Version 3 features

Explore Faster. Zoom Deeper.

Version 3’s new Infinity Engine brings dramatically improved performance and deeper Mandelbrot zooms, through a validated 10²⁵×. Explore, color, and capture on iPhone and iPad, with all 156 built-in palettes included in Free.

Version 3 is hereMandelbrot Metal 3 is available for iPhone and iPad. Explore free with the Infinity Engine and all 156 built-in palettes; choose Pro for expanded creative tools and output. Requires iOS 26 or iPadOS 26 or later.

01 / MANDELBROT + JULIA

One tap.
Another world.

Follow a spiral through the Mandelbrot set, then tap a point to open the Julia set defined by that exact location. Explore branching forms, islands, and intricate lace. Tap again to return to the Mandelbrot view you left.

Both modes share the same palette, contrast, capture, and bookmark tools, so you can keep creating as you switch between them.

Deep Deep Triplets in Mandelbrot Metal 3 on iPad, with cyan miniature Mandelbrot forms, orange detail, and the Home, Back, and Forward controls.
Deep Deep Triplets · Mandelbrot exploration on iPad
Mandelbrot Metal 3 on iPad showing a blue and orange Julia set with the Fire & Ice palette, 3D Look, and Home controls.
Julia exploration with the Fire & Ice palette

Pinch + panZoom with two fingers and drag to explore. The canvas follows your movement.

Double-tapCenter an interesting point and zoom in by 2×.

Go to RectEnter precise bounds to revisit a known region with its framing preserved.

Actual iPhone and iPad app screenshots. The exploration, Infinity Engine, 3D Look, and iPhone examples were refreshed on September 21, 2026. Select a screenshot to enlarge it.

02 / THE INFINITY ENGINE · INCLUDED IN FREE

Explore faster.
Zoom deeper.

Dramatically improved performance. Deeper Mandelbrot zooms. The new Infinity Engine moves the heavy pixel calculations to the Metal GPU, making deep exploration faster. Version 3 also extends the validated zoom range from 10¹⁶× to 10²⁵×: a billion-fold increase in magnification.

  • Automatic precision. The renderer selects the appropriate path as you zoom. No precision switch is required.
  • Continuous feedback. Gestures transform the last completed frame immediately. When you pause, the precise destination is rendered.
  • A clear finish. Full-frame progress tells you when the entire view is ready, while the HUD identifies the active render path.

The 10²⁵× range applies to Mandelbrot exploration; Julia uses its direct renderer. Useful detail and render time depend on the scene, iterations, sampling, and device. Precision is finite, with recovery and an established fallback renderer when needed.

Inside the Infinity Engine
Mandelbrot Metal 3 on iPad showing turquoise and gold Mandelbrot spirals with the Gaia palette, Infinity Engine, and Home button.
Infinity Engine on iPad · 4.154 × 10¹⁴ scale

10²⁵×Validated Mandelbrot ceiling

MetalGPU-parallel pixel rendering

03 / PALETTES + CREATIVE COLOR

Find the mood.
Make it yours.

A palette can turn the same structure from soft and atmospheric to vivid and graphic. Version 3 Free includes all 156 built-in palettes, including 55 Ultra-Wide sets with 768 steps for long, smooth color transitions.

  • Browse with purpose. Filter Standard, Ultra-Wide, or Custom palettes and mark favorites for quick access.
  • Shape the finish. Smooth source sampling blends transitions; Exact LUT retains source steps before display resampling. Adjust contrast to change the distribution of colors.
  • Choose your color space. Use Display-P3 on supported displays or sRGB for a familiar sharing workflow.
PHOTO + CUSTOM PALETTES · PRO

Bring the colors of a sunset, a landscape, or your own photograph into a fractal. Import a photo, refine its automatically sampled center slice, and save the gradient as a reusable custom palette with Pro.

Explore the palette system
The Palettes browser showing 156 palettes, Standard and Ultra-Wide filters, color swatches, and favorite stars
Browse palettes and mark favorites
The Import Gradient editor showing a sampled color ramp and Exact LUT, Contrast Stretch, saturation, and gamma controls
Refine a photo-derived gradient

04 / 3D LOOK · PRO

Give the mathematics
a sense of touch.

3D Look adds surface lighting that reveals ridges, bulbs, and spirals. The underlying fractal stays the same; highlights and shadows give its structure a sculpted appearance.

Try a metallic palette for relief-like detail, or a vivid gradient for a more expressive result. Supersampling can smooth delicate edges and highlights before you capture the final image.

  • Works with both Mandelbrot and Julia scenes.
  • Combines with your chosen palette and contrast.
  • Preserved in captures and saved with bookmarks.
Follow the creative guide
Mandelbrot Metal 3 on iPad showing Glorious 3D in blue, gold, and violet, with 3D Look enabled and the Home button visible.
Glorious 3D · relief lighting on iPad

05 / EXPLORATION HISTORY + BOOKMARKS

Take a detour.
Keep your place.

Back and Forward let you revisit up to 50 completed exploration states in the current session. A saved state restores the view, fractal mode, Julia constant, iterations, palette, contrast, and 3D Look.

History records completed navigation and creative-control changes, including palette selection and settled contrast or iteration adjustments. Starting a new direction after going Back replaces the old Forward path.

FOR DISCOVERIES YOU WANT TO KEEP

Version 3 comes with 56 curated Mandelbrot and Julia starter bookmarks, ready to explore from your first launch. Free includes five personal bookmarks in addition to the starter collection; Pro removes the personal bookmark limit. The starter collection is added once on new installs and upgrades. Your existing bookmarks are kept, matching bookmarks are not duplicated, and starters you delete stay deleted. Name a scene, sort your collection, and return to its saved settings.

  • Import or export individual bookmarks and collections.
  • Reopen Julia scenes with their saved Julia constant.
  • Use Command-[ and Command-] with an external keyboard for Back and Forward.
Explore shared bookmarks and palettes
Mandelbrot Metal 3 on iPhone showing magenta, blue, and gold Julia spirals with the Laser Lines palette, 3D Look, and the Home button.
Home, history, and creative controls on iPhone
Manage Bookmarks on iPad with five named example scenes and the current import, export, and sorting controls
A library of places worth returning to

06 / CAPTURE + HIGH-RESOLUTION EXPORT

From a discovery
to a finished image.

Frame the scene, choose its color and lighting, then capture a clean PNG. Canvas-size capture is included in Version 3 Free. Pro adds 4K, 6K, 8K, and custom dimensions for prints, presentations, design projects, and further editing.

  • Keep the composition. Output aspect-fits your framing without stretching the fractal.
  • Keep the finish. Capture includes the selected palette, contrast, and 3D shading.
  • Take it with you. Save to Photos or use the system share sheet to send the image to Files and other apps.

For a detailed still, compose the view and choose a capture size. Every capture renders a separate complete PNG; larger exports take more time and memory. Choose sRGB or Display-P3 to suit your destination workflow. PNG exports are SDR.

Read the capture guide
The current Capture Image sheet on iPad with an 8K PNG preset selected and labeled Pro
Canvas, 4K, 6K, 8K, or custom dimensions

MORE CONTROL, WHEN YOU WANT IT

Room to grow with your curiosity.

Iterations + sampling

Let Auto Iterations follow your zoom or set the budget yourself, with selectable caps up to 75,000. The renderer manages sampling automatically.

A readable exploration HUD

See the mode, coordinates, magnification, iterations, palette, color settings, and render path. A loaded bookmark’s name helps you stay oriented.

Built for your device

Layouts for iPhone and iPad, an interface in 16 languages, and on-device exploration, palettes, bookmarks, and capture. The core creative workflow works offline.

VERSION 3 / FREE + PRO

The same engine.
More ways to create.

Free and Pro share the Infinity Engine’s dramatically improved performance, deeper Mandelbrot zooms, and on-canvas quality. Pro expands your color tools, saved library, and final output.

FeatureFreePro
Mandelbrot + Julia explorationIncludedIncluded
Full rendering engine + Infinity EngineIncludedIncluded
All 156 built-in palettesIncludedIncluded
Back + Forward exploration historyIncludedIncluded
Personal bookmarksUp to 5, plus the starter collectionUnlimited
Canvas-size PNG captureIncludedIncluded
Photo, imported + custom palettesNot includedIncluded
3D LookNot includedIncluded
4K, 6K, 8K + custom-size PNG exportNot includedIncluded

Eligible owners from before Version 3 receive permanent Legacy Pro access at no additional charge.

YOUR NEXT VIEW

Explore deeper from day one.

Explore with the Infinity Engine for free. Add Pro for custom palettes, 3D Look, unlimited bookmarks, and high-resolution PNG output.