Shadowburner

First things first: This is not a software repository. Visitors will only find information —brief reviews— about the programs listed in here, intended to give them a general idea of how these applications work and their basic capabilities. Screenshots accompany most of the titles too, so readers can preview the interfaces before installing. Some of the pictures were taken years ago on previous operating systems I no longer keep around, so they may look different on recent versions. If interested in downloading and trying these generators, there are links to their respective web pages.

These applications are freeware. That doesn’t mean they are public domain… unless their authors explicitly state so. In any case, they retain all rights to their products.

The list does not include shareware or other types of distributions; I have included those in the Software section of Fractal.nfo instead.

By no means this is an exhaustive catalog whatsoever. These fractal generators and utilities are the ones I have found while roaming through the Internet, used over the years, and kept because I have liked them for some reason. Initially it was a Windows-only list, but afterwards I added Mac and Linux fractal programs as I was able to test them myself. Later on, I have even tried out and added a few Android apps as well. MS-DOS or Win3.1x software that won’t execute in Windows 10 or later have been moved to the Legacy section (they used to run on Win9x/NT/Me/Vista without long file name support). I’ve also added an Outdated page for software that developers have retired from their official websites, but some third party collections still include and have them available for download. If you don’t want to work or are worried about working with old applications, check the last revision date first or skip those pages altogether.

Linux users can try running Windows-based software using Wine or other similar program loaders. Users of Mac with Intel processors can try Apple’s Boot Camp to install a working copy of Windows to run Windows generators, while users with M-series chips can do so with a suitable virtual machine (VM). The same applies to Windows users wanting to try non-Windows apps. But BEWARE: These suggestions are FOR EXPERTS ONLY. I don’t guarantee the programs will execute without problems or even to load at all. So do it at your own risk. Do not attempt these suggestions if you don’t know what you are doing, if you’ve never tried those programs before, or if in doubt. I won’t be responsible if you get into trouble.

The list includes fractal generators, fractal music software and some utilities. It is organized in alphabetical order, not in order of preference. If visitors decide to download any of these applications, follow the links to their respective web pages. That will usually lead to information, screenshots, sample images, parameter files, and tutorials on how they work. If there is no url —possibly because a website doesn’t exist anymore or has been offline for some time— try to contact its author via e-mail (if you so desire).

There’s a myriad of other fractal generators and related applications out there —already known or waiting to be known—, from the archaic QBASIC app (nowadays usually public domain) to the ultimate GUI multimedia shareware or commercial ensemble, from the oldest/earliest experimentations to the “under development” ones, not to mention those bundled with graphics editor packages or as stand-alone plug-in extras (one of which is also included in this list). It’s simply difficult to list them all, and pretty impossible to keep a directory like this updated… at least for a single person with an ever decreasing amount of free time like me. So, don’t forget to try your favorite search engine with terms such as “fractal” and “software” to find a lot more.

Very important: this site focuses on the artistic side of fractals, not on their mathematical study, so these applications are primarily intended for picture or music creation, not for analyzing fractals as mathematical models or for in-depth experimentation (though most of them could do that in any event). As previously mentioned, software predating the year 2000, or that is no longer supported by its author(s), or that has no web page (thus no longer available by direct means) have been deleted from this list or moved to the Outdated and Legacy pages.

A special note for programmers: some of these generators are open source, or its code is available from their authors’ websites or by request. Look for such indications in the reviews.

This list was last revised and updated on Sunday, 2025.02.16.

Contents

Use the following links to navigate through the pages and categories:

More info…

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