| Feature |
Apophysis |
FA X |
FA X + Silver Subscription |
FA X + Gold Subscription |
FA 5 |
FA 5 + Subscription |
| Difficulty for Beginners |
Hard |
Easy |
| Fractal Output Productivity |
Low |
High |
| Platform |
Windows |
Mac |
| Executable Type |
32/64 Bit |
64 Bit |
| Apophysis Compatible |
Yes |
| Transform Editor Parameter Popovers |
No |
Yes |
| Color Gradient Editor |
No |
Yes |
| Transform Editor RGB Color Curves |
No |
Yes |
| Anti-Aliased Output |
No |
Yes |
| Full Xaos Support |
Yes |
Yes. Variation group chains are much easier than linking transforms using Xaos |
| Multiple Final Transforms |
Limited to 1 |
Multiple |
| Multiple Variation Groups Per Transform |
Limited to 1 |
Multiple |
| Pre/Post Variations |
Limited pre/post variation types |
Any variation type can be pre/post |
| Parallel / Serial Transform Shape Combinations |
Parallel only, Serial using special pre/post variations |
Variation Group Chains are a revolutionary way to get total control over both parallel and serial shape combinations. 100% backwards compatible with Apophysis. |
| Matrix Variation Types |
No |
Both 2D and 3D matrix variations |
| Feature |
Apophysis |
FA X |
FA X + Silver Subscription |
FA X + Gold Subscription |
FA 5 |
FA 5 + Subscription |
| Finder Thumbnails + Quicklook |
No |
Yes |
| View Fractal Info |
No |
Yes |
| Quicklook Renders |
No |
Yes |
| Fractal Versioning |
No |
Yes |
| CPU/GPU Rendering |
CPU Only |
CPU Only |
CPU/GPU |
CPU Only |
CPU/GPU |
| Free GPU Rendering Trial |
No |
Yes |
| True 3D Support |
Pseudo 3D |
True 3D |
| True 3D Camera |
Limited 3D Camera |
True 3D Camera |
| Random Fractal Creation |
Very limited |
Extensive |
| Scripted Random Fractals |
32 bit – Yes
64 bit – No |
No |
Yes |
| Variant Tweak Scripts |
No |
Yes |
| Create Custom Variation Types |
Requires Visual Studio |
Create entirely in app |
| Custom Variations & GPU Rendering |
No |
Yes |
| Feature |
Apophysis |
FA X |
FA X + Silver Subscription |
FA X + Gold Subscription |
FA 5 |
FA 5 + Subscription |
| Fractal Stash |
No |
Yes |
| Composited Renders over Background Images/Colors |
No |
Yes |
| Transparent Render with Alpha Gamma |
No |
Yes |
| Sub-flame & Layerz Support |
No |
Render + Create |
| Morphed/Spliced Fractal Support |
No |
Render |
Render + Create |
| Cross-Breeder |
No |
Yes |
| Variants & Super-Variants |
No |
Yes |
| Lua Scripting |
No |
Yes |
| Basic Video Animations |
No |
Yes |
| Make Videos |
No |
Yes |
| Sequencer |
No |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| GPU Rendering |
No |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Fractaling Across the Universe
