# Star Stacker vs Layout for Instagram

The clearest difference is price: Layout for Instagram at Free against Star Stacker's $3.99. Layout for Instagram also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (7.2K vs 99). Star Stacker's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On device support there is nothing between them.

Layout for Instagram is free to download; Star Stacker costs $3.99 up front. Layout for Instagram sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $24.99 per year. Star Stacker asks for nothing beyond the download.

Layout for Instagram holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Layout for Instagram has 7.2K ratings behind it against 99, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Star Stacker's written reviews are positive against 71% of Layout for Instagram's.

Star Stacker ships an update every 2 months, Layout for Instagram every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 27, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Star Stacker | Layout for Instagram |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.3 (99 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/star-stacker/id1549693927/reviews) | **[4.8 (7.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/layout-for-instagram-collage/id6444677940/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 99 | **7.2K** |
| Positive reviews | 56.9% of reviews | **71.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 4 MB | 240 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [michael webb](https://appshunter.io/developer/622398499) | [Shamble, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1625705082) |

## What reviewers say

### Star Stacker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/star-stacker/id1549693927)

Create stunning star trail images and time-lapse videos from sequences of night sky photos. Offers various effects like full trails, faded trails, shooting stars, and warp mode. Supports importing photos from your device's gallery.

**Highlights:** Create star trail images, Generate time-lapse videos, Full trails effect, Faded trails effect, Shooting star effect, Warp mode effect, Import photos from gallery

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- ✨ Great results
- 🚀 Fast processing
- 💡 Versatile for different uses
- 👨‍🏫 Useful for teaching

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 💸 Not worth the money
- 🤔 Unintuitive interface
- 🤷‍♂️ Lack of documentation
- 🐌 Slow stacking speed

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when starting stack
- App crashes when attempting to stack
- App crashes during stacking process
- App crashes when rendering video
- Cannot load photos

**Requested features**

- Option to export live photos
- Help info for stacking options
- Manual stacking option
- Advanced editing software
- Automatic alignment function


### Layout for Instagram

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/layout-for-instagram-collage/id6444677940)

Create stunning photo collages and Instagram Stories with a variety of layouts and templates. Enhance your images with professional editing tools, filters, and text. Save your editing steps as recipes for future use.

**Highlights:** Photo collage creation, Instagram Story templates, Advanced photo editing tools, 100+ filters, Customizable recipes for edits, Watermarking and text addition

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Photo Layout Pro | $24.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to navigate
- 👍 Useful for creating collages
- 👍 Great layout features
- 👍 Flexible and customizable
- 👍 Simple to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 💰 Many premium features
- 🔍 Difficult to find specific photos
- 📺 Intrusive ads even with subscription
- 🔍 Tedious to scroll through layouts

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes with any image
- Difficulty unsubscribing
- Incompatible with older devices

**Requested features**

- Alphabetical album search
- More free layout options
- Ability to place photos precisely
- Dark mode
- Better organization and search


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Star Stacker free?

Star Stacker costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Layout for Instagram free?

Layout for Instagram is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Star Stacker or Layout for Instagram?

Layout for Instagram is rated higher. Star Stacker averages 4.3 out of 5 from 99 ratings, while Layout for Instagram averages 4.8 from 7.2K ratings.

### Do Star Stacker or Layout for Instagram have ads?

Layout for Instagram shows ads; Star Stacker does not.

### Which is updated more often, Star Stacker or Layout for Instagram?

Star Stacker ships an update every 2 months, and Layout for Instagram every 3 weeks. Most recently, Star Stacker was updated on October 27, 2026 and Layout for Instagram on October 27, 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.*