Comparison

Gloaming vs MONKIRI

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

Head to head
About

Gloaming

Experience procedurally generated, dynamic skies that change with the time of day. This app offers a living frame for evolving sunsets and dusks, created on-device from geographical and astronomical data. Explore, save, and even compose your own unique celestial scenes.

Highlights
  • Procedurally generated skies
  • Dynamic time of day progression
  • On-device sky generation
  • Sky composition tools
  • World dusk tracking (Pro)
  • Unlimited sky saves (Pro)
Features
Read full description

Gloaming can become a living frame for procedurally generated skies: changing light, dusk, and sunset drawn on your device rather than a static image collection. In Frame, choose one sky from Today, Explore, your Collection, or saved Studio creations and watch it play and loop for free, with no time limit. Time advances naturally: drag the time bar to another moment, release it, and the evening continues. With no sky selected, Watch plays today’s sky. Gloaming Pro unlocks multiple skies playing in sequence and a separate mode that follows dusk around the world. Return to selection to change the skies you are watching. Every sky is generated on-device from a place, a date, and geographical and astronomical inputs. With Gloaming Pro, Seek lets you revisit a chosen place and date—or imagine an evening still ahead. Studio lets you compose a sky through palette, clouds, and landscape. Pro also includes unlimited keeps and high-resolution Save. A quiet display for evenings that keep moving. Privacy Policy: https://www.quantumcola.com/privacypolicyforapps Terms of Use: https://www.quantumcola.com/termsofuse

About

MONKIRI

Features
Read full description

In Edo-period Japan, people loved a simple pastime called monkiri asobi, the art of the cut crest. Fold a sheet of paper, cut along a template, and gently open it. A beautiful pattern appears on the paper, and until it unfolds, no one knows exactly what it will look like. That small moment of surprise and delight was the heart of the game. MONKIRI brings that spirit of play to your fingertips. Every tap of the generate button reveals a new traditional Japanese pattern, dressed in harmonious palettes drawn from Japan's traditional colors. Keep the ones you love as wallpapers, or fine-tune every detail yourself. WHAT YOU CAN DO - Generate: Pick a pattern and tap. MONKIRI randomizes each design within carefully tuned traditional color harmonies, so every result comes out beautiful. - Adjust: Fine-tune colors, scale, line width, spacing and density, rotation, and background color with sliders. Changes preview instantly. - Collect: Save your favorite creations, then re-edit, duplicate, or delete them anytime. - Export: Save wallpapers as PNG, sized for your device's screen with one tap. TWELVE TRADITIONAL PATTERNS Each pattern comes with a short note on its meaning and history, in both English and Japanese. - Asanoha (hemp leaf): healthy growth and protection - Seigaiha (blue ocean waves): endless calm waves, a wish for eternal peace - Shippo (seven treasures): interlocking circles of harmony and good relations - Kikko (tortoise shell): hexagons of longevity - Ichimatsu (checkerboard): unbroken prosperity - Yagasuri (arrow feathers): an arrow released never returns, a symbol of moving forward - Uroko (fish scales): triangles believed to ward off misfortune - Tatewaku (rising steam): swelling lines of rising fortune - Sayagata (interlocking manji): continuity without end - Kagome (basket weave): six-pointed stars, a traditional charm against evil - Sankuzushi (scattered rods): a chic pattern of shifting lines - Ajiro (wickerwork): the warm texture of woven cypress and bamboo FREE FEATURES AND ONE-TIME PURCHASE Everything above is free: generate, adjust, and save every pattern, and export standard-size wallpaper PNGs (with a light watermark). Wallpaper size optimization is free as well. A single one-time purchase unlocks: - Watermark-free export - Ultra-high-resolution PNG (4096 x 4096), large enough for print - SVG (vector) export that scales without any loss, for design and print work - Seamless tile PNG whose edges connect perfectly, for repeating backgrounds No subscription. No further purchases. MADE TO BE TRUSTED - No ads, no tracking - No account required - Works completely offline (iCloud sync is optional) - English and Japanese, following your device settings or switchable in the app - Dark mode support - Designed for both iPhone and iPad The quiet thrill of a pattern emerging from a folded sheet of paper, now in your pocket. Enjoy the beauty of Japanese patterns with MONKIRI.

Screenshots

Gloaming4 screens
MONKIRI4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: MONKIRI at every 6 days against Gloaming's every 3 weeks. 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. Gloaming sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and MONKIRI sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Gloaming ships an update every 3 weeks, MONKIRI every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Gloaming versus MONKIRI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGloamingMONKIRI
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperQuantumCola (Hangzhou) Technologies Co.,Ltd.Takashi Nemoto

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Gloaming

One-time1
  • Gloaming Pro$8.99
1 purchases

MONKIRI

One-time1
  • All Export Features$4.99

Questions

Is Gloaming free?
Gloaming is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MONKIRI free?
MONKIRI is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Gloaming or MONKIRI have ads?
Neither Gloaming nor MONKIRI shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Gloaming or MONKIRI?
Gloaming ships an update every 3 weeks, and MONKIRI every 6 days. Most recently, Gloaming was updated on October 12, 2026 and MONKIRI on October 2, 2026.

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