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Compared
Best Liquid Glass backports for iOS
Swift libraries that draw Liquid Glass on iOS versions that do not have it, compared by what each is built for, where it runs and what it includes.
Our pickTheseus is the one we make, built for developers who support iOS versions that came before Liquid Glass.
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by the same developer
Theseus in a UIKit app
Facts checked on 11 November 2026.
How we compared them
We read each one's own site and App Store page on 11 November 2026 and compared who it is built for, where it runs and how you pay. We make Theseus, so it is listed first.
3 Liquid Glass backports
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Theseus our pick
Theseus is an open source Swift package that brings the iOS 27 Liquid Glass look to iOS 13 and later. It draws blur, refraction, glare and spring animations with Metal, and includes a tab bar, a slider and a switch.
Built for: developers who support iOS versions that came before Liquid Glass. How you pay: free and open source under Apache 2.0.
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LiquidGlassKit
LiquidGlassKit is a backport of Apple's Liquid Glass design system for iOS 13 through 18. It offers replacements for the native visual effect view, slider and switch with matching APIs, and can use the native components on iOS 26 and later.
Built for: developers who want replacements that mirror the native Liquid Glass API. How you pay: free and open source on GitHub.
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LiquidGlass
LiquidGlass is a Swift library by BarredEwe that draws a frosted glass effect with blur and refraction using Metal shaders, for SwiftUI and UIKit. It captures the views behind an element and adds the effect with one modifier.
Built for: developers who want a glass background behind their own views. How you pay: free and open source under the MIT licence.
At a glance
| App | Built for | Where it runs | How you pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theseus | developers who support iOS versions that came before Liquid Glass | on iOS 13 and later, with Swift 5.9 and later | free and open source under Apache 2.0 |
| LiquidGlassKit | developers who want replacements that mirror the native Liquid Glass API | on iOS 13 and later, with Swift 6.2 and later | free and open source on GitHub |
| LiquidGlass | developers who want a glass background behind their own views | on iOS 14 and later, on devices with Metal | free and open source under the MIT licence |
How to choose
Start with what you need drawn. If it is the system's own controls on older iOS versions, a tab bar, a slider and a switch, pick the library that includes them. That is Theseus.
Questions
What are the best Liquid Glass backports?
Theseus, if you want a Liquid Glass tab bar, slider and switch on iOS 13 and later, with the tint setting iOS 27 gives users. The others we compared are LiquidGlassKit and LiquidGlass.
Who is Theseus built for?
Theseus is built for developers who support iOS versions that came before Liquid Glass.
How did you compare them?
We read each one's own site and App Store page on 11 November 2026 and compared who it is built for, where it runs and how you pay. We make Theseus, so it is listed first.
More comparisons
We make Theseus. What we say about the other apps comes from their own pages, read on 11 November 2026: LiquidGlassKit's README on GitHub, LiquidGlass's README on GitHub. Spotted a mistake? Write to support@onedevshop.com. We are not affiliated with any of them.
Theseus
Same ship, rebuilt plank by plank
Free and open source under Apache 2.0. Bronze in the Telegram Developer Contest, 2026.
