# Grideo vs Carousel

The clearest difference is monetization model: Carousel at free with in-app purchases against Grideo's subscription. Carousel also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.8 vs 4.6). Grideo's advantage is ratings volume (578 vs 10) and device support (4 vs 1). On price and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Grideo sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Carousel sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Carousel holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Grideo has 578 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Grideo's written reviews are positive against 93% of Carousel's.

Grideo ships an update every 5 weeks, Carousel fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Grideo | Carousel |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (578 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grideo-post-and-thumbnail-maker/id1500554567/reviews) | **[4.8 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carousel-ai-posts-for-insta/id1584962857/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **578** | 10 |
| Positive reviews | 81.5% of reviews | **92.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 161 MB | 79 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [App Toro](https://appshunter.io/developer/1003781256) | [Fancygames, Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/355409981) |

## What reviewers say

### Grideo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grideo-post-and-thumbnail-maker/id1500554567)

Create stunning social media graphics and videos with professionally designed templates. Customize designs with a vast array of editing tools, fonts, and stock media. Plan your content with a built-in events calendar to never miss a posting opportunity.

**Highlights:** Professionally designed templates, Video editing and integration, Customizable social media sizes, Templates Calendar for event planning, Extensive font library, 2 million+ free stock images, Animated templates

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (16)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Grideo Upgrade (weekly) | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Grideo Upgrade (monthly) | $4.99 | per month |
| Grideo Upgrade (monthly) | $5.99 | per month |
| Grideo-Weekly Premium | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| Grideo-Weekly Subscription | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly Premium | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| Grideo Upgrade | $11.99 | per month |
| Grideo Upgrade (yearly) | $29.99 | per year |
| Grideo Upgrade (yearly) | $34.99 | per year |
| Grideo Upgrade | $39.99 | per year |
| Grideo-Yearly Premium | $59.99 | per year |
| Yearly Premium | $59.99 | per year |
| Grideo Upgrade (lifetime) | $34.99 | one-time |
| Grideo Upgrade (lifetime) | $39.99 | one-time |
| Grideo Upgrade (lifetime) | $44.99 | one-time |
| Grideo Upgrade (lifetime) | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 🎨 High-quality professional templates
- 📱 Cross-device compatibility (iPad, Mac, mobile)
- 🎯 Versatile for social media content creation
- ⚡ Fast and simple to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Aggressive paywall - requires subscription immediately
- 🚫 No free features or demo period
- 🌐 Language switching not obvious or unavailable
- ⚠️ Complex interface for some users
- ✍️ Quality control issues with template typos

**Reported bugs**

- Template contains typos in pre-made designs

**Requested features**

- Undo button functionality
- Clearer language selection options
- Free trial or demo period before subscription


### Carousel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carousel-ai-posts-for-insta/id1584962857)

Generate professional carousel posts for social media quickly using AI. This tool transforms topics or outlines into editable slides with AI-generated text and images, streamlining content creation for creators and businesses.

**Highlights:** AI writing for hooks and slide copy, AI image generation, Flexible template customization, Mobile-first editing, Export for multiple platforms, Topic-to-post generation

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Monthly | $7.99 | per month |
| Premium Yearly | $34.99 | per year |
| Premium Annual | $38.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Grideo free?

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

### Is Carousel free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Grideo or Carousel?

Carousel is rated higher. Grideo averages 4.6 out of 5 from 578 ratings, while Carousel averages 4.8 from 10 ratings.

### Do Grideo or Carousel have ads?

Grideo shows ads; Carousel does not.

### Which is updated more often, Grideo or Carousel?

Grideo ships an update every 5 weeks, and Carousel fortnightly. Most recently, Grideo was updated on November 3, 2026 and Carousel on October 31, 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.*