# Shine vs GenStick

The clearest difference is price: GenStick at Free against Shine's $0.99. Shine's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.1). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

GenStick is free to download; Shine costs $0.99 up front. Shine sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and GenStick sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Shine ships an update weekly, GenStick every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shine | GenStick |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.2 (109 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shine-sparkle-camera/id1382728836/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **109** | — |
| Positive reviews | 80.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 32 MB | 42 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [文杰 胡](https://appshunter.io/developer/675077492) | [mantar](https://appshunter.io/developer/1180345837) |

## What reviewers say

### Shine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shine-sparkle-camera/id1382728836)

This app provides a variety of "kirakira" style sparkle effects for photos and videos. Users can customize the intensity, color, and motion of sparkles, and even add them manually. It also includes color filters, beauty options, and reflection effects.

**Highlights:** 20+ sparkle effects for specific objects, Editable sparkle properties, Manual sparkle addition and masking, 30+ color filters and beauty options, Live and album filtering for photos/videos, Symmetrical reflection effects, Music recording and playback

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Filter Pack - Japan | $0.99 | one-time |
| Shine Pro | $1.99 | one-time |
| Mirror Reflection Pro | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ Beautiful sparkle effects
- 📸 Great for product photography
- 🤩 Adds bling and shine
- 👍 Easy to use for many
- 🚀 Fast and easy editing

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App doesn't work for some
- 🚫 Cannot edit existing photos
- ❌ Paid version still has watermarks
- 👎 UI not very smooth
- 🚧 Difficult to use for some

**Reported bugs**

- App doesn't work
- Stamps do not disappear
- Auto-recognition cannot be removed
- Cannot save edits
- Freezes during saving

**Requested features**

- Optimize UI design
- Add new special effects
- Option for 4K quality
- Adjustable sparkle size
- Round material options for sparkles


### GenStick

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/genstick/id6755704642)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 10 Credits | $1.99 | one-time |
| 50 Credits | $9.99 | one-time |
| 100 Credits | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shine free?

Shine costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is GenStick free?

GenStick is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Shine or GenStick have ads?

Neither Shine nor GenStick shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Shine or GenStick?

Shine ships an update weekly, and GenStick every 2 months. Most recently, Shine was updated on October 26, 2026 and GenStick on October 25, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*