Comparison

Snow Globe LT vs Elf Studio®

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Snow Globe LT

Features
Read full description

This is free version of SnowGlobe app. You may purchase full version if it works fine with your iPhone/iPad and you like it. This is a virtual snow globe/water toy app. You can play it by touching, rotating, shaking your iPhone/iPad. You can also take photos with 3D objects inside your iPhone/iPad. Usage: Photo: You can take photos/selfies with snow globe. Turn on face detection and snows will avoid faces. You can share the image via SNS and sharing an image will unlock all stages temporarily. Display: You may set it auto stream mode and put your iPhone/iPad to stand/charger. It has BGM for each stage. Game: You can play mini games.

About

Elf Studio®

Create magical videos and photos of Santa and his elves visiting your home using augmented reality. Place characters in any environment, customize their appearance and animations, and record your own festive scenes.

Highlights
  • Add Santa Claus and elves
  • Unlimited elves and recording time
  • Create custom elves with Elf Workshop
  • Customize elf outfits and accessories
  • Elves with walking and dancing animations
  • Pre-plan or perform animations
  • Customize lighting, shadows, and camera filters
Features
Read full description

Welcome to Elf Studio®! The latest marvel from the Software Elves here at the North Pole Command Center (Creators of Speak to Santa)! Turn your elf's Christmas mischief into photos and videos set in your own home! Put them under the tree, send them towards the cookie jar, or dream up a surprise of your own. - SCAN YOUR OWN ELF! Start with one photo of your elf toy, with room for up to four views. Every account includes one elf scan. Elf Studio Pro includes ten a month, with no additional credit charge. - NO TOY? DRAW OR DESCRIBE ONE! Sketch your elf on the drawing pad or describe it in words, and the AI turns it into an elf you can cast in any scene. - QUICK CREATE OR STUDIO! Pick an elf and a photo, then describe the action, or stage your photo by dragging elves and props into place, choosing poses and adjusting sizes. - GET HELP WITH THE WORDS! Studio builds a scene script from your layout. Get Ideas suggests actions for your photo, and Improve helps rewrite your prompt. - AI PHOTOS & VIDEOS! Make photo takes, compare them and animate your favorite. Cast up to three elves with their own roles in the scene. - DIRECT THE SHOT! Create five-second AI videos with Natural, Stop Motion or Storybook styling, camera movement, portrait or landscape framing and optional generated sound. Use start and end images to guide the action. - MAKE AN EXAMPLE YOUR OWN! Browse scene ideas and use an example recipe with your chosen elf and your own photo. - THE ELF WORKSHOP! Choose ready-made elves in classic and felt styles, or design one in 3D with hair, hats, outfits, gloves, shoes, glasses and colors, with a live preview. - ENHANCE WITH AI! Give your elf a lifelike look and keep different looks to choose from. - BRING THE PROPS! Pick from the prop shelf, scan a toy or describe a prop for the AI to create reference pictures. - STICKERS & POSES! Make AI stickers of your elf striking new poses, then use those poses in your Studio photos. Add a bust sticker of any custom elf, made right on your device. - SEND THEM IN MESSAGES! Open Elf Studio® in the Messages app drawer to send the cast, your own elves and the stickers you have made. - HOME SCREEN WIDGETS! Count the sleeps until Christmas or until your elf arrives, with a posed elf of your choice keeping watch. - MAKE THEM AR-READY! Generate a 3D model of a scanned elf or prop before placing it in your room. - FILM IN AUGMENTED REALITY! Place AR-ready elves and props on your floor, draw walking routes, add stops and choose animations. Capture AR photos and videos, with Look at Camera, footsteps, lighting and actions you can trigger while filming. AR needs a compatible device. - CATCH THEIR FACES! Record the viewer's reaction as your video plays. Reaction recordings stay on your device and are not uploaded to Elf Studio®. - ADD THE FINISHING TOUCH! Apply eight video looks and filters without changing the original. Find your creations in the Gallery, save them to Photos and share the files. AI generation needs an internet connection. Once a job is sent, it can continue on our servers while you leave the app. Enable notifications to hear when it is ready. Your Gallery is stored on this device. Elf Studio® does not provide cloud library backup, so export the memories you want to keep. AI or AR. Photo or video. Your elf, your home, your Christmas story! Elf Studio® is created by North Pole Command Centre Limited and works with any toy. Elf Studio® is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Elf on the Shelf®, but many families use Elf Studio® alongside their existing Elf on the Shelf traditions. Made by the software elves here at the North Pole Command Center! Elf Studio® is a registered trademark in the United Kingdom, the European Union and the United States. All rights reserved.

Screenshots

Snow Globe LT4 screens
Elf Studio®4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Snow Globe LT at none against Elf Studio®'s 11. Snow Globe LT also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). Elf Studio®'s advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Elf Studio® sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Snow Globe LT asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Snow Globe LT ships an update every 2 months, Elf Studio® every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Snow Globe LT versus Elf Studio®: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSnow Globe LTElf Studio®
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.7 (3.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews—45.5% of reviews
Number of ratings—3.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size81 MB350 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKENSHI DOINorth Pole Command Centre Limited

Bugs and requests

Snow Globe LT

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Elf Studio®

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Unable to scan surfaces for elf placement
  • Crashes and freezes when trying to use app

Requested features

3 requests
  • More free customization options
  • Ability to save and share created scenes
  • Improved surface detection for elf placement

In-app purchases

None

Snow Globe LT

No in-app purchases

11 purchases

Elf Studio®

Subscriptions4
  • Unlock Elf Studio$1.991 Month
  • Elf Studio™ - Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Unlock Elf Studio$3.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Elf Studio™ - Annual$6.991 Year
One-time7
  • 50+ Elf Dance Animations$0.99
  • 1 Credit - Pro Price$1.99
  • 5 Credits - Pro Price$5.99
Show 4 more
  • 5 Elf Video Credits$7.99
  • 10 Credits - Pro Price$9.99
  • Elf Studio - Lifetime Pass$19.99
  • 25 Credits - Pro Price$22.99

Questions

Is Snow Globe LT free?
Snow Globe LT is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Elf Studio® free?
Elf Studio® is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Snow Globe LT or Elf Studio® have ads?
Neither Snow Globe LT nor Elf Studio® shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Snow Globe LT or Elf Studio®?
Snow Globe LT ships an update every 2 months, and Elf Studio® every 3 days. Most recently, Snow Globe LT was updated on October 11, 2026 and Elf Studio® on October 16, 2026.

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