Comparison

LIVE Face vs CardBeat

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

Head to head
About

LIVE Face

Capture facial motion in real-time using an iPhone's TrueDepth camera to animate 2D and 3D characters. Stream data wirelessly to desktop applications for live shows or recorded animation.

Highlights
  • Instant facial motion capture
  • 2D and 3D character animation
  • Real-time streaming via Wi-Fi
  • iPhone TrueDepth Camera integration
  • Supports Cartoon Animator and iClone
  • Record animation data for editing
Features
Read full description

LIVE FACE APP for Cartoon Animator and iClone, allows you to do instant facial motion capture on any 2D and 3D characters. With the help of an iPhone (any model with TrueDepth Camera) and a Wi-Fi connection, provide the best setup to generate live shows for YouTube, Facebook or Twitch! For 2D animation Motion Live: https://www.reallusion.com/cartoon-animator/full-body-mocap/default.html Cartoon Animator (CTA): https://www.reallusion.com/cartoon-animator/default.html FREE Cartoon Animator trial: https://www.reallusion.com/cartoon-animator/download.html For 3D animation Motion Live: https://mocap.reallusion.com/iClone-motion-live-mocap/ iClone: https://www.reallusion.com/iclone/ FREE iClone trial: https://www.reallusion.com/iclone/download.html The facial tracking capability enabled by iPhone has proven its accuracy and performance with its entertainingly impressive Animojis. Due to the built-in TrueDepth Camera, iPhone's face tracking is highly accurate under most lighting conditions, providing a solid facial motion capture data source. LIVE FACE is designed to stream the iPhone's facial tracking data to desktop clients. After launching LIVE FACE, users can connect desktop clients either through iPhone hotspots, or computers sharing the same Wi-Fi source. Just type in the IP address in the client site to enable the data feed. LIVE FACE now supports CTA and iClone for 2D and 3D animation and custom character design. After setting up the IP connection, users can animate cartoon characters’ facial features in real-time including; eyeballs, eye brows, mouth shapes, and head rotation. Besides generating real-time live shows, users can also record the animated data for further editing. In CTA and iClone, the signal level of the facial features (Eyes, Brows, Eyelids, Mouth, Head) can be further augmented or diminished via strength sliders. Allowing users to fine-tune the expression of a character during final recording. Set up application programs: 1.) Tutorials for CTA: https://courses.reallusion.com/home/cartoon-animator/motion-live-2d 2.) Tutorials for iClone: https://courses.reallusion.com/home/iclone/plug-in/motion-live/facial-mocap-live-face

About

CardBeat

A digital corkboard for writers to plot novels, screenplays, or short stories. Organize your narrative beats onto digital cards, arrange them freely, and visualize your entire story structure. Supports handwriting and typing, with export options for collaboration.

Highlights
  • Digital corkboard for story plotting
  • Index cards for scenes and beats
  • Handwriting and typing support
  • Customizable card types and colors
  • Zoomable and shufflable board layout
  • iCloud sync across devices
  • Export boards as PDF or CardBeat files
Features
Read full description

A digital corkboard for plotting your novel, screenplay or short story. CardBeat keeps all the fun things about index cards – and gets rid of all the rest. Break your story into acts, sequences and scenes. Put each beat on a card, pin it to the board and shuffle until the structure works – without wasting ink or paper. WRITE YOUR WAY - Handwrite with Apple Pencil or just your finger – pens, pencils, markers and brushes in any color. - Prefer typing? Every card takes keyboard input, too. - Choose blank, lined, dotted or grid cards in different colors to track characters, subplots or timelines. SEE THE WHOLE STORY - Place cards anywhere on the board – no rows, columns or table cells. Turn on snap-to-grid when you want things tidy. - Zoom out for the big picture, zoom in to work on a single scene. - Working in a writers' room? Connect a TV, monitor or projector and show a clean view of the board while you plot. SHARE AND SYNC - Your boards stay in sync across iPhone and iPad with iCloud – or turn sync off with a single switch. - Export a board as a PDF for feedback, or as a CardBeat file your co-writer can import and keep working on. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No accounts, no ads, no third-party analytics. CardBeat doesn't collect any data. FREE TO START Plot up to two boards for free. Unlock unlimited boards with a one-time purchase – no subscription.

Screenshots

LIVE Face4 screens
CardBeat4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: LIVE Face at none against CardBeat's 1. LIVE Face also leads on iOS requirement (14 vs 26.0). CardBeat's advantage is review sentiment (46% vs 15%) and update cadence (monthly vs every 13 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. CardBeat sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. LIVE Face asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.5 for LIVE Face against 3.5 for CardBeat. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 24 and 33 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 15% of LIVE Face's written reviews are positive against 46% of CardBeat's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LIVE Face ships an update every 13 months, CardBeat monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
LIVE Face versus CardBeat: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLIVE FaceCardBeat
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (24 ratings)3.5 (33 ratings) — better
Positive reviews15.0% of reviews45.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2433 — better
Update frequencyEvery 13 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperReallusion Inc.Stefan Stuckmann

Customer experience

LIVE Face

All ratings24 ratings
Positive58.3%
Neutral4.2%
Negative37.5%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive15.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative65.0%

CardBeat

All ratings33 ratings
Positive60.6%
Neutral12.1%
Negative27.3%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive45.8%
Neutral29.2%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

None

LIVE Face

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

CardBeat

One-time1
  • Unlimited Story Boards$19.99

Questions

Is LIVE Face free?
LIVE Face is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CardBeat free?
CardBeat is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, LIVE Face or CardBeat?
CardBeat is rated higher. LIVE Face averages 3.5 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while CardBeat averages 3.5 from 33 ratings.
Do LIVE Face or CardBeat have ads?
Neither LIVE Face nor CardBeat shows ads.
Which is updated more often, LIVE Face or CardBeat?
LIVE Face ships an update every 13 months, and CardBeat monthly. Most recently, LIVE Face was updated on November 2, 2026 and CardBeat on November 7, 2026.

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