Comparison

Makanim Light vs DotIt!

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

DotIt!

Unleash your creativity by easily adding photos as backgrounds and then drawing or writing on them. Save and share your unique creations with friends. Simple touch controls make it accessible for all.

Highlights
  • Add photos as backgrounds
  • Easy touch controls
  • Save creations
  • Share creations
  • Creative expression
Features
Read full description

DotIt! is a playful, easy-to-use canvas for making dot art on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. Just touch the screen and start placing dots. Pick a color, choose a size, and watch your creation come together. Add a photo as a background to trace, decorate, or just have fun with. Designed with kids in mind: • No accounts, no ads, no tracking • Simple touch controls anyone can pick up • Save your artwork to the photo library and share it with family Features: • Multiple dot sizes and rotation • Photo backgrounds — turn any picture into a canvas • Save and share to Photos, Messages, and more • Apple Watch companion app to sketch on the go • Native Apple TV support — paint on the big screen with the Siri Remote

Screenshots

Makanim Light4 screens
DotIt!3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: DotIt! at 4.4 against Makanim Light's 3.8. DotIt! also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 60%) and ratings volume (57 vs 5). Makanim Light's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

DotIt! holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DotIt! has 57 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of Makanim Light's written reviews are positive against 100% of DotIt!'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 13 months. Both last shipped on October 23, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Makanim Light versus DotIt!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMakanim LightDotIt!
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (5 ratings)4.4 (57 ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings557 — better
Update frequencyEvery 13 monthsEvery 13 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAppakabarThom Ritterfeld

Customer experience

Makanim Light

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%

DotIt!

All ratings57 ratings
Positive87.7%
Neutral1.8%
Negative10.5%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Makanim Light

No in-app purchases

None

DotIt!

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Makanim Light free?
Makanim Light is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is DotIt! free?
DotIt! is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Makanim Light or DotIt!?
DotIt! is rated higher. Makanim Light averages 3.8 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while DotIt! averages 4.4 from 57 ratings.
Do Makanim Light or DotIt! have ads?
Neither Makanim Light nor DotIt! shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Makanim Light or DotIt!?
Makanim Light ships an update every 13 months, and DotIt! every 13 months. Most recently, Makanim Light was updated on October 23, 2026 and DotIt! on October 23, 2026.

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