photo library - Expert mode: hide or show the menu bar - Fingers limit, to avoid clashing with your device's multi-touch gestures LINKS Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flR6mz788h0 Visit http://appakabar.com for more information. Makanim Light is the free version of Makanim: it includes 12 of the 112 presets, 4 of the 10 modes and 7 of the 48 shapes, with up to 3 fingers at once. Unlock everything with a single in-app purchase. No subscription.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: SwirlPaint at 100% against Makanim Light's 60%. SwirlPaint also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). Makanim Light's advantage is update cadence (every 13 months vs every 38 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Makanim Light sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. SwirlPaint asks for nothing beyond the download.
SwirlPaint holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 6 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of SwirlPaint's written reviews are positive against 60% of Makanim Light's.
SwirlPaint ships an update every 38 months, Makanim Light every 13 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SwirlPaint | Makanim Light |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (8 ratings) — better | 4.0 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 60.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 38 months | Every 13 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 6.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 23 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ChewOnGlass.com | Appakabar |
Customer experience
SwirlPaint
Makanim Light
In-app purchases
SwirlPaint
No in-app purchases
Makanim Light
- Unlock everything$4.99
Questions
Is SwirlPaint free?
Is Makanim Light free?
Which has better reviews, SwirlPaint or Makanim Light?
Do SwirlPaint or Makanim Light have ads?
Which is updated more often, SwirlPaint or Makanim Light?
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