Simulon vs Texture Forager
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Simulon
Create studio-quality visual effects by integrating photorealistic 3D elements into live-action footage. This tool offers an end-to-end VFX workflow on iPhone, from capture to render, adapting to all skill levels. Preview 3D assets in-camera as you film and reconstruct environments in 3D for precise compositing.
- End-to-end VFX workflow on iPhone
- In-camera CG preview while filming
- Instant 32-bit HDR lighting
- Reconstruct reality in 3D
- Camera-accurate realism
- Import industry-standard 3D files
- Cloud render farm integration
Read full descriptionHide full description
Simulon. The camera for your imagination. Bring imagined characters, real objects and your own designs into the world around you. Compose with your camera, capture a lifelike image and turn it into a video by describing what happens next. No 3D or animation experience needed. CREATE FROM AN IDEA Start with words, a photo or your own design. Turn a sketch into a character or take a concept off the page and into a real setting. CLONE REALITY Create from photos of something real, whether it's your pet, a favourite car or a sculpture. Keep its familiar look or imagine something different. Give your pet a new outfit, shrink a car onto your desk or bring a statue to life. MAKE THE WORLD YOUR SET Place your subject in augmented reality. Adjust its size and position, then move around to find your angle. AI rendering brings it into the scene with lifelike lighting, shadows and reflections. DIRECT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT Describe how your subject moves and what happens in the scene to create a video. From a small gesture to an unexpected adventure, you direct the action without animating by hand. Keep your subjects in a personal library and return to them in new locations and new stories. Make something just for fun, develop an idea or create something to share with the world. GET STARTED Try Simulon with starter assets and included free usage. Creating custom assets requires a paid plan. Simulon Plus and Pro offer additional features and monthly usage. Usage limits apply. Shape reality.
Texture Forager
Transform everyday photos into high-quality PBR texture sets for your 3D projects. Generate diffuse, normal, roughness, and height maps directly on your device. Own your assets forever with a one-time purchase.
- PBR map generation from photos
- Diffuse, normal, roughness, height maps
- On-device processing
- Offline functionality
- One-time purchase
- 3D artist focused
Read full descriptionHide full description
Your world is full of textures. Texture Forager turns them into assets. Snap a photo of concrete, wood, fabric, rust, stone — anything — and Texture Forager converts it into a full PBR texture set ready for your 3D workflow. No subscriptions. No AI black boxes. Just honest, on-device processing that gives you complete control over your materials. Whether you're building game levels, rendering product shots, or crafting 3D scenes, Texture Forager fills your asset library with textures that are truly yours — sourced from the world around you. What you get: • PBR map generation from any photo • Seamless tiling • Diffuse, normal, roughness, and height maps • Pay once, own it forever • Works fully offline • Built for 3D artists, by 3D artists
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Simulon at Free against Texture Forager's $5.99. Simulon also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly) and review sentiment (67% vs 50%). Texture Forager's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 16). On rating, ads, 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
Simulon is free to download; Texture Forager costs $5.99 up front. Simulon sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $15.00 per month. Texture Forager asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Simulon against 4.4 for Texture Forager. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Simulon has 31 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of Simulon's written reviews are positive against 50% of Texture Forager's.
Simulon ships an update every 5 days, Texture Forager monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Simulon | Texture Forager |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $5.99 |
| Rating | 4.4 (31 ratings) | 4.4 (5 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 31 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 65 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Simulon | Austin Beaulier |
Customer experience
Simulon
Texture Forager
In-app purchases
Simulon
- Lite7 Days trial$15.001 Month
- Plus7 Days trial$24.991 Month
- Core$29.001 Month
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Pro7 Days trial$55.001 Month
- Lite7 Days trial$143.991 Year
- Studio$200.001 Month
- Plus7 Days trial$239.001 Year
- Pro7 Days trial$529.001 Year
- 10,000 Credits$5.00
- 20,000 Credits$10.00
- 30,000 Credits$15.00
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- 50,000 Credits$25.00
- 80,000 Credits$40.00
- 90,000 Credits$45.00
- 180,000 Credits$90.00
- 200,000 Credits$100.00
Texture Forager
No in-app purchases
