Comparison

Algodoo vs HeatonCA

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

Head to head
About

Algodoo

Design and experiment with realistic 2D physics simulations. Build intricate machines, create virtual science experiments, and explore cause and effect. Share your creations and discover those of others in a vibrant community.

Highlights
  • Create objects with shapes or free-hand drawing
  • Combine components for intricate machines
  • Choose and customize materials
  • Simulate physics with gravity and aerodynamics
  • Explore ideas through trial and error
  • Build animations, contraptions, and experiments
  • Access community-created scenes
Read full description

Bring your ideas to life with realistic physics in Algodoo. This creative and educational app lets you design two-dimensional scenes where objects move according to the laws of physics. See cause and effect in action and refine your builds to perfection. Algodoo is a virtual 2D construction set to enjoy the creative thrill of building fun scenes and machines. You’ll never run out of parts. You can go deeper and analyse the motion and learn about mechanical devices. Once you master the tools and principles, you can build sandbox games or mesmerising, complex simulations. • Use basic 2D geometrical shapes or the free-hand drawing tool to create objects. • Combine components like axles, springs, motors, ropes, and lasers to create intricate machines. • Choose from various materials—steel, wood, rubber, water, and helium—and customise at will. • Press “Simulate” to bring your scene to life, moving under the forces of gravity, aerodynamics, buoyancy, and more. • Use trial and error to explore ideas and perfect your inventions. • Express your imagination with vibrant colors, shapes, and textures. Looking to build animations, contraptions, marble races, moving structures, chain reactions, or virtual science experiments? With Algodoo, the possibilities for invention, creativity, and exploration are endless. With the Quick Tour and tutorial videos, you can easily learn Algodoo’s basic tools and principles. It's not just for fun— the scientific foundation of Algodoo makes it a great teaching and learning aid for exploring physics concepts, operating principles of machines, and even construction. Discover the creativity of others and get inspired for your next build by visiting the Algobox library. Access thousands of scenes created by the Algodoo community and share your own creations by signing up for an Algobox account. Algodoo offers endless fun for users of all ages. Download the app now and start building, and search for #Algodoo on YouTube or social media to explore videos showcasing imaginative creations from our global community.

About

HeatonCA

Features
Read full description

Evolve colorful cellular automata rulesets and view existing ones. A gallery of known cellular automata is built into this application, additionally you can evolve your own new rules. This application implements the algorithm described in the paper: Evolving continuous cellular automata for aesthetic objectives in Genetic Programming Evolvable Machines, Heaton, J. March (2018). You can try out three different rulesets provided by this program. For more details of the algorithm refer to the cited paper.

Screenshots

HeatonCA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: HeatonCA at Free against Algodoo's $7.99. HeatonCA also leads on device support (4 vs 1). Algodoo's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On 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

HeatonCA is free to download; Algodoo costs $7.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Algodoo versus HeatonCA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAlgodooHeatonCA
Price$7.99Free — better
Rating3.8 (1.2K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews58.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.2K — better—
Update frequencyMonthly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB85 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperAlgoryx Simulation ABJeffrey Heaton

Bugs and requests

Algodoo

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Scenes resetting to tutorial
  • Textures and images not loading properly
  • Crashes when trying to import images
  • Buttons and controls not working as expected

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add text and scripting options on mobile
  • Improve mobile UI and controls
  • Implement more features from PC version
  • Fix issues with account bans and deletions

HeatonCA

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Algodoo

No in-app purchases

None

HeatonCA

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Algodoo free?
Algodoo costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is HeatonCA free?
HeatonCA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Algodoo or HeatonCA have ads?
Neither Algodoo nor HeatonCA shows ads.

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