Comparison

The Fourth Dimension vs Mandel Draw

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

The Fourth Dimension

Explore a complex mathematical concept through an interactive 3D experience. This app uses a unique touch interface to help you visualize and understand the fourth dimension in an engaging and accessible way.

Highlights
  • Interactive 3D touch interface
  • Explains the fourth dimension
  • Accessible language for all
  • 30-page interactive book
  • Visual and hands-on learning
Read full description

The Fourth Dimension is a 30-page interactive book that explains a single mathematical idea in language that anyone can understand. Instead of static images or canned videos, this app employs a unique 3D touch interface that lets you literally grasp the concept of the fourth dimension with your own hands. “Not only can you blow your own mind over and over again, you can also enjoy watching your friends’ minds being blown in front of you.” — Cult of Mac “One of the coolest apps I've ever used... The Fourth Dimension is to boring learning apps what Carl Sagan's Cosmos was to staid science documentaries.” — BuzzFeed “The app is very cool, and it's unlike pretty much anything we've seen in the App Store.” — The Verge “This is one of my most favorite iOS apps ever.” — George Musser, contributing editor for Scientific American and author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to String Theory (App Store user reviews follow.) “Blew my mind. I generally don't use 'learning' apps as they're mostly gimmicks. This one, though, truly made me think. I hope this developer comes out with more outstanding apps such as this one. Bravo!” — Iceitic “Astounding. That some people care passionately enough about tesseracts to go create a fantastic app for others to understand them is incredible. The app is extremely well designed, wittily written, and executed with love. That alone is worth buying it, besides the fact that I learned what the hell a tesseract was.” — Duncan MacMichael “Fantastic! This is what someone really smart, and who really knows how to teach well, can do with a tablet. And the authors are funny, too, which is a neat bonus.” — DNY “Fantastic app. I work at a leading UK university. If only all our material was this well written and presented. Definitely worth buying and then spending a bit of time with over a day or two to get your head around the fourth dimension. Great app!” — JulesFM “Great job! This app does the best job explaining the 4th dimension. Why learn it in some boring classroom when here you can have an interactive and visual explanation.” — Aco Strklalj Over 250,000 people have blown their minds with this app.

About

Mandel Draw

Explore the infinite beauty of fractals with this intuitive drawing app. Generate Mandelbrot and Julia sets with numerous functions and color palettes. Enjoy simple touch controls for navigation and advanced settings for high-resolution output and iCloud syncing.

Highlights
  • Mandelbrot and Julia set generation
  • 80+ fractal functions
  • 20+ color palettes
  • Intuitive touch controls (drag, pinch, tap)
  • High-resolution output
  • iCloud Sync for favorites and palettes
Features
Read full description

Mandel Draw is an application that allows you to enjoy fractals, Mandelbrot sets and filled Julia sets, in a fast and comfortable way. The app allows you to draw an infinite number of fractal images from up to 80 different functions, 20+α color palettes, and freely configurable Julia parameters. Operation is simple. Drag to move, pinch to zoom in and out. Double- and triple-tap operations are also available. Convenient settings are also available. - Use DF64 operation: Double the float operation to make it possible to zoom in more. (Disabled in the Appendix 1,2) - Select render version: Two types of rendering methods can be selected. - Display coordinates and magnification: The current coordinates and magnification will be displayed on the screen. - Output detailed information: Add detailed information to the text when sharing. - High-resolution output: Outputs at 4 times the vertical and horizontal resolution when sharing. - iCloud Sync: Share favorites and My Palette with another iPhone or iPad. In addition, all functions are available when unlocked with in-app purchase. 1) All functions are selectable 2) All palettes can be selected 3) Up to 2000 favorites can be saved 4) Maximum number of My Palettes that can be saved is now 30. Now, please enjoy the wonderful and mysterious world of fractals. What is a fractal? Simply put, a fractal is a self-similar figure that does not lose its complexity no matter how much it is enlarged. (Though computers have their limitations.) There are various fractal shapes, such as the Koch curve, Sierpinski's gasket, and Menger's sponge. The Mandelbrot set and the filled Julia set are fractals drawn computationally on the complex plane.

Screenshots

The Fourth Dimension4 screens
Mandel Draw4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Mandel Draw at Free against The Fourth Dimension's $2.99. Mandel Draw also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months). The Fourth Dimension's advantage is review sentiment (94% vs 53%) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On ads, monetization model 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

Mandel Draw is free to download; The Fourth Dimension costs $2.99 up front. Mandel Draw sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. The Fourth Dimension asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Fourth Dimension holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Fourth Dimension has 1.9K ratings behind it against 147, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 94% of The Fourth Dimension's written reviews are positive against 53% of Mandel Draw's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Fourth Dimension ships an update every 4 months, Mandel Draw weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
The Fourth Dimension versus Mandel Draw: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Fourth DimensionMandel Draw
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (1.9K ratings) — better4.5 (147 ratings)
Positive reviews94.2% of reviews — better53.3% of reviews
Number of ratings1.9K — better147
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLunar Skydiving LLCKouji Mori

Customer experience

The Fourth Dimension

All ratings1,940 ratings
Positive97.0%
Neutral1.4%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews312 reviews
Positive94.2%
Neutral1.9%
Negative3.8%

Mandel Draw

All ratings147 ratings
Positive87.1%
Neutral4.8%
Negative8.2%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive53.3%
Neutral20.0%
Negative26.7%

In-app purchases

None

The Fourth Dimension

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Mandel Draw

One-time1
  • Unlock$1.99

Questions

Is The Fourth Dimension free?
The Fourth Dimension costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Mandel Draw free?
Mandel Draw is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, The Fourth Dimension or Mandel Draw?
The Fourth Dimension is rated higher. The Fourth Dimension averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.9K ratings, while Mandel Draw averages 4.5 from 147 ratings.
Do The Fourth Dimension or Mandel Draw have ads?
Neither The Fourth Dimension nor Mandel Draw shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Fourth Dimension or Mandel Draw?
The Fourth Dimension ships an update every 4 months, and Mandel Draw weekly. Most recently, The Fourth Dimension was updated on September 26, 2026 and Mandel Draw on September 27, 2026.

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