Comparison

NCA Memories vs TabletBasic

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

Head to head
About

NCA Memories

Read full description

Unleash a Universe in Your Pocket Dive into the mesmerizing, complex world of cellular automata with NCA Memories! This isn't just another simulator; it's a high-performance digital laboratory powered by Apple's Metal API. We harness the full power of your device, running simulations at full native resolution to reveal a level of detail you've never seen before. Watch intricate patterns emerge, evolve, and react to your touch. Use the intuitive brush interface to paint new life onto the canvas, erase sections to see what happens, or inject chaos with a spray of noise. You are in complete control of your own digital ecosystem. Key Features: Explore Diverse Rules: Go beyond the classics. Experiment with a library of different cellular automata update rules, each creating its own unique patterns, "organisms," and behaviors. Blazing Metal Performance: Our custom Metal shader is designed for one thing: speed. Experience fluid, high-FPS simulations without compromising on resolution. Interactive Brush: Don't just watch - create! Paint, draw, and interact with the simulation in real-time. It's a dynamic canvas for digital life. Total Tunability: You're the one in charge. Update Rate: Slow things down to study every change or crank it up for high-speed evolution. Noise Parameters: Introduce random elements and watch the simulation adapt. Simulation Resolution: Run at glorious native resolution or scale it down for different effects. Target FPS: Manually set your target frame rate to balance performance and battery life. Whether you're an artist looking for a new source of inspiration, a student of complex systems, or just looking for a beautiful, interactive toy, NCA Memories is your sandbox. Download now and start creating worlds! Note: The simulation rules in this app are based on the research paper "Exploring the Landscape of Non-Equilibrium Memories with Neural Cellular Automata" by Ehsan Pajouheshgar, Aditya Bhardwaj, Nathaniel Selub, and Ethan Lake (arXiv:2508.15726). This app is an independent implementation inspired by their work. You can explore their original research and interactive demo at: memorynca.github.io/2D/

About

TabletBasic

Learn programming with a retro BASIC environment inspired by classic tools. Write, run, and experiment with code in a focused IDE, explore sample programs, and follow beginner-friendly lessons. It's a modern educational tool for mastering a practical programming language.

Highlights
  • Retro IDE for writing and running BASIC programs
  • Immediate mode for quick command testing
  • 80 built-in sample programs
  • Beginner-friendly lessons
  • Learn core programming concepts
  • Simple graphics drawing capabilities
Features
Read full description

TabletBasic is a retro BASIC learning environment. Inspired by Microsoft QuickBASIC, TabletBasic brings back the fast, friendly learning loop that made classic BASIC such a great way to start programming: type a few lines, run them immediately, see what happens, and try again. Designed for learning: - Write and run BASIC programs in a focused retro IDE. - Try quick commands in immediate mode. - Explore 80 built-in sample programs across 8 categories. - Follow beginner-friendly lessons. - Learn variables, loops, conditions, subroutines, arrays, data, random numbers, and expressions. - Draw simple graphics with SCREEN, LINE, CIRCLE, PSET, and COLOR. TabletBasic includes a native Swift interpreter and a clean interface inspired by classic DOS programming tools. It is not an emulator. It is a modern educational environment for experimenting with a practical, readable programming language. TabletBasic is an independent project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Microsoft.

Screenshots

NCA Memories4 screens
TabletBasic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: TabletBasic at 17.0 against NCA Memories's 26.0. 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.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
NCA Memories versus TabletBasic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNCA MemoriesTabletBasic
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyDaily—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperQuinten PreissAndrey Sapunov

In-app purchases

None

NCA Memories

No in-app purchases

None

TabletBasic

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NCA Memories free?
NCA Memories is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is TabletBasic free?
TabletBasic is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do NCA Memories or TabletBasic have ads?
Neither NCA Memories nor TabletBasic shows ads.

Other comparisons