In Development · Mac
See the order take shape.
Crafter Sort is a Mac app in development for studying how sorting algorithms move data. Pick an algorithm and an input, then play it or advance it one step at a time.
What one step is.
Step advances the chosen algorithm by one unit of its own work. That unit is different for each, so Crafter Sort shows how they move, not which is faster.
Press Step on the same five values.
Each press does what one press of Step does in the app, worked out with the app’s own sorting code. Guess where the bars will land before you press. Bubble Sort is done in 3 presses, Insertion Sort in 4 and Quicksort in 5.
A page illustration, not the app. The app’s smallest input is 10 values; five are used here so every move can be followed. The sentences under the bars are this page’s: the app’s notes describe each algorithm, not each step. A cap marks a value that is already in its final place, as in the app.
| Input | Bubble Sort | Insertion Sort | Quicksort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Random | about 50 | 59 | about 140 |
| Nearly Sorted | 3 | 38 | 6 |
| Reversed | 59 | 59 | 30 |
Counted with the app’s own sorting code on 11 October 2026. Random is the average of 200 shuffles; the other two inputs are the same every time. Quicksort needs the most presses on random input because its step is the smallest: one swap, against a whole pass of 59 comparisons for Bubble Sort. Reversed input is this Quicksort’s worst case, 1,770 comparisons against about 330 on random input, yet it takes the fewest presses: a press is a swap, and the comparisons between swaps are not counted.
| Algorithm | One step | Average | Worst | Stable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubble Sort | One pass: each neighbouring pair is compared once, left to right, and swapped if it is out of order. | O(n²) | O(n²) | Yes |
| Insertion Sort | The next value slides left into the sorted run. | O(n²) | O(n²) | Yes |
| Quicksort | One swap inside the current range, whose last value is the pivot. | O(n log n) | O(n²) | No |
The same 24 values, part-way through each.
Drawn here from the app’s own sorting code and colour rule on 11 October 2026; these are not screenshots. A cap on a bar marks a value that is already in its final place.
The study window.
- Inputs
- Random, Nearly Sorted, Reversed or Few Unique, from 10 to 200 values.
- Playback
- Play or Pause with Space, Step with the right arrow, Replay the same input with ⇧⌘R, New Input with ⌘R.
- Notes beside the bars
- For the chosen algorithm: what it does, its average and worst case, whether it is stable, and what to watch.
- Accessibility
- VoiceOver hears a summary of the run, not two hundred bars. Reduce Motion turns the animation off, and Differentiate Without Colour thickens the caps.
Where it stands.
Crafter Sort is not available to download. It has no App Store record, no price and no release date.
The current source has these three algorithms and no others, with no code view and no sound. A side-by-side comparison of two algorithms on one input is built, but it sits behind an upgrade that is not for sale and may not ship in that form.
Nothing is saved between launches except that you have seen the welcome screen. No advertising, analytics or tracking.
Questions about Crafter Sort? Crafter Sort support · Privacy details