Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

Js2glsl ShaderToy is a source-to-source compiler that converts JavaScript code into GLSL shader language. It allows developers to write graphics shaders using familiar JavaScript syntax and automatically translate them… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Js2glsl ShaderToy – Source to Source Compiler from JavaScript to GLSL launched in 2015; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   Free and open-source home for art made with code▲144

   Browse and share GPU-made GIFs. Explore GLSL shader experiments, search by topic, and open any piece in the editor to learn or remix.

   2018 · shadergif.com · its alternatives →

2. 2
   Shadergarden: Create reloadable graphical pipelines with Lisp and GLSL▲47

   Create evolving artistic images with hot-code-reloaded Lisp and GLSL.

   2021 · blog.tonari.no · its alternatives →

3. 3
   GPT-2 implemented using graphics shaders▲228

   Back in the old days, people used to do general-purpose GPU programming by using shaders like GLSL. This is what inspired NVIDIA (and other companies) to eventually create CUDA (and friends). This is an implementation of GPT-2 using WebGL and shaders. Enjoy!

   2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

4. 4
   Shadeup – A language that makes WebGPU easier▲179

   2024 · shadeup.dev · its alternatives →

5. 5TC
   textshader.com▲260

   TLDR: Click the link to see some cool visualizations, refresh a few times for random examples, and try editing some of the code yourself. This is a small weekend project of mine inspired by shadertoy.com It's a static single-page site hosted on GitHub pages so the website design is pretty barebones. I'm not a web developer so I mainly wanted to create a Cool Thing with my free time and not have to learn tons of front-end to do it. I'd love to hear what people think about it and please post or send me any shaders you make! You can use the link button in the bottom right to share. I hope that…

   2022 · textshader.com · its alternatives →

6. 6
   StratusGFX, my open-source real-time 3D rendering engine▲483

   It's been closed source for a long time while I worked on it on and off as a hobby research project, but yesterday the repo was made public for the first time under the MPL 2.0 license. A feature reel showing its capabilities can be found here: https://ktstephano.github.io/rendering/stratusgfx/feature_re... A technical breakdown of a single frame can be found here: https://ktstephano.github.io/rendering/stratusgfx/frame_anal... It's still in a very beta state (bugs and instability expected), but I felt like it was a good time to make it…

   2023 · github.com · its alternatives →

7. 7
   A conformant WebGL implementation for Node.js▲57

   🎃 Windowless WebGL for node.js. Contribute to stackgl/headless-gl development by creating an account on GitHub.

   2016 · github.com · its alternatives →

8. 8
   WebSlides▲486

   The easiest way to make HTML presentations and long-forms.

   2017 · webslides.tv · its alternatives →

9. 9
   Procedurally generated 3DGS splats powered by Spark▲11

   Hello HN! I'm the author of this toy project that combines the idea of live-edit Shadertoy scenes with the popular gaussian splatting, aka 3DGS. You can write a GLSL function that defines the splats and see it rendered in real-time. Your GLSL code isn't stored anywhere, but you can share it via URL. P.S. I'm not a Spark developer. I'm just using their rendering engine.

   2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

10. 10GJ
    G9.js – Automatically Interactive Differentiable Graphics▲237

    2016 · omrelli.ug · its alternatives →

11. 11
    Globe visualizations in Golang▲258

    Globe wireframe visualizations in Golang. Contribute to mmcloughlin/globe development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2017 · github.com · its alternatives →

12. 12
    JavaScript-free (X)HTML Includes▲211

    (spoiler: its XSLT) I've been working on a little demo for how to avoid copy-pasting header/footer boilerplate on a simple static webpage. My goal is to approximate the experience of Jekyll/Hugo but eliminate the need for a build step before publishing. This demo shows how to get basic templating features with XSL so you could write a blog post which looks like My Article some content hello hello Some properties which set this approach apart from other methods: - no build step (no need to setup Jekyll on the client or configure Github/Gitlab actions) - works on any webserver…

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

13. 13RT
    Real-Time 3D Gaussian Splatting in WebGL▲309

    2023 · antimatter15.com · its alternatives →

14. 14AN
    A Node Based Editor for Three.js Shading Language (TSL)▲7

    Three.js recently introduced TSL (Three.js Shading Language), a way to write shaders in pure JavaScript/TypeScript that compiles to both GLSL and WGSL. I built this editor to provide a visual interface for the tsl ecosystem. It allows developers to prototype shaders for WebGPU/WebGL and see the results in real-time. This is a beta release and I'm looking for feedback.

    Jan 2026 · tsl-graph.xyz · its alternatives →

15. 15
    GPT WebApp Generator for React & Node.js▲272

    Let AI create a full-stack web app based on your description

    2023 · usemage.ai · its alternatives →

16. 16
    Shade – a quick-and-dirty glsl prototyping tool▲25

    a quick-and-dirty glsl prototyping tool. Contribute to dancrn/shade development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2018 · github.com · its alternatives →

17. 17
    Real-time nonlinear optics simulation (JS/GLSL)▲46

    Contribute to westoncb/nonlinear-optics-sandbox development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

18. 18GN
    GraphicsJS, New Powerful Free Open-Source JavaScript Graphics Library▲124

    2016 · graphicsjs.org · its alternatives →

19. 19
    Live Reloading WebGL Shaders▲20

    An interface for reloading GLSL shaders on the fly. - mattdesl/shader-reload

    2017 · github.com · its alternatives →

20. 20
    TWGL – A tiny WebGL helper library▲33

    TWGL.js, a tiny WebGL helper library

    2015 · twgljs.org · its alternatives →

21. 21
    Scripting language inspired by JavaScript and GLSL▲29

    I'm working on a scripting-language heavily inspired by Javascript and GLSL. The idea is to use this for a game engine I'm working on.

    2022 · github.com · its alternatives →

22. 22
    Shaders▲22

    Component library for creative WebGPU effects in modern frontend frameworks. Compose interactive visuals for Vue, React, Svelte, Solid & JS.

    Jul 2026 · shaders.com · its alternatives →

23. 23
    WebGL Insight, a Debugging Toolkit for Chrome▲72

    A helpful Chrome extension for WebGL development. Contribute to 3Dparallax/insight development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2016 · github.com · its alternatives →

24. 24
    ShaderRoy - Shadertoy in Rust▲9

    ShaderToy clone in Rust, currently supporting MacOS. - xixixao/shader-roy

    2021 · github.com · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →