# Castle vs VideoEffect Lab

The clearest difference is update cadence: VideoEffect Lab at every 6 days against Castle's fortnightly. Castle's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Castle sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and VideoEffect Lab sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Castle ships an update fortnightly, VideoEffect Lab every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Castle | VideoEffect Lab |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (41K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/castle-make-and-play/id1529189247/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **41K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 78.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 88 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Monterey's Coast, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1529189249) | [Lintao Li](https://appshunter.io/developer/1633884272) |

## What reviewers say

### Castle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/castle-make-and-play/id1529189247)

Create and play games with a vibrant community. Design your own games using a simple editor, share them with friends, or explore millions of creations from others. Engage with creators, compete for scores, and develop artistic and technical skills.

**Highlights:** Intuitive game editor, Community game exploration, Social interaction features, Game remixing and customization, Creative skill development tools, Achievement system

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Dweller | $3.99 | per month |
| Dweller+ | $7.99 | per month |
| 100 bricks | $0.99 | one-time |
| 550 bricks | $4.99 | one-time |
| 1,200 bricks | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to make games
- 👍 Fun and entertaining
- 🎨 Allows creativity and expression
- ⭐ Best game app ever

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🔧 Difficult for beginners
- 🔒 Restricted features for younger users
- 🔀 Issues with remixing and copying games

**Reported bugs**

- Keyboard issues and text input problems
- Crashes when opening the app or creating new decks
- Sound and audio not working properly
- Decks not loading or disappearing

**Requested features**

- Add more colors and a color wheel
- Implement a friends system and multiplayer
- Allow longer audio tracks
- Improve text and drawing tools
- Add an undo/redo function


### VideoEffect Lab

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/videoeffect-lab/id6803332553)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 专业版-月付 | $2.99 | per month |
| 专业版-年付 | $19.99 | per year |
| Pro永久 | $39.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Castle free?

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

### Is VideoEffect Lab free?

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

### Do Castle or VideoEffect Lab have ads?

Neither Castle nor VideoEffect Lab shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Castle or VideoEffect Lab?

Castle ships an update fortnightly, and VideoEffect Lab every 6 days. Most recently, Castle was updated on October 28, 2026 and VideoEffect Lab on October 24, 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.*