Comparison

PointAnimate vs Localresearch

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

Head to head
About

PointAnimate

Visualize 3D point cloud scans with built-in animation presets. Create motion graphics and visual effects directly on your mobile device, supporting various file formats. Ideal for bringing scanned data to life with dynamic visual styles.

Highlights
  • 3D point cloud visualization
  • Built-in animation presets
  • Motion graphics creation
  • Supports OBJ, PLY, LAZ, LAS, XYZ formats
  • RGB color support
  • Export to Files app
Features
Read full description

PointAnimate is a creative app for viewing, editing, and turning point clouds into animated visual effects. Load a point cloud and transform it into dynamic motion graphics with flowing, swirling, distorted, and experimental effects. Designed for visual creators, PointAnimate makes it easy to explore point clouds not just as scans, but as a source for generative visuals, particle animation, and VJ-style content. Alongside the creative tools, PointAnimate also includes practical viewer features so you can prepare your point clouds before animating them. Features Viewer + Editor - View point clouds in 3D (PLY, XYZ, PTS, FBX, LAS, LAZ, E57, FBX and OBJ) - Crop and segment point clouds - Remove noise and outliers - Measure distances - Export and continue working with your creations Animation + VFX - Choose from a range of built-in point cloud animations and VFX - Fine-tune each effect with its own settings and controls - Transform points into different visual styles, including lines, contours, and vein-like structures - Rotate and reposition the point cloud to shape the final visual - Save your favorite settings as presets for quick reuse - POPs (Point Operators) on GPU - New: Stream your visuals over NDI to TouchDesigner, Resolume, OBS, and other VJ software for performance and processing. AR + Live Point Cloud - Explore slit-scan and AR-inspired effects - More effects coming soon Whether you are experimenting with point cloud art, building VJ visuals, or exploring new ways to animate 3D scans, PointAnimate gives you a unique way to create with particles and depth.

About

Localresearch

Features
Read full description

Localresearch is an offline-first AI workspace for iPhone, built for private local inference, deeper reasoning, and document-assisted work when connectivity is limited, unavailable, or simply not desired. Download models to your device, then chat, analyze documents, and run structured Localresearch workflows directly on your iPhone. No account is required, and your chats, archives, settings, and downloaded models stay on your device. Why Localresearch? • Offline-first AI after model download • Private on-device chat with local GGUF models • Multi-pass Localresearch workflows for deeper reasoning • Document memory for reusing files across chats and research • Folder-based organization for chats, memory, and archives • Tactical-inspired Camo and IR themes for day and night use Built for real-world use Localresearch is designed for people who want mobile AI that still works when signal is weak, travel is remote, or privacy matters more than convenience. It is well suited to fieldwork, travel, offline note-taking, document review, and low-connectivity situations where cloud-first tools are unreliable or unavailable. Go beyond the first answer Standard AI chat apps often stop at the first response. Localresearch adds a structured Localresearch mode where multiple AI roles challenge, refine, and judge a goal across several passes before returning a final result. Runs can be archived, reviewed later, and reused when needed. Use local models your way Choose from built-in models or add compatible GGUF sources yourself. Switch between downloaded models, organize conversations into folders, and adjust settings like system prompt, generation length, and context size. Work with documents and memory Import files and supported images, process them locally, and attach memory sources to chats or Localresearch sessions. Reuse important material over time instead of starting from scratch each time. Privacy-first by design Localresearch is built around local storage and on-device inference. Your chats, settings, memory, and research archives remain on your iPhone unless you explicitly choose to download a model from a third-party host or open an external link. When connectivity matters less, your tools matter more. Take your AI workspace off the grid with Localresearch.

Screenshots

PointAnimate4 screens
Localresearch4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Localresearch at daily against PointAnimate's every 4 months. Localresearch also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.6). 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

PointAnimate ships an update every 4 months, Localresearch daily. The most recent releases landed on September 5, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
PointAnimate versus Localresearch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPointAnimateLocalresearch
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB26 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperKnoet StudioEOIN J TOLSTER

In-app purchases

None

PointAnimate

No in-app purchases

None

Localresearch

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PointAnimate free?
PointAnimate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Localresearch free?
Localresearch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do PointAnimate or Localresearch have ads?
Neither PointAnimate nor Localresearch shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PointAnimate or Localresearch?
PointAnimate ships an update every 4 months, and Localresearch daily. Most recently, PointAnimate was updated on September 5, 2026 and Localresearch on September 9, 2026.

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