Comparison

Makanim Light vs Grating Simulator

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

Grating Simulator

Features
Read full description

The laser interference pattern is similar to what would be produced by a Laser pointer’s beam passing through a diffraction grating – When you shine a laser pointer (green, 532nm wavelength) through a series of transmission diffraction gratings, you get a beautiful regular array of bright spots. The center spot is the zero-order (undiffracted beam), and the surrounding spots are the various diffraction orders. The symmetry and regularity of the pattern is characteristic of a diffraction grating pattern. This simulation could be used as a demonstration setup for physics education – teaching about wave optics, interference and diffraction. It is a classic physics demonstration that beautifully illustrates the wave nature of light and the principles of diffraction.

Screenshots

Makanim Light4 screens
Grating Simulator1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Grating Simulator at none against Makanim Light's 1. Grating Simulator also leads on update cadence (every 4 months vs every 13 months). Makanim Light's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). On price, ads 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

Both are free to download. Makanim Light sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Grating Simulator asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Makanim Light ships an update every 13 months, Grating Simulator every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Makanim Light versus Grating Simulator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMakanim LightGrating Simulator
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (6 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 13 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAppakabarMark Barclay

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Makanim Light

One-time1
  • Unlock everything$4.99
None

Grating Simulator

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Makanim Light free?
Makanim Light is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Grating Simulator free?
Grating Simulator is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Makanim Light or Grating Simulator have ads?
Neither Makanim Light nor Grating Simulator shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Makanim Light or Grating Simulator?
Makanim Light ships an update every 13 months, and Grating Simulator every 4 months. Most recently, Makanim Light was updated on November 10, 2026 and Grating Simulator on November 9, 2026.

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