Side by side

Fosfora vs GLava

Both stand on audio visualizer software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

Fosfora

Free plan LinuxMacWindows

Fosfora offers live audio analysis, layered visuals, cue lists, and several video output options across desktop platforms. Check the graphics requirement for your operating system before using it.

Visit Fosfora

Choose GLava if you want a free, GPLv3 audio visualizer with several included styles and extensive shader-based configuration. Look elsewhere if you need audio input without PulseAudio, or if your OBS build or window manager conflicts with its stated constraints.

Visit GLava

The facts

	Fosfora	GLava
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Not published	Not published
Runs on	Linux, Mac, Windows	Linux
Lowest paid plan	Free or on request	Free or on request
Plans published	1	1
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	github.com	github.com
On audio visualizer software	#5 of 35	#9 of 35

Fosfora: what it does well

Includes 56 audio-reactive effects
Supports up to eight layers and 13 blend modes
Accepts MIDI, OSC, and browser-based touch controls
No account is required

What to know first

Linux and Windows require a Vulkan-capable GPU
macOS requires Metal
Video playback optionally requires ffmpeg on PATH

GLava: what it does well

Includes five visualizer styles, from bars to a waveform.
Nearly every behavior can be configured with GLSL and shader code.
Accepts MPD audio through FIFO output as well as PulseAudio input.
Can render into an OBS scene through a compile-time plugin.
The --pipe feature passes runtime values into shader sources.

What to know first

Requires PulseAudio for audio input.
FFT computation runs on the CPU.
OBS rendering has limitations with EGL-based OBS and GLFW GLava builds.
Desktop window and widget behavior varies by window manager.

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