Comparison

Moves by Maxon vs PhotoCatch

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Facial motion capture
  • Full-body motion capture
  • 3D object scanning (photogrammetry)
  • Real-time 3D model generation
  • Transfer to Cinema 4D
  • ARKit body tracking
Read full description

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.

About

PhotoCatch

Transform your photos and videos into impressive 3D models with this powerful mobile studio. Easily create, edit, and export your 3D creations for personal, professional, or industrial use. Share your work seamlessly for AR experiences or integration into other 3D software.

Highlights
  • Create 3D models from photos/videos
  • Advanced capture tools
  • Import photos from various cameras
  • Depth Capture for real-world scaling
  • Mobile 3D editing tools
  • USDZ and OBJ export
  • AR Quick Look integration
Read full description

PhotoCatch enables anyone to turn photos or videos into stunning 3D models and turns your device into a 3D content creation studio. Whether you’re using PhotoCatch for personal, professional, or industrial projects, PhotoCatch helps turn your 3D dreams into reality. CREATE STUNNING 3D MODELS WITH PHOTOGRAMMETRY · If you can take a video, you can create 3D models with PhotoCatch · Take individual photos with our advanced capture tools for the highest quality results · Take photos in the app or import from your iPhone, DSLR, drone, or other camera · Depth Capture automatically scales 3D models to match real world objects THE MOST ADVANCED MOBILE 3D EDITOR · Perfect your 3D models without leaving PhotoCatch · Advanced tools that are easy to use so anyone can get started with 3D SHARE AND EXPORT YOUR 3D CREATIONS · USDZ export makes your 3D models ready to share with AR Quick Look · OBJ export lets you use PhotoCatch models in almost any 3D software ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES · Build Snapchat AR Lenses · Develop ARKit apps · Create visual effects with Cinema 4D, Blender, or After Effects A monthly purchase will be applied to your iTunes account on confirmation. Subscriptions will automatically renew unless canceled within 24-hours before the end of the current period. You can cancel antime with your iTunes account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial will be forfeited if you purchase a subscription. For more information, see our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, linked below. Terms of Service: https://www.photocatch.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.photocatch.app/terms

Screenshots

Moves by Maxon3 screens
PhotoCatch4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PhotoCatch at 5.0 against Moves by Maxon's 2.9. PhotoCatch also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months). Moves by Maxon's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (9 vs 2). On price, review sentiment, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PhotoCatch sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Moves by Maxon asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PhotoCatch holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 2 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 32% and 33% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Moves by Maxon ships an update every 5 months, PhotoCatch every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Moves by Maxon versus PhotoCatch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMoves by MaxonPhotoCatch
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.9 (9 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews32.4% of reviews32.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMAXON Computer GmbHEOS Innovations LLC

Customer experience

Moves by Maxon

All ratings7 ratings
Positive42.9%
Neutral14.3%
Negative42.9%
Written reviews34 reviews
Positive32.4%
Neutral2.9%
Negative64.7%

PhotoCatch

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews80 reviews
Positive32.5%
Neutral13.8%
Negative53.8%

Bugs and requests

Moves by Maxon

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

PhotoCatch

Reported bugs

36 issues
  • Update prompts when on latest version
  • App crashes when using video/photos
  • App freezes when processing large image sets
  • Export original file (OBJ) creates empty folder
  • Delete projects button is broken
Show 31 more
  • Subscription not recognized by app
  • Cannot generate model with provided photos
  • Instantly says cannot generate model after clicking button
  • App tells Mac does not support on-device processing
  • Cannot render one 3D file
  • Slow turntable rotation
  • Removed all good features in update
  • Cannot choose model quality
  • Lost cloud service option
  • Keeps freezing up
  • No feedback when app fails
  • App crashes during extract media process
  • App sometimes freezes at 100%
  • Cannot process images on Intel Macs
  • Error: 'Your Mac does not support on-device processing'
  • Error: 'cantCreateSession("A GPU with supportsRaytracing is required.")'
  • Error: 'The operation couldn’t be completed. (RealityFoundation.PhotogrammetryNativeApiOutput.Error error 0.)'
  • Error: 'low power mode'
  • RoomPlan export produces USDZ file instead of OBJ
  • App crashes when opening saved scan
  • Models still downloading after two weeks
  • Paid account cannot login on desktop
  • App keeps crashing (RoomPlan scans)
  • Cannot detect image files at first
  • Model preview disappears after a short time
  • Extracting photos from video causes memory leak
  • App cannot process photos on Mac Pro (2019)
  • Cannot use app without creating an account
  • App won't let me create an account without email/password
  • GPU error message
  • Help section unavailable

Requested features

9 requests
  • Perpetual license option
  • Option to empty cache/clear storage
  • Dark mode option
  • More Mac capabilities
  • Permanent purchase option
Show 4 more
  • Offline, hassle-free solution
  • Subscription service option
  • Clearer explanation of paid features
  • Add minimal specifications to description

In-app purchases

None

Moves by Maxon

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

PhotoCatch

Subscriptions4
  • PhotoCatch Essentials$4.991 Month
  • PhotoCatch Pro$9.991 Month
  • PhotoCatch Small Business$19.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • PhotoCatch Corporate$49.991 Month

Questions

Is Moves by Maxon free?
Moves by Maxon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PhotoCatch free?
PhotoCatch is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Moves by Maxon or PhotoCatch?
PhotoCatch is rated higher. Moves by Maxon averages 2.9 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while PhotoCatch averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Moves by Maxon or PhotoCatch have ads?
Moves by Maxon shows ads; PhotoCatch does not.
Which is updated more often, Moves by Maxon or PhotoCatch?
Moves by Maxon ships an update every 5 months, and PhotoCatch every 2 weeks. Most recently, Moves by Maxon was updated on November 3, 2026 and PhotoCatch on November 7, 2026.

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