Comparison

Tin Toy vs tinygrad mobile

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

Head to head
About

Tin Toy

Create and preview real-time graphics using Metal shaders on iOS and iPadOS. This app offers a code editor, flexible buffer management with custom inputs, and tools for capturing and sharing your creations. It's ideal for learning, prototyping visual effects, and generative art.

Highlights
  • Real-time Metal shader writing
  • Instant preview of results
  • Custom input buffers (images, video, camera)
  • Snapshot and record shader output
  • Built-in debugging tools
  • Shareable document bundles
Features
Read full description

Tin Toy is your creative canvas for real-time graphics. Inspired by ShaderToy, and designed natively for iOS & iPadOS, Tin Toy lets you write and preview Metal shaders with a seamless, modern interface. Whether you're a graphics enthusiast, game developer, or curious creative, Tin Toy gives you powerful tools to bring your shaders to life. Real-Time Metal Shaders Write fragment shaders in a built-in code editor, or your code editor of choice, and see the results instantly. Flexible Buffer Management View each shader buffer individually or all at once. Feed shaders with custom inputs like: * Images * Video * Live camera feed * Mouse & keyboard (if attached to device) Snapshot, Record & Share Capture still frames or record high-quality videos of your shaders in action with a click. Self contained document bundles include the shaders and all its buffer assets for easy sharing and collaboration. Built-In Debugging Tools Capture frames and inspect them using Xcode for pixel-perfect debugging. Perfect for: * Learning Metal shader programming * Rapid prototyping of visual effects * Creating generative art 100% Free No ads. No upsells.

About

tinygrad mobile

Features
Read full description

• Run, debug, and test tinygrad models using your iPhone or iPad's GPU. • Learn how GPUs work without owning a GPU! • Create and run metal kernels on your phone!

Screenshots

Tin Toy4 screens
tinygrad mobile3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: tinygrad mobile at weekly against Tin Toy's every 3 months. tinygrad mobile also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tin Toy ships an update every 3 months, tinygrad mobile weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Tin Toy versus tinygrad mobile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTin Toytinygrad mobile
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS18.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB0 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdrian RussellRory Clear

In-app purchases

None

Tin Toy

No in-app purchases

None

tinygrad mobile

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tin Toy free?
Tin Toy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is tinygrad mobile free?
tinygrad mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Tin Toy or tinygrad mobile have ads?
Neither Tin Toy nor tinygrad mobile shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tin Toy or tinygrad mobile?
Tin Toy ships an update every 3 months, and tinygrad mobile weekly. Most recently, Tin Toy was updated on October 11, 2026 and tinygrad mobile on October 3, 2026.

Other comparisons