Comparison

Moves by Maxon vs ModelPlay

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

ModelPlay

Easily view and customize 3D models without needing professional knowledge. Import, export, and categorize various file formats, then personalize lighting, backgrounds, materials, and animations for stunning visual effects.

Highlights
  • Import/export GLB, FBX, OBJ, STL, PLY, 3MF
  • Categorize models with folders
  • Customize lighting and backgrounds
  • Adjust model materials and textures
  • Play and control 3D animations
  • Set model position and camera angles
Features
Read full description

ModelPlay supports 3D model classification and viewing, 3D model import and export, and users can personalize each 3D model and save the settings. When using ModelPlay, users don't need to have professional 3D knowledge, just through simple operation, you can get very stunning 3D effects. -3D Model Import and Export Supports import and export of many common 3D format files such as GLB, FBX, OBJ, STL, PLY, 3MF, and so on. -3D Model Categorization Categorize 3D models through folders, support both list and grid display, sorting and editing, and setting image size. -3D Model Lighting Settings Support to set the lighting of the scene where the 3D model is located: support preset lighting combination settings, light color, light intensity, light shadow settings, ambient light color settings, and halo intensity settings. You can create colorful lighting effects through multiple combination settings. 3D Model Background Settings Supports setting the background of the scene where the 3D model is located: supports solid color background and sky box background. You can set “whether to show the ground” to get different scene atmosphere effects. 3D Model Material Settings Support to set the material of 3D model: support default texture material, line material, metal material, transparent material and other material switching. Support to view the original material and texture. -3D Model Animation Settings Support 3D model skeleton display, support animation play and pause, support auto rotate, support dynamic skeleton, support multiple animation clips switch play. -3D Model Position Setting Support 3D model position offset and rotation setting. Support camera view angle setting, you can set different optimal display view angles for different 3D models. -3D Model Mesh Settings Count the number of sub-mesh and mesh vertices of the 3D model, support whether the sub-mesh is visible or not setting, support component separation, and support putting the sub-mesh as the center. -3D Model Cover Settings The 3D model cover will be automatically generated when the 3D model is opened for the first time, support to modify the cover. Note: Updates and Feedback ModelPlay will make continuous updates to provide more 3D setting effects in the subsequent releases. Feel free to provide suggestions to ModelPlay via comments!

Screenshots

Moves by Maxon3 screens
ModelPlay4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Moves by Maxon at none against ModelPlay's 1. ModelPlay's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. ModelPlay sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Moves by Maxon asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 2.9 for Moves by Maxon against 3.0 for ModelPlay. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 8 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 32% of Moves by Maxon's written reviews are positive against 27% of ModelPlay's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Moves by Maxon ships an update every 5 months, ModelPlay every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Moves by Maxon versus ModelPlay: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMoves by MaxonModelPlay
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.9 (7 ratings)3.0 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews32.4% of reviews — better27.3% of reviews
Number of ratings78 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB255 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperMAXON Computer GmbH俊卿 吴

Customer experience

Moves by Maxon

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

ModelPlay

All ratings8 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive27.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative72.7%

In-app purchases

None

Moves by Maxon

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

ModelPlay

One-time1
  • ModelPlay Pro$9.99

Questions

Is Moves by Maxon free?
Moves by Maxon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ModelPlay free?
ModelPlay is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Moves by Maxon or ModelPlay?
ModelPlay is rated higher. Moves by Maxon averages 2.9 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while ModelPlay averages 3.0 from 8 ratings.
Do Moves by Maxon or ModelPlay have ads?
Moves by Maxon shows ads; ModelPlay does not.
Which is updated more often, Moves by Maxon or ModelPlay?
Moves by Maxon ships an update every 5 months, and ModelPlay every 2 weeks. Most recently, Moves by Maxon was updated on October 18, 2026 and ModelPlay on October 11, 2026.

Other comparisons