With some exceptions, the applications listed in here are available free of charge from their respective home pages. In no case they are public domain, unless if stated explicitly as such by their author(s)—who, in any case, retain all rights over their products. They are also free of spyware and viruses, as far as I know.

By no means this is an exhaustive list (if such a thing could ever exist). These software are the ones I have found while roaming through the Internet, used in the meantime, and kept because I have liked them for some reason.

Initially this was a Windows-only list, but now I'm including Mac and Linux fractal generators because I can now test them myself. There are still a few that were designed for MS-DOS or Win3.1x, but will run on Win9x and later without long file name support. If you don't want to work or are worried about working with old applications, don't forget to check the last revision date (also included in the list) before downloading or installing.

Linux users can try running any of the Windows-based software by using Wine or other similar program loaders, but bear in mind that you do so at your own risk. I don't guarantee they will execute without problems or even to load at all. Intel-based Mac users can try Apple's Boot Camp to install a working copy of WinXP, and then run the Windows generators, but that suggestion is FOR EXPERTS ONLY. Do not attempt any of these methods if you don't know what you are doing, if you have never try those applications yourselves, or if you are in doubt. I won't be responsible if you get into trouble.

This list includes fractal generators, fractal music software, utilities, screen savers, and links to other software-related sites. Each section is organized in alphabetical order, not in order of preference. If you decide to download any of these applications, follow the links to their respective home pages. It will usually guide you to information, screen shots, sample images or parameter files. If no url is given —possibly because a home page doesn't exist or has been offline for some time— try to contact its author via e-mail. We are also offering direct download for a few of them (with their authors' permission).

The JAVA section lists several interesting Java applets to generate basic fractal pictures online. Even though they are stable, users with old machines, not enough memory or slow connections should be cautious: Java applets in general can hang your computer if it's already too busy or slow working.

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 (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-ins extras. It's simply difficult to list them all, and pretty impossible to keep a list like this updated (at least for a single person with an ever decreasing amount of free time). So, don't forget to try your favorite search engine with terms such as “fractal” and “software” to find the rest.

Have in mind that this site, third.apex.to.fractovia, focuses on the artistic side of fractals, not in their mathematical aspects, so these applications are primarily intended for picture or music creation, not for studying fractals as mathematical models or for in-depth experimentation (what most of them can do in any event).

Software predating the year 2000, or that is no longer supported by its author(s), or that has no home page (thus, is no longer available —identified as offline— by direct means) will be deleted from this list soon. I recommend The Spanky Fractal Database archive to look for outdated programs and related sources.

A special note for programers: some of these generators are open source, or its code is available from their authors' home pages or by request. Look for such indication in the reviews that follow.

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This list was last revised and updated Monday, 2007.04.016.