# SpritePixels vs Mandelbrot Metal

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Mandelbrot Metal at 100% against SpritePixels's 0%. Mandelbrot Metal also leads on price (Free vs $0.99) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 15 months). SpritePixels's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Mandelbrot Metal is free to download; SpritePixels costs $0.99 up front. Mandelbrot Metal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. SpritePixels asks for nothing beyond the download.

SpritePixels holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mandelbrot Metal has 30 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 0% of SpritePixels's written reviews are positive against 100% of Mandelbrot Metal's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

SpritePixels ships an update every 15 months, Mandelbrot Metal every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SpritePixels | Mandelbrot Metal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spritepixels/id6444239367/reviews)** | [4.8 (30 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mandelbrot-metal/id6749807290/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **30** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 15 months | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 4 MB | 113 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Steve Barnes](https://appshunter.io/developer/384364891) | [Michael Stebel](https://appshunter.io/developer/1027443988) |

## What reviewers say

### SpritePixels

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spritepixels/id6444239367)

Create pixel art with intuitive multi-touch controls for fluid painting and precise editing. Zoom in for detail, copy and paste sections, and customize extensive color palettes. Save and export your creations as high-resolution PNGs.

**Highlights:** Multi-touch painting, Zoomable canvas, Drag-and-drop copying, Area fill tool, Rectangular region copy, Customizable 16-color palettes, Large canvas size, iCloud sync

**In-app purchases:** none


### Mandelbrot Metal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mandelbrot-metal/id6749807290)

Create stunning fractal art with real-time GPU rendering. Explore infinite detail with ultra-deep zooming, vibrant color palettes, and high-resolution exports. Perfect for artists and designers.

**Highlights:** Ultra-deep zooming, 150+ handcrafted color palettes, Custom gradient creation, Gallery-quality exports (up to 8K), Real-time GPU rendering, Wide-gamut and HDR color support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Pro Annual | $19.99 | per year |
| Pro Lifetime | $39.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SpritePixels free?

SpritePixels costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Mandelbrot Metal free?

Mandelbrot Metal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, SpritePixels or Mandelbrot Metal?

SpritePixels is rated higher. SpritePixels averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Mandelbrot Metal averages 4.8 from 30 ratings.

### Do SpritePixels or Mandelbrot Metal have ads?

Neither SpritePixels nor Mandelbrot Metal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SpritePixels or Mandelbrot Metal?

SpritePixels ships an update every 15 months, and Mandelbrot Metal every 6 days. Most recently, SpritePixels was updated on October 24, 2026 and Mandelbrot Metal on October 30, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*