Comparison

Chromatose vs Mono Lab

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

Head to head
About

Chromatose

Create and perform real-time, audio-reactive visuals with a powerful yet intuitive video synthesizer. Connect to external displays and customize your creations with a modular interface, extensive modulation options, and MIDI support. Ideal for live performers, VJs, and content creators.

Highlights
  • Audio-reactive visuals
  • Modular interface
  • MIDI support
  • 4 simultaneous generators
  • Unlimited effect chaining
  • HD/4K+ output
  • Patch saving and export
Features
Read full description

Chromatose is a real-time, audio-reactive visual synth for iPhone and iPad — a modular video synthesizer and visualizer that turns your input and sound into a hypnotic, trippy light show. Create original, generative visuals by hand. No coding, no AI prompts, no bulky hardware. Connect a TV or projector via HDMI or AirPlay to turn any space into an immersive atmosphere — for live performance, meditation, party, or chilling. Learn it in under an hour. Create fresh ideas for years. 〉Perfect for: Live performers, VJs, DJs, music producers, installation artists, concert and stage designers, content creators, music video directors, generative artists, and creative explorers. Works for raves, clubs, afterhours, festivals, ambient galleries, meditation spaces, and live loop sessions. 〉What you can make: A music visualizer for live sets. Audio-reactive video content for social media. Live camera filters. TV screensavers and projector backdrops for installations. Wallpapers, generative art pieces, meditation visuals — or anything else you can imagine. 〉Aesthetic range: From psychedelic, trippy, and surreal to cyberpunk, vaporwave, synthwave, retrowave, futuristic, vintage, nostalgic, dreamcore, weirdcore, liminal, and glitch. Dial in the whole rainbow spectrum of hues, refractions, liquid ripples, electric strobing, cosmic aurora, spiral warps, organic cymatics, kaleidoscope mandalas, and pure abstract procedural geometry. 〉FREE Plan Includes: • Access all generators & effects • No signup required • 100% ad-free • Max output resolution: Full 1080p HD • Saved patches: 2 • Record videos up to: 30 secs 〉Pro Plan Includes: • Access to all features • Saved patches: unlimited • Saved Performance Sets: unlimited • Max output resolution: 4K+ • Record videos up to: 15 mins • Studio-quality ProRes recording • Export Patches 〉Main Features: • Modular, intuitive interface • 4 simultaneous visual generators • Chain unlimited visual effects, filters, and modulation layers • Design Mode to build unique visuals from scratch • Performance Mode: eight hot-swappable patches per Set, Master FX chain, fully modular transitions • Custom color palettes with harmony-based generation • Metal-powered, iOS native graphics engine • 8-bit or 16-bit color (SDR and HDR) with deep gradient fidelity • Built specifically for iPhone and iPad 〉Modulation & Synthesis: • Dedicated LFOs per parameter • Multiple waveshapes, free-running or clock-synced • Nested modulation and feedback loops • Envelope generators and signal followers • Animated visual indicators • Analog-style signal flow — reactive to every nuance 〉Connectivity: • Connect to any screen with HDMI (via USB-C or Lightning adapter) or AirPlay • MIDI Plug & Play with other Hardware and Software via: USB, Bluetooth, Network, Virtual MIDI (other apps on same device) • MIDI 1.0 and 2.0, with CC, note, and NRPN mapping • MIDI mappable Macro Controls and Performance pads • MIDI Clock Sync • Wireless display and dual-screen output 〉Audio Reactivity: • Visuals pulse and react to live audio in real time • Internal mic or any audio interface, with input selection and auto-gain • 3 shapeable audio signal sources • Audio-to-visual translation on any parameter, driven by the full mix or just the lows or highs • Signal followers and envelopes • Turn any sound into a visual trip 〉Sharing and Export: • Import and export patches as files for sharing and remixing • Record HD video (HEVC or ProRes) or screenshots optimized for social media • Save directly to iOS Photos library 〉Patch Library: • Intuitive browsing and organization • Tag, search, sort and filter by mood, genre, or aesthetic • Built-in presets included Chromatose is made entirely by one independent developer in Berlin, with no investors or corporate agenda: a modular video synthesizer and visual instrument in your pocket, aiming to democratize real-time generative visual creation. Terms of Use: https://www.chromatose.app/en/terms/

About

Mono Lab

Explore unexpected visual transformations with a wide array of experimental filters for both black and white and color images. Manipulate images through touch and motion, mapping them across 3D surfaces for unique artistic results.

Highlights
  • 158 B&W distortion filters
  • 40 color experimentation filters
  • Touch and motion control transformations
  • 3D surface mapping
  • Raster and vector output
  • Save custom filters
Features
Read full description

Mono Lab is designed for exploring the unexpected. Experiment with images in black and white. (And now Color!) From subtle relief to structural collapse, topology drift, mesh warps, fracture effects, misregistration, and controlled instability, every tool is built for focused experimentation. Responsive. Direct. Tactile. // Interactive Filters (X) Distortion that responds to you. Shift the image through movement and contact. Tilt to bend structure. Rotate to redirect tension. Touch to anchor, drag to stretch, hold to resist. Each gesture leaves a trace. Each motion reshapes the result. // 3D Surface Mode A dimensional approach to distortion. Map images across 12 surfaces and interpret them through 13 lenses. Adjust depth. Refine spatial tension. Each surface behaves differently. Each lens reshapes the outcome. Monochromatic. Structure, tone, dimension, possibility. What You Can Do • 158 filters for black and white distortion • 40 filters for color experimentation (color also works with B&W filters as well) • Touch and motion control transformations • 12 surfaces. 13 lenses • Press, drag, and hold to reshape the image like a surface • Refine light, contrast, and structure • Warp topology and form • Collapse, fracture, and distort • Create raster and vector outputs • Build layered misregistrations • Adjust pressure, grain, and tone • Stack transformations • Save your favorite filters to the Index • Save directly to Files Mono Lab is for designers, artists, photographers, illustrators, and visual experimenters working in black and white.

Screenshots

Chromatose4 screens
Mono Lab4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Chromatose at Free against Mono Lab's $4.99. Mono Lab's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

Chromatose is free to download; Mono Lab costs $4.99 up front. Chromatose sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Mono Lab sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Mono Lab holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 17 and 23 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Chromatose's written reviews are positive against 95% of Mono Lab's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chromatose ships an update every 3 months, Mono Lab weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Chromatose versus Mono Lab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChromatoseMono Lab
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.6 (17 ratings)5.0 (23 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.9% of reviews94.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1723 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#5 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.616.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB79 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEdward RoothInner Circle

Customer experience

Chromatose

All ratings17 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive78.9%
Neutral5.3%
Negative15.8%

Mono Lab

All ratings23 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive94.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.3%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Chromatose

Subscriptions2
  • Pro$5.991 Month
  • Pro$49.991 Year
4 purchases

Mono Lab

One-time4
  • Pheno Set$1.99
  • Print Set$1.99
  • ASCII Set$1.99
Show 1 more
  • Dither Set$1.99

Questions

Is Chromatose free?
Chromatose is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mono Lab free?
Mono Lab costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chromatose or Mono Lab?
Mono Lab is rated higher. Chromatose averages 4.6 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while Mono Lab averages 5.0 from 23 ratings.
Do Chromatose or Mono Lab have ads?
Neither Chromatose nor Mono Lab shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chromatose or Mono Lab?
Chromatose ships an update every 3 months, and Mono Lab weekly. Most recently, Chromatose was updated on November 8, 2026 and Mono Lab on November 9, 2026.

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