The following fractal generators work on smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices running Android OS, or even PCs using an Android emulator.
Buddabrot ~ v4.0
OS: Android
author: Florian Jasch
url: https://m.apkpure.com/buddabrot/flo.mandelbrot
Buddabrot is an app developed by the same programmer behind Fractaldraw (see below), offering a few extra features. In my opinion, it’s actually more intuitive, as it doesn’t require any prior knowledge do start drawing your fractals. Dragging the cross pointer over the Mandelbrot figure or any of the other three equations will automatically generate the corresponding Julia figure. You can toggle between a split window (default), which shows the Mandelbrot set on the top half and the Julia on the bottom, or switch to full-screen for either Mandel or Julia to focus on one of them at a time. Two coloring algorithms are accessible from an on-screen button, that you can fine tune using the slider under the Settings command. According to the app’s description, you should be able to set the number of iterations in that same window. However, in my experience, it seems to be somewhat random by pressing that lower bar. Unfortunately, the app doesn’t come with a Save Project option to save image parameters, though it saves regular images as PNG files. It’s no longer available on Google Play because apparently it doesn’t meet recent Android security requirements. Important: Probably not compatible with newer Android versions.
Last revision: 12 January 2018.
Fractal Builder ~ v2.0.1
OS: Android
author: Oleksandr Volynets
url: Google Play
Fractal Builder is a simple app to explore basic Julia fractals. You can use it to generate random images by clicking a button, but that particular feature is not as interesting as it sounds —in my opinion of course. Yet it’s nice to watch Julia transformations on the go, by moving a single point over any of the three predefined Mandelbrot variations. Although it comes with some color palettes to choose from and make the images more interesting, there’s no way to increase the number of iterations and improve the details in any way, so most of the pictures won’t be worth saving.
Last revision: 9 September 2023.
Fractal Eye ~ v1.5.2
OS: Android
author: Self Similar Tech
url: https://www.instagram.com/fractaleye.app/
Fractal Eye is a very nice app to generate fractal images. It’s fast, mostly intuitive, and feature-rich. It starts with a simple tutorial to show newcomers what the program can do. Interestingly, I was able to run it while using the app in an Android emulator, but it didn’t launch in the tablet, neither from the popup message when running the app for the first time, nor from selecting the option in the menu; users’ experiences may vary. The free version lets you explore and play with the basic options, including detail level (basically another way to call iteration), resolution, aspect ratio, lots of coloring tools, and switching between Mandelbrot or Julia mode. If you wish, for under US$10.00 you can upgrade it to unlock more fractal formulas (or even write your own), additional coloring methods and several other advanced features. It even comes with a randomizer to automatically generate fractal images on the fly. Image values (kind of parameters) can be saved as bookmarks, and export images as JPG files. Its main drawback is the zoom level, with its discouraging depth limit. Other than that, it stands out among the fractal generators available for Android.
Last revision: 16 February 2022.
Fractaldraw ~ v4.2
OS: Android
author: Florian Jasch
url: https://m.apkpure.com/fractaldraw/flo.newton
Fractaldraw is a nice app to explore fractal images. Its forte is exploring the Julia set using the presets that come by default as a starting point (accessible via the first icon —the four little squares), but you can also start from scratch, and begin exploring the presets themselves. To modify the figure, activate a fixed point in the plane using the paintbrush (you can place or delete more using the + and – symbols) and move the crosshair to change the structure. When done, deactivate the brush to start zooming by pinching and dragging gestures. Use the volume controls to rotate colors. The program will save images as PNG files, and will keep parameters (or that’s what it seems) using the Save Project menu option. It’s no longer available on Google Play because apparently it doesn’t meet recent Android security requirements. Important: Probably not compatible with newer Android versions.
Last revision: 11 August 2017.
JWildfireMini FREE ~ v1.6
OS: Android
author: Andreas Maschke
url: Google Play
JWildfireMini FREE is a stripped-down version of JWildfire for Android. As its more powerful desktop sibling, the Mini can render batches of random flame fractals that you can save for later mutation (that is, generating secondary sets of images based on the first one). Unfortunately you can’t do anything else since exporting of images or parameter files is disabled in the free version. To enable export function you’ll need to get the paid version (for less than US $2.50, it won’t certainly drain your bank account). In other words, this compact gimmick it’s mostly fun on the go. It also comes with a Flame Gallery, storing 30 beautiful pictures for your enjoyment. If you get the paid version, you can export the parameter files and then import them to the desktop application for better controls and lots of options to enhance your pictures. Important: Not compatible with newer Android versions.
Last revision: 4 November 2017.
Mandel Draw ~ v1.0.4
OS: Android
author: Kouji Mori
url: Google Play
Mandel Draw is a promising fractal generator. The free version is limited in every sense, only capable of drawing a handful of Mandelbrot or Julia fractals, and applying a single color map, along with a personal palette users can modify at will. The paid version, on the other hand, includes a much broader collection of formula variations, and more color map options. Zooming is also quite “superficial” in the free version, but there’s no indication that the paid one will bring more depth. Still, at just US$1.99 it’s quite a bargain, so those willing to take the risk won’t lose much if deep zooming is missing. Images can be saved as Favorites, copied to clipboard or shared from within the app as PNG files. Image resolution depends on the device’s screen size.
Last revision: 26 October 2024.
Mandelbrot Explorer ~ v1.7
OS: Android
author: Dmitry Brant (Defiant Technologies, LLC)
url: Google Play
Mandelbrot is a fast and user-friendly Mandelbrot and Julia sets explorer. For each point in the Mandelbrot set it shows the corresponding Julia set, allowing for an interesting way to explore both figures simultaneously. It’s easy and intuitive to use: pinch to zoom in or out, press and drag to move, and that’s it. Volume controls sets the iteration level, but you can also click the gear to open a slider that lets you do that too. Though it doesn’t have the artistic capabilities of a desktop application, it’s very efficient as an exploration tool. The resulting images are quite attractive as pure fractals, so that’s where its value lies. It includes several coloring maps/algorithms, and will save Mandelbrot pictures (not the Julia, regretfully) as PNG files. Image size will depend on the device’s screen resolution.
Last revision: 1 January 2024.
Mandelbrot Maps ~ v1.03
OS: Android
author: Alasdair Corbett
url: Google Play
Mandelbrot Maps is a very simple app to explore the Mandelbrot set and its corresponding Julia set for every point selected, much like the Mandelbrot app from Dmitry Brant (above), but somewhat even more simpler. Just move the blue dot anywhere over the Mandelbrot image to see its Julia counterpart in the small box on the upper left corner. If you want to see a larger Julia image, simply click that small window and the images will switch places. That’s pretty much what this proggy does. Yep, that’s all. The only way to save pictures is doing screen captures. Important: Not compatible with newer Android versions.
Last revision: 4 October 2014.
MandelBrowser ~ v3.7.2
OS: Android
author: Tomasz Śmigielski
url: https://www.instagram.com/mandelbrowser/
MandelBrowser is a fractal generator that can produce both images and zoom videos. The free version includes a limited selection of formulas, coloring methods (referred to as Paint), filters and color palettes, but still provides enough tools for users to explore its potential. Activating “Advanced Mode” (under Settings) unlocks additional options for better control over image creation. Of all the programs in this section, it arguably offers the most artistic potential. The only major drawback is that it contains lots of annoying and intruding ads. Paying the US$4.95 fee to upgrade to premium will get rid of them, and will add dozens of additional fractal formulas and paint modes, more than 120 color palettes, and plenty of filters, among other features. It will also allow image export at up to 8K resolution.
Last revision: 30 January 2025.
Mandelsplit ~ v0.1.14
OS: Android
author: Johannes Gajdosik
url: Google Play
This is another simple Mandelbrot explorer with some control options. Basically, you pinch the screen to zoom in or out and move around as usual. If you hold on the screen a small window shows up, which lets you modify iteration level, enable rotation of the figure and swap between several RGB color palettes. The only way to save pictures is doing screen captures; parameters can’t be saved. Important: Probably not compatible with newer Android versions.
Last revision: 25 July 2018.
MandelView4 ~ v0.8.3
OS: Android
author: Neal Ziring
url: Google Play
MandelView4, short for Mandelbrot Set Explorer 4, is another simple fractal generator with some basic controls. I was about to dismiss it until I noticed its exceptional zoom capability. While it’s not packed with a wide range of features, if you’re into detailed exploration, this app is among the best (better than most, trust me). To zoom in, simply swipe a box over an image and click the Play button in the floating toolbar to zoom into the selected area. You can then set the interior color (it’s black by default), choose from several color maps for the exterior area (which you can tweak or edit too), pause or resume calculations at any time, or easily retrace your rendering steps with the Back and Forward buttons. You can also save bookmark-like settings for easy access and later reproduction. It includes a thorough Help file worth reading to learn how the app works. Important: On Android 15 (it doesn’t affect Android 11 to 14), the “Save to Gallery” and the “Share Image” commands don’t work due to a bug. It was fixed in version 0.8.3, so update your app if you run into that issue.
Last revision: 1 August 2025.
No longer available:
- Fractal Generator v. 1.2 (Frosity/ SCH Games)