PSRayTracing vs Shader Playground
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PSRayTracing
This application provides a graphical interface for a ray tracing engine, designed to render images faster than reference code. It includes features like threading and render progress visualization, based on "Ray Tracing in One Weekend" books.
- GUI frontend for ray tracing
- Faster rendering than reference code
- Threading support
- Render progress visualization
- Toggle-able features
- Based on "Ray Tracing in One Weekend"
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This is a GUI frontend for the PSRayTracing implementation of the "Ray Tracing in One Weekend" books by Peter Shirley (and others). Which renders the images in the book faster than the reference code, but also offers other features (e.g. threading, render progress, toggle-able and more). The source code for this program, as well as a report auditing all of the changes/improvements, is freely available at: https://github.com/define-private-public/PSRayTracing
Shader Playground
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Shader Playground is a powerful real-time shader editor built for iPhone and iPad. Write Metal fragment shaders, see results instantly at 60 FPS, and export your creations as images or videos. REAL-TIME PREVIEW Write code and watch your shader come alive instantly. The live preview renders at 60 FPS with full support for standard uniforms: iTime, iResolution, iMouse, and iFrame. SHADER EDITOR WITH SYNTAX HIGHLIGHTING A dedicated code editor with Metal Shading Language syntax highlighting, monospace font, and smart keyboard tools — designed for comfortable coding on mobile. BUILT-IN SHADER LIBRARY Get started immediately with 10 ready-to-use shaders including plasma, Mandelbrot fractals, raymarched 3D scenes, Voronoi patterns, ocean waves, and more. Learn by exploring and modifying working examples. MULTI-PASS RENDERING Build complex effects with up to four buffer passes. Chain textures between passes to create feedback loops, blur effects, and advanced post-processing pipelines. TOUCH INPUT Map touch and drag gestures directly to shader uniforms. Create interactive visual experiences that respond to your fingertips. SAVE & LOAD PROJECTS Save your shaders locally and pick up where you left off. Build your personal library of custom effects. EXPORT Capture the perfect frame as a PNG image or render smooth MP4 videos at custom resolution, duration, and frame rate. Save directly to your Camera Roll or share anywhere. Whether you're a graphics programmer, creative coder, student learning GPU programming, or a visual artist exploring generative art — Shader Playground gives you a complete Metal shader development environment in your pocket. Thanks for your support and do visit nitrio.com for more apps for your iOS devices.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: PSRayTracing at Free against Shader Playground's $2.99. Shader Playground's advantage is chart position (#23 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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
PSRayTracing is free to download; Shader Playground costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | PSRayTracing | Shader Playground |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $2.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 30 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Best chart rank | — | #23 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 29 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Benjamin Summerton | Heng Jia Liang |
In-app purchases
PSRayTracing
No in-app purchases
Shader Playground
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is PSRayTracing free?
Is Shader Playground free?
Do PSRayTracing or Shader Playground have ads?
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