Comparison

Songdeck vs Cymatics Lab

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

Head to head
About

Songdeck

Features
Read full description

This app is only for people who have purchased our physical song card deck. Draw a card from the deck and scan the QR code to play a song for joy, regulation & transformation!

About

Cymatics Lab

Visualize sound as intricate, shifting geometric patterns created by sand particles. Explore different modes, use your microphone or music library as a sound source, and customize the visual effects. Share your creations with a community or use it for live performances.

Highlights
  • Real-time sand particle simulation driven by sound
  • Multiple visualization modes (Square, Circle, Cavity, Lissajous, Quasicrystal)
  • Sound input via microphone, music library, or frequency engine
  • Extensive customization of physics, visuals, and art effects
  • Beat-reactive effects synced to music
  • Community feed for sharing and remixing creations
  • Record videos and take photos for sharing
Features
Read full description

Watch thousands of sand particles arrange themselves into geometric patterns in real time, driven entirely by the physics of sound. Cymatics Lab simulates a vibrating plate with accurate physics. Drop particles, play music or speak into your mic, and watch the sand migrate to the stillest points on the surface, forming intricate, shifting geometric shapes. The same science that fascinated Chladni in the 1700s, now running on your phone. 5 WAYS TO SEE SOUND Square — The classic Chladni plate. Rectangular nodal patterns shift and evolve with your sound. Circle — Circular plate with Bessel function eigenmodes. Concentric rings bloom outward like a cymbal frozen in slow motion. Cavity — A 3D resonant chamber. Sand moves through depth, not just across a flat surface. Lissajous — Orbital particle paths inspired by Lissajous figures. Hypnotic, looping geometry. Quasicrystal — Patterns that repeat forever but never tile. Five-fold and higher symmetries in motion. ANYTHING CAN BE A SOUND SOURCE Mic Input — Speak, sing, clap, play an instrument. The sand responds instantly. Apple Music & Spotify — Connect your streaming library and visualize your favorite tracks. Music Library — Play songs stored on your device. Frequency Engine — Dial in exact Hz values and watch the sand snap into resonance. Stack harmonics. Sweep through ranges. MAKE IT YOURS Main Panel — Control sand count, particle size, force sensitivity, and bloom. Physics Panel — Adjust vibration modes, resonance sharpness, frequency multiplier, sand collisions, and experimental effects. View Panel — Orbit the camera freely. Choose skybox environments, room lighting, and plate appearance. Art Panel — Layer on symmetry reflections, energy glow, particle trails, bloom, and color palettes. Studio Panel — Save and load presets. Enable beat-reactive effects that sync to the music: bloom pulses, gravity shifts, burst explosions, sweep waves, color cycling, depth warping, shimmer, ripple, and dissolve. CREATE AND SHARE Publish to the Waves community feed. Browse what others have made and remix their settings as a starting point. Take photos and record videos directly in the app. Use Presentation Mode to cast to a TV or projector for live performances and installations. FREE VS PRO Free includes Square mode, mic input, and basic controls — enough to experience real cymatics. Cymatics Lab Pro unlocks everything for a one-time purchase of $9.99. No subscription. No ads. Yours forever. — All 5 visualization modes — Apple Music, Spotify, and Music Library input — Frequency Engine tone generator — Full Physics, View, Art, and Studio panels — Beat-reactive effects — Community publishing to Waves — All current features Try Pro free for 24 hours before you decide. WHO IS THIS FOR? — Everyone. Browse the Waves community and get lost in patterns others have created, Just scroll and enjoy with your own sounds or music. — Musicians and visual artists who've always felt their sound was something to be seen. Connect your music and watch it take shape. — The curious who want to watch physics happen in real time. Change one setting and see how sound behaves differently. — Educators teaching acoustics, resonance, and wave phenomena. A living, interactive demonstration. — DJs and performers who want a live visual companion on stage or on screen. Cymatics Lab is built by a single developer who cares about the science as much as the art. No ads. No subscriptions. Just sound made visible. See what your music has always looked like.

Screenshots

Songdeck4 screens
Cymatics Lab4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Songdeck at none against Cymatics Lab's 1. Songdeck also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). Cymatics Lab's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). On price and ads 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. Cymatics Lab sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Songdeck asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Songdeck ships an update every 3 weeks, Cymatics Lab every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Songdeck versus Cymatics Lab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSongdeckCymatics Lab
PriceFreeFree
Rating—3.7 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB152 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSongdanceKiefer Studio LLC

In-app purchases

None

Songdeck

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Cymatics Lab

One-time1
  • Cymatics Lab Pro$9.99

Questions

Is Songdeck free?
Songdeck is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Cymatics Lab free?
Cymatics Lab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Songdeck or Cymatics Lab have ads?
Neither Songdeck nor Cymatics Lab shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Songdeck or Cymatics Lab?
Songdeck ships an update every 3 weeks, and Cymatics Lab every 5 days. Most recently, Songdeck was updated on October 6, 2026 and Cymatics Lab on September 24, 2026.

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