Comparison

variant vs Tessr

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

Head to head
About

variant

This app generates ever-changing music and imagery through a combination of user input and randomness. Explore a unique work of generative art where sound influences visuals, offering a new experience with every interaction.

Highlights
  • Generative audiovisual artwork
  • Interactive music creation
  • Evolving visual compositions
  • User-controlled music flow
  • Visuals influenced by sound
  • Screenshot capture
Features
Read full description

variant:flare is an audiovisual artwork that creates beautiful, ever-changing music and imagery. The app combines user input and built-in randomness to create images and music that will continually change, grow and evolve, offering a new and different experience every time. For users of all ages, variant:flare is a chance to explore and experience a unique work of generative art. To interact with variant:flare, tap the screen with one finger; each tap will start a new track of the music. After six tracks have been loaded, each tap will reset one track and load a new random selection. By gradually resetting different elements of the composition, you control the flow and evolution of the music. The visuals are in turn controlled by the sound, so by changing the music, you will influence the development of the visuals. You can view the indeterminate audio engine by tapping the dot in the lower right. The display shows the different elements of the musical composition as they are loaded by the engine through a combination of chance and user input. The center button opens a menu of settings for the app, and the button to the right allows you to take screenshots of the visuals, automatically saving them to your photo library. The Variant apps are a new series of generative audiovisual artworks from Interval Studios featuring visuals by Joshue Ott and music by Kenneth Kirschner. Each Variant features a unique visual composition by Ott based on his superDraw visual performance software, as well as a new indeterminate musical composition by Kirschner. Each Variant app also offers a different set of interactive controls for the user, ranging from the ability to subtly influence the development of the piece to total interactive control over both visuals and sound. All of the Variants are generative artworks: through a varying combination of built-in randomness and user input, each Variant will continually grow and evolve over time without ever directly repeating itself either visually or musically, offering the user an ever-changing, ever-evolving audiovisual experience.

About

Tessr

Transform a group of phones into a massive, synchronized display for concerts, festivals, or parties. Share videos from your device or the app's library across multiple screens, even without a network connection.

Highlights
  • Synchronized video playback across multiple devices
  • Use your own videos from Camera Roll or Files
  • Tile mode for a mosaic-like visual experience
  • Offline connectivity via direct phone-to-phone connection
  • Library of free and premium video packs
  • Friends and session management
Features
Read full description

Tessr turns a group of phones into one giant, synchronized screen. At a concert, festival, or party, everyone opens Tessr. One person hosts, the rest join — and a single video spreads across all your phones at once. Hold them up together and it becomes one massive visual, like the LED walls at a show, built from the phones in your hands. And it's not limited to our library: sync a video you already have — a movie, a clip, your own footage — straight from your Camera Roll or Files. Your video stays on your device. No Wi-Fi, no signal, no problem. Phones connect directly to each other, so it works even where the network doesn't. Download packs ahead of time and light up the room anywhere. • Bring your own video — pick any video from your Camera Roll or Files and spread it across everyone's phones. Your video never leaves your device. • Tile mode — each phone shows one slice of a larger picture; together they form the whole thing, perfectly in sync. • Video packs — a growing library of visuals, from free packs to premium drops. • Friends & sessions — add friends by handle, and make any session public or friends-only. More phones. Bigger screen.

Screenshots

variant4 screens
Tessr4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Tessr at 5.0 against variant's 4.4. variant's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, review sentiment and ads 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. Tessr sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. variant asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tessr holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: variant has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

variant ships an update fortnightly, Tessr every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
variant versus Tessr: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametervariantTessr
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (7 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings7 — better1
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS8.0 — better18.2
Further details — not scored
Size95 MB397 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperInterval StudiosLuis Rodriguez

Customer experience

variant

All ratings7 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Tessr

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

variant

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Tessr

One-time1
  • Vortex$4.99

Questions

Is variant free?
variant is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tessr free?
Tessr is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, variant or Tessr?
Tessr is rated higher. variant averages 4.4 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Tessr averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do variant or Tessr have ads?
Neither variant nor Tessr shows ads.
Which is updated more often, variant or Tessr?
variant ships an update fortnightly, and Tessr every 2 months. Most recently, variant was updated on November 1, 2026 and Tessr on October 31, 2026.

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