Comparison

Physarum vs WaveMachine at Home

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

Head to head
About

Physarum

Explore the fascinating emergent behavior of slime molds through a visually rich simulation. Adjust agent parameters, influence growth with intuitive controls, and discover complex, mesmerizing patterns.

Highlights
  • Slime mold behavior simulation
  • Autonomous agent control
  • Adjustable agent parameters
  • Maze solving and network formation
  • Vibrant color modes
  • Interactive system manipulation
Read full description

Explore artificial life through a living, flowing simulation inspired by Physarum polycephalum, the slime mold famous for forming networks, solving paths, and showing intelligence without a brain. Physarum turns simple local rules into complex motion. Thousands of agents sense trails, turn, move, and deposit new traces. As the field evolves, branching networks, waves, and organic textures emerge in real time. Use Physarum to: - Tune sensor distance, turn angle, movement, and trail strength - Paint into the field and guide the simulation by touch - Explore chaotic, branching, and self-organizing patterns - Save and restore interesting agents, fields, and rules - Create vivid generative visuals with color controls It is part science toy, part generative art studio, and part meditative visual instrument. Whether you study emergent systems, teach artificial life, or simply enjoy hypnotic motion, Physarum gives you a hands-on way to watch complexity grow from simple behavior.

About

WaveMachine at Home

Features
Read full description

This app is a waveform simulation tool that allows you to intuitively control and observe physical phenomena such as wave propagation, reflection, and superposition (interference) right on your smartphone. You can experience the wave behaviors found in physics textbooks by actually moving them with your own fingertips. 【Key Features】 - Intuitive Wave Generation Simply swipe up and down on the edge of the screen to create pulse waves of any shape and size. - Versatile Boundary Conditions You can set the left and right ends to "Fixed End" (wave reflects inverted), "Free End" (wave reflects upright), or "No Reflection" (wave is absorbed). - Visualization of Incident, Reflected, and Superposed Waves The app color-codes the traveling "Incident Wave," the bouncing "Reflected Wave," and the combined "Superposed Wave." You can see at a glance the exact moment waves interfere to become larger (constructive) or smaller (destructive). - Time Machine Function (Seek Bar & Frame-by-Frame) Pause the wave motion and use the seek bar to freely travel back to past waveforms. Frame-by-frame advance and rewind buttons let you carefully observe and analyze the crucial moments when waves overlap. - Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM) Mode Automatically generate beautiful sine waves with a single button. Ideal for observing continuous waves traveling at a constant period or standing waves created by reflection. - Free Customization Adjust the simulation speed, change the colors of each wave, and use the snapshot feature (which leaves a faint trace of the waveform in the background). 【Recommended For】 - Students studying wave mechanics who want to visually understand wave reflection and interference. - Educators who want to clearly explain wave motion in their classes. - Anyone who wants to relax by watching soothing, undulating waves.

Screenshots

Physarum4 screens
WaveMachine at Home4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: WaveMachine at Home at none against Physarum's 6. WaveMachine at Home also leads on iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.0). Physarum's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price 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. Physarum sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. WaveMachine at Home asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Physarum versus WaveMachine at Home: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhysarumWaveMachine at Home
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (32 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings32 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks—
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGEORGY OSTROBRODSatoshi Yamakawa

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Physarum

One-time3
  • Small developer tip2 variants$1.99
  • Medium developer tip2 variants$3.99
  • Big developer tip2 variants$5.99
None

WaveMachine at Home

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Physarum free?
Physarum is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is WaveMachine at Home free?
WaveMachine at Home is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Physarum or WaveMachine at Home have ads?
WaveMachine at Home shows ads; Physarum does not.

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