Comparison

Tin Toy vs Love2D Launcher

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

Love2D Launcher

Run Love2D Lua game projects directly on your iPhone or iPad. Features an integrated Lua editor, Git integration, and an on-device AI assistant for coding and debugging.

Highlights
  • Love2D 11.x engine on iOS
  • Integrated Lua code editor
  • Git repository cloning
  • On-device AI code assistant
  • Real-time syntax checking
  • Console log output
  • Export projects as ZIP
Features
Read full description

Love2D Launcher runs real LÖVE 2D projects on iPhone and iPad. Import your Lua game from the Files app or clone it from Git, edit it in a proper code editor, and ask an AI assistant about it — one that runs on your device, with the network off. REAL LÖVE 2D, NOT AN EMULATION The LÖVE 11.x engine, compiled natively for iOS. Physics, audio, graphics, shaders, fonts — what you wrote on desktop runs here, and when it doesn't you get the full Lua stack trace instead of a shrug. AN AI ASSISTANT THAT NEVER LEAVES YOUR DEVICE Ask about your own code and get answers from a model running on your device. Where Apple Intelligence is available it works straight away, with nothing to download. Or pick from a curated catalog of open models — Qwen, Llama, Gemma, Phi, SmolLM and more — sized for your device and run locally through Apple MLX, or import your own. On a plane, on the subway, with Wi-Fi off — it still answers. No account, no subscription, no token counter, nothing uploaded and nothing logged. Free for 14 days. A LUA EDITOR THAT KEEPS UP Syntax highlighting, LÖVE API autocomplete, real-time syntax checking through the Lua C API, multiple tabs, find and replace across the whole project, and a code toolbar that puts brackets and indentation a tap away. Five editor themes, light and dark. GIT, WHEREVER YOUR CODE LIVES GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Codeberg, and any self-hosted Forgejo instance. Clone, switch branch, pull, commit and push without leaving the app. Access tokens stay in the Keychain and never leave your device. BUILT FOR PEOPLE WHO SHIP • Full Lua stack traces, with the failing line marked in the editor • Console output from print() while the game is running • Record your gameplay and share the clip • Export any project as a ZIP • Import from Files, iCloud Drive, or any document provider • iPhone and iPad, portrait and landscape WHAT'S FREE Importing and running your projects is free, with no limits and no ads. The editor, Git and the AI assistant are one-off purchases — take only the one you need, or the bundle. The editor and the AI assistant are free for 14 days, and the countdown only starts the first time you open a project in the editor. Git gives you one free clone from a public repository before you decide. LÖVE 2D is an open-source framework (love2d.org). Love2D Launcher is an independent app, not affiliated with or endorsed by the LÖVE Development Team.

Screenshots

Tin Toy4 screens
Love2D Launcher4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Tin Toy at 100% against Love2D Launcher's 0%. Tin Toy also leads on rating (4.0 vs 3.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 4). Love2D Launcher's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Love2D Launcher sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Tin Toy asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tin Toy holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Tin Toy's written reviews are positive against 0% of Love2D Launcher's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tin Toy ships an update every 3 months, Love2D Launcher weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Tin Toy versus Love2D Launcher: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTin ToyLove2D Launcher
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (1 ratings) — better3.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings13 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size48 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdrian RussellMERCURIO SAS DI INFANTE LUCA & C.

Customer experience

Tin Toy

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Love2D Launcher

All ratings3 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Tin Toy

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Love2D Launcher

One-time4
  • Git Operations$2.99
  • Code Editor$2.99
  • AI Assistant$4.99
Show 1 more
  • Pro Bundle$8.99

Questions

Is Tin Toy free?
Tin Toy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Love2D Launcher free?
Love2D Launcher is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Tin Toy or Love2D Launcher?
Tin Toy is rated higher. Tin Toy averages 4.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Love2D Launcher averages 3.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Tin Toy or Love2D Launcher have ads?
Neither Tin Toy nor Love2D Launcher shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tin Toy or Love2D Launcher?
Tin Toy ships an update every 3 months, and Love2D Launcher weekly. Most recently, Tin Toy was updated on October 27, 2026 and Love2D Launcher on October 31, 2026.

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