Boum! vs Phallaina
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Boum!
Experience a wordless narrative that unfolds horizontally on your tablet. This interactive story offers a unique graphical and acoustic immersion into a poetic universe, encouraging imagination and personal interpretation for all ages.
- Horizontal scrolling narrative
- Graphical and acoustic immersion
- Wordless storytelling
- Interactive cover
- Encourages imagination and interpretation
- Suitable for all ages
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An horizontal tale, a new narrative experience for tablets, created and designed by Mikaël Cixous, with a special sound design by Jean-Jacques Birgé. SPECIAL MENTION OF THE BOLOGNA CHILDREN'S BOOK FAIR (fiction) - EDITOR'S CHOICE OF THE CHILDREN'S TECHNOLOGY REVIEW SUPPORTED BY CNL, SALON DU LIVRE DE JEUNESSE DE MONTREUIL - A wordless tale spreads itself horizontally, offering a graphical and acoustic immersion into a poetic universe that everyone, across all ages, will appropriate as one wants, at one's own rate. Boum! suggests a new way to dive into a story : The screen of the tablet becomes a window behind which one slides an infinite strip. The simplicity of interactivity, the uninterrupted progression of the hundred of pictures, the immersion provided by stereo sound, the sensitive pleasure of sliding, offer a whole new experience that leaves place for everyone's imagination and freedom of interpretation. Boum! is the story of a guy very lonely and grey, that leaves home to his job, and as any mornings, follows the straight line leading him to the factory, without even thinking to look up at the sky. But on this day, snow starts falling, and the line vanishes… A wink at Prévert and his "Temps perdu", Boum! is a moment of poetry to share, or to enjoy on your own. The absence of spoken or written words widens the field to any ages and any countries. As for any works of "Les Inéditeurs", an interactive cover opens the story, an experimental appetizer that engages to the favorable atmosphere for contemplation and discovery. One could look at the cover playing by itself in a generative way, or handle it very simply. Here, take your time, let the slow time set in… /// Press « A delight for both the eyes and the ears, this is a story presented in one continuous scroll. As you swipe bold illustrations unfold; set to a fascinating audio environment. This entry has a refreshing cinematic feel, and the point-of-view keeps changing, stretching the restrictions of the conventional frame. « Jury of Bologna children's book fair « Esta app rompe muchos convecionalismos entorno a la forma en la que se pueden contar los cuentos y las historias en los dispositivos táctiles ya que prescinde totalmente de la interactividad como la solemos entender y pone su valor en la belleza de las ilustraciones y la exquisita banda sonora que las acompaña. » ABC.es « We’re not Bologna’s, but we were the first academic entity reviewing your beautiful piece back in august. And we love using it with both teachers and kids/teens! Congrats on the award! ». Universitat Autònoma Barcelona Notre cœur fait boum pour Boum!, bijou graphique pour tablette. Télérama Enfants n°12 /// Educational bonuses The wordless story and the acoustic climate encourage the child to tell his/her own story, thus practicing an exercise of mental structuration on the narrative, without noticing it. For the toddlers, a walk guided by an adult would help to go further into the thread of the story. The interactive cover also constitutes a fresh "memory game", allowing the child to anticipates the disclosure of animated patterns, based on the former repetition of them. /// The creators A team of seasoned people in digital creation, notably for young audience, who crafts multimedia since the very beginnings, and who creates and spread unpublished quality works, out of the mainstream shapes.
Phallaina
Experience a unique digital comic book that blends graphic novel storytelling with animated film elements. This scrolling narrative offers an immersive 90-minute experience with parallax effects and captivating sound design. Explore a world where science and mythology intertwine.
- Scrolling graphic novel format
- Parallax effects for depth
- Entrancing sound design
- 90-minute narrative experience
- Available in English and French
- Combines cognitive science and mythology
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A "Scrolling Graphic Novel" for tactile screens. Peabody Award 2017. Halfway between a graphic novel and an animated film, Phallaina is the first "scrolling graphic novel" for tablets and smartphones. Available in English and French, the app delivers 90 minutes of scrollable reading experience. Conceived by Marietta Ren and the Small Bang studio, and accompanied by an entrancing sound design by Côme Jalibert, this horizontal-scrolling, panel-less digital comic book uses parallax effects in order to bring an immersive depth to the narrative. Download the app for free and discover the first two chapters. The story In a world similar to ours, where cities have adapted to the rising waters, Audrey follows a series of clinical trials in order to understand the origins of her hallucinatory fits, which are populated by huge white whales. Thus begins the intimate adventure of her personal transformation, combining cognitive sciences and mythology... and changing the course of her destiny in the process. International recognition Released in January 2016, selected as part of the official competition of the Angoulême International Comic Book festival, as well as the Naples Comicon, Phallaina has also won the Best digital comic award at the 2016 New Media Film Festival in Los Angeles, and has known a great amount of success in numerous festivals such as the Peabody awards and the Webby awards. But our biggest reward are your stars, shares and comments which fill us with joy and gratitude! And for those of you who have not yet taken the plunge, hesitate no longer :) ! Download Phallaina now, and delve right into Audrey's world. © France Télévisions - Small Bang 2016
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Phallaina at Free against Boum!'s $2.99. Phallaina also leads on device support (3 vs 1). Boum!'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and iOS requirement 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
Phallaina is free to download; Boum! costs $2.99 up front. Phallaina sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Boum! asks for nothing beyond the download.
Boum! ships an update every 33 months, Phallaina every 37 months. The most recent releases landed on June 29, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Boum! | Phallaina |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | — | 4.7 (15 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 92.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 15 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 33 months — better | Every 37 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.4 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 70 MB | 318 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Les inéditeurs | Small Bang |
Customer experience
Boum!
Phallaina
In-app purchases
Boum!
No in-app purchases
Phallaina
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