XScreenSaver vs subflow
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
XScreenSaver
Explore a vast collection of historic and educational graphics demos originally designed for Linux and Unix systems. This application allows you to interact with hundreds of these visual demonstrations, ported from the classic screen saver collection.
- Historic graphics demos
- Educational visual content
- Interactive demo playback
- Large collection of visuals
- Cross-platform heritage
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The XScreenSaver application is a large collection of historic and educational graphics demos. XScreenSaver is the standard screen saver collection shipped on most Linux and Unix systems. I released the first version in 1992. In 2006, I ported it to MacOS, and in 2012 I ported it to iOS. This application is not a screen saver, of course, since iOS doesn't have those. But it does let you play with the hundreds of graphics demos that are a part of the XScreenSaver collection.
subflow
Create dynamic music visualizations for any setting. Control modes, speed, and beat patterns with intuitive screen gestures. Advanced users can leverage UDP and OS2L for complex control with DJ software.
- Gesture-based control for modes, speed, and beats
- Beat pattern customization
- UDP command sequencing
- OS2L integration with DJ software
- Color customization via long press
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Crisp visualizations for your music stage or living room. Tap left or right edge of screen to change modes. Vertical swipes change speed. Tap the upper half of the screen several times to set a beat pattern. Tap the lower half to cancel or to add single beats. Horizontal swipes fine-tune the beat alignment. Long press will change color. You can also send more complex command sequences over UDP, and you can control via OS2L using most DJ software. See http://subflow.org/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: XScreenSaver at 4.9 against subflow's 4.3. XScreenSaver also leads on review sentiment (93% vs 67%) and ratings volume (104 vs 17). subflow's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 6 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
XScreenSaver holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: XScreenSaver has 104 ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 93% of XScreenSaver's written reviews are positive against 67% of subflow's.
XScreenSaver ships an update every 6 months, subflow every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on August 19, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | XScreenSaver | subflow |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (104 ratings) — better | 4.3 (17 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 92.9% of reviews — better | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 104 — better | 17 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 28 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jamie Zawinski | Ello Skelling Productions |
Customer experience
XScreenSaver
subflow
Bugs and requests
XScreenSaver
Reported bugs
5 issues- Photo library screensaver crashes on iOS 13
- GLText reveals password when system info is selected
- Framebuffer loading failures requiring app restart
- Crashes on certain devices or configurations
- Difficult UI for exiting screensavers on larger phones
Requested features
11 requests- Favorites or bookmarking system to save preferred screensavers
- Hide or exclude unwanted screensavers from rotation
- Ability to select specific channels in XAnalogTV screensaver
- Widget support for iOS standby mode
- Prevent auto-lock feature to keep screen on
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- Apple TV version
- Windows port of the application
- Larger hit areas for corner icons
- Faster scrubbing through screensavers
- Donate button for supporting development
- Screensavers featuring pentagons
subflow
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
XScreenSaver
No in-app purchases
subflow
No in-app purchases
