ManimStudio vs AR Builder
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ManimStudio
Create mathematical animations on your iPhone or iPad using a powerful open-source engine. Write code to define scenes and mathematical formulas, then render them into videos directly on your device. Ideal for educators, students, and creators visualizing math concepts.
- Create animated videos with manim's mobject API
- Render at multiple qualities up to 4K
- Compose mathematical formulas with bundled LaTeX
- Auto-detect Scene classes with built-in picker
- Preview rendered videos instantly
- Works entirely offline
- Bundles manim and all dependencies
Read full descriptionHide full description
ManimStudio renders mathematical animations on iPhone and iPad using manim, the open-source animation engine behind 3Blue1Brown's videos. Type a Scene class, tap Render, and watch the math come to life as a video — entirely on-device, no signup, no cloud. Built for math educators, content creators, and students who want to visualize mathematics without leaving their iPhone or iPad. ManimStudio bundles everything manim needs — there is nothing to install or configure. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Author Scene classes that produce animated videos using manim's full mobject API: Text, MathTex, Circle, Square, Arrow, Graph, NumberPlane, Transform, FadeIn, Write, Create. • Render at multiple qualities (480p, 720p, 1080p, 4K) with hardware video encoding via Apple VideoToolbox. • Compose mathematical formulas with LaTeX-backed Tex and MathTex mobjects — the LaTeX engine is bundled, no internet needed. • Auto-detect every Scene class in your file with the built-in scene picker. • Preview the rendered video the moment manim finishes — saved as MP4 to the Files app or shared to Photos, AirDrop, Mail. WHAT'S BUNDLED manim, numpy, scipy, sympy, matplotlib, plotly, PyAV, Cairo, and a full LaTeX engine. ManimStudio works entirely offline. No account, no telemetry, no internet required.
AR Builder
Transform your surroundings into a 3D canvas for pixel art. Create, edit, and explore voxel designs in augmented reality or a dedicated 3D mode. Offers flexible tools for precise building and easy sharing of your creations.
- Create 3D voxel pixel art in AR
- Dedicated 3D editing mode
- Flexible voxel building tools
- Undo/Redo functionality
- Export 360° MP4 videos
- Export 3D USDZ models
- Offline creation
Read full descriptionHide full description
▶ Turn the real world into your canvas for 3D voxel pixel art. ▶ AR Builder lets you create, edit, and explore colorful 3D voxel creations in both augmented reality and a dedicated 3D editing mode. Start with a blank project or choose an editable template, then build your design cube by cube with flexible voxel tools. ▶ In AR Mode, find a real-world surface, place your workspace on a table or floor, and start creating directly in your surroundings. Move around your model freely and edit it naturally from different angles. ▶ Prefer to build without the camera? Switch to 3D Mode to create and edit your voxel pixel art more comfortably while helping save battery. ▶ Use Pencil for precise building, Line for straight rows of blocks, or Rectangle to quickly create larger shapes and areas. With Layer Build Mode, you can lock a specific height layer for cleaner and more precise construction. ▶ Build faster with flexible editing tools. Tap or drag with Pencil, preview and place straight lines, or use Rectangle to create multiple blocks at once. ▶ Switch to Break mode for more control when editing your design. Remove individual blocks with Pencil, break entire lines, or clear rectangular areas while previewing the result before making changes. ▶ Customize your creation with different colors, and use Undo or Redo whenever you want to adjust your design. ▶ Walk around your creation and view it from every angle. Move, rotate, and scale the entire project with smooth AR interaction, or relocate it to another real-world surface in your surroundings. ▶ Use the AR ruler to measure your creation directly in augmented reality. ▶ Save your projects and continue editing them anytime. When your creation is ready, export a smooth 360° MP4 video or export your voxel creation as a real 3D USDZ model, making it easy to share, preview on Apple devices, or use with compatible AR apps. • Start with a blank project or editable voxel templates. • Build with Pencil, Line, and Rectangle tools. • Lock a specific height with Layer Build Mode. • Tap or drag with Pencil to build multiple blocks quickly. • Use Line to create straight rows of blocks. • Use Rectangle to quickly create larger shapes and areas. • Preview lines and areas before placing them. • Break individual blocks, lines, or rectangular areas. • Preview blocks before removing multiple cubes. • Undo and Redo your changes. • Customize colors freely. • Build in AR Mode directly in the real world. • Switch to 3D Mode to build without keeping the camera on. • Walk around and explore your creation in 360°. • Move, rotate, and scale your project smoothly in AR. • Relocate your creation between real-world surfaces. • Measure your creation with the AR ruler. • Save, load, and manage multiple projects. • Export smooth 360° MP4 videos. • Export real 3D USDZ models. • Create fully offline — anytime, anywhere. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: ManimStudio at none against AR Builder's shown. ManimStudio also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). AR Builder's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 8 days) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for ManimStudio against 5.0 for AR Builder. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
ManimStudio ships an update every 8 days, AR Builder daily. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ManimStudio | AR Builder |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days | Daily — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 761 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | chienchung Yu | Hai Nam Trinh |
Customer experience
ManimStudio
AR Builder
In-app purchases
ManimStudio
No in-app purchases
AR Builder
No in-app purchases









