Moves by Maxon vs Live Link Face
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Moves by Maxon
Capture facial and full-body motion, or scan 3D objects using your iPhone or iPad. Seamlessly transfer your creations into Cinema 4D for animation and 3D modeling. Ideal for bringing expressions, movements, or scanned items into your 3D projects.
- Facial motion capture
- Full-body motion capture
- 3D object scanning (photogrammetry)
- Real-time 3D model generation
- Transfer to Cinema 4D
- ARKit body tracking
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Moves by Maxon is available on the iOS App Store for all iPhones and iPads running iOS 15.0 and later. Get Your Moves On! -------------------- With Moves by Maxon for iPhone and iPad you can capture facial and full-body movement or scan 3D objects and then bring them into 3D space in Cinema 4D. Whether you want to bring your facial expressions, best dance moves or a model of your favorite teddy bear into the world of 3D, Moves by Maxon is the perfect app. Download it now! Object Capture ---------------- Photogrammetry based object capture couldn't be easier! Place the object you want to import in a well lit spot where it can be photographed from all angles. Start taking snapshots and the on-screen tool shows a record of where you have snapped. Moves by Maxon will let you know when there are enough images. Then connect and send the images to Cinema 4D and watch the magic happen! For best results, start practicing with simple objects such as a small stuffed toy or desktop sculpture. Note - Object Capture is only supported by Cinema 4D 2023 and later running on macOS Monterey. Facial Motion Capture ----------------------------- With Face Capture, you can capture facial expressions with iPad or iPhone. It's as easy as recording a selfie video. Start the camera and off you go. The app uses the capture data to generate a moving 3D model in real time, which you can then transfer to 3D geometry in Cinema 4D. The movements of your facial expressions are precisely detected and can be used to create impressive facial animations in Cinema 4D without any previous knowledge. Want to learn how? Check out our tutorials on www.cineversity.com. Body Motion Capture ---------------------------- You can record entire body movements as well! When videos are recorded in the Moves by Maxon app with your iPhone or iPad camera, Apple ARKit analyzes the movements in realtime and creates an animated 3D "skeleton" that is superimposed on the video. This provides a preview and the ability evaluate the recording of your moves. Once you've imported the capture data into Cinema 4D - a simple and intuitive process - you can adjust the data there and transfer it to a 3D figure to perform your very own moves. Please note: Capturing body motion is a relatively new feature of Apple's ARKit, so capturing clean full figure motion requires some preparation and finesse. Therefore, there are a few things you should consider when capturing body movements to ensure good results. Contrast Matters ---------------------- The person being captured should stand out from the background. So, choose dark clothes for light backgrounds and vice versa. Fitted clothing will produce better results than loose or baggy clothing. Extreme patterns in clothing are also not optimal. Don't Move Too Fast --------------------------- Due to the motion blur that occurs when recording fast movements, the contours can become blurred and no longer be precisely captured by the app. Pirouettes and similar fast movements should be avoided for best results. Avoid Overlapping ------------------------ Moves by Maxon may not be able to distinguish and interpret movements where arms or legs cross each other or are crossed in front of or behind the body correctly. This can cause captured movement to "fidget" for a short time. Quiet movements without repeatedly crossing the arms or legs provide more accurate recordings. Cinema 4D is required to utilize the captured movement and the Moves by Maxon connectivity comes preinstalled. If you do not have Cinema 4D, a free trial version is available at www.maxon.net.
Live Link Face
Capture facial performances from your iPhone or iPad for use in Unreal Engine. Create high-fidelity facial animation for MetaHumans or drive characters in real-time. Supports raw video, depth data, and ARKit animation streaming.
- Facial performance capture
- MetaHuman Animator integration
- Real-time animation streaming
- ARKit animation data output
- Timecode synchronization
- Remote control via OSC
- Take management and sharing
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Live Link Face for effortless facial animation in Unreal Engine—capture performances for use in Unreal Engine from your iPhone or iPad. Capture facial performances for MetaHuman Animator: - Live Link Face supports both real-time and processed animation. - MetaHuman Animator uses Live Link Face to capture performances, then applies its own processing to create high-fidelity facial animation for MetaHumans. - The Live Link Face app captures raw video and depth data, which can be transmitted directly from your device into Unreal Engine for use with the MetaHuman plugin. - Facial animation created with MetaHuman Animator can be applied to any MetaHuman character in just a few clicks. - This workflow requires an iPhone (12 or above) and a desktop PC running Windows 10/11. Real-time animation for MetaHumans: - The Live Link Face app generates animation to drive a MetaHuman Character in real time. - Animation data is streamed to Unreal Engine over a network using the MetaHuman Live Link Plugin. - This workflow requires an iPhone (12 or above) and a desktop PC running Windows 10/11. Real-time animation for non-MetaHuman characters: - Stream out ARKit animation data live to an Unreal Engine instance via Live Link over a network. - Visualize facial expressions in real time with live rendering in Unreal Engine. - Drive a 3D preview mesh, optionally overlaid over the video reference on the phone. - Record the raw ARKit animation data and front-facing video reference footage. - Tune the capture data to the individual performer and improve facial animation quality with rest pose calibration. Timecode support for multi-device synchronization: - Select from the system clock, an NTP server, or use a Tentacle Sync device to connect with a master clock on stage. - Video reference is frame accurate with embedded timecode for editorial. Control Live Link Face remotely with OSC or via the MetaHuman Plugin for Unreal Engine: - Trigger recording remotely so actors can focus on their performances. - Capture slate names and take numbers consistently. - Extract data for processing and storage. Browse and manage the library of captured takes: - Delete takes within Live Link Face, share via AirDrop. - Transfer directly over network when using MetaHuman Animator. - Review captured footage on-device.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Live Link Face at 3.6 against Moves by Maxon's 2.9. Live Link Face also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Live Link Face holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Live Link Face has 114 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 32% of Moves by Maxon's written reviews are positive against 48% of Live Link Face's.
Moves by Maxon ships an update every 5 months, Live Link Face every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on July 8, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Moves by Maxon | Live Link Face |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.9 (7 ratings) | 3.6 (114 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 32.4% of reviews | 48.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7 | 114 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 27 MB | 117 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Maxon Computer GmbH | Unreal Engine |
Customer experience
Moves by Maxon
Live Link Face
In-app purchases
Moves by Maxon
No in-app purchases
Live Link Face
No in-app purchases









