Comparison

shElfAR vs Elf Studio®

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

Head to head
About

shElfAR

Explore and interact with a personalized AR elf. Choose from a catalog of poses and dances, customize its appearance, and capture photos to share.

Highlights
  • Augmented Reality experience
  • AR elf catalog of poses and dances
  • Customizable elf clothing
  • Snap, save, and share photos
  • Growing catalog of content
Read full description

shElfAR uses AR (Augmented Reality) to give you a fun, immersive experience: explore and take photos with your very own AR Elf! - Browse shElfAR's growing catalogue of fun poses & dances. - Personalise your AR Elf however you like with an array of clothing customisation options. - Snap, save and share photos with your AR Elf.

About

Elf Studio®

Create magical videos and photos of Santa and his elves visiting your home using augmented reality. Place characters in any environment, customize their appearance and animations, and record your own festive scenes.

Highlights
  • Add Santa Claus and elves
  • Unlimited elves and recording time
  • Create custom elves with Elf Workshop
  • Customize elf outfits and accessories
  • Elves with walking and dancing animations
  • Pre-plan or perform animations
  • Customize lighting, shadows, and camera filters
Features
Read full description

Welcome to Elf Studio®! The latest marvel from the Software Elves here at the North Pole Command Center (Creators of Speak to Santa)! Turn your elf's Christmas mischief into photos and videos set in your own home! Put them under the tree, send them towards the cookie jar, or dream up a surprise of your own. - SCAN YOUR OWN ELF! Start with one photo of your elf toy, with room for up to four views. Every account includes one elf scan. Elf Studio Pro includes ten a month, with no additional credit charge. - NO TOY? DRAW OR DESCRIBE ONE! Sketch your elf on the drawing pad or describe it in words, and the AI turns it into an elf you can cast in any scene. - QUICK CREATE OR STUDIO! Pick an elf and a photo, then describe the action, or stage your photo by dragging elves and props into place, choosing poses and adjusting sizes. - GET HELP WITH THE WORDS! Studio builds a scene script from your layout. Get Ideas suggests actions for your photo, and Improve helps rewrite your prompt. - AI PHOTOS & VIDEOS! Make photo takes, compare them and animate your favorite. Cast up to three elves with their own roles in the scene. - DIRECT THE SHOT! Create five-second AI videos with Natural, Stop Motion or Storybook styling, camera movement, portrait or landscape framing and optional generated sound. Use start and end images to guide the action. - MAKE AN EXAMPLE YOUR OWN! Browse scene ideas and use an example recipe with your chosen elf and your own photo. - THE ELF WORKSHOP! Choose ready-made elves in classic and felt styles, or design one in 3D with hair, hats, outfits, gloves, shoes, glasses and colors, with a live preview. - ENHANCE WITH AI! Give your elf a lifelike look and keep different looks to choose from. - BRING THE PROPS! Pick from the prop shelf, scan a toy or describe a prop for the AI to create reference pictures. - STICKERS & POSES! Make AI stickers of your elf striking new poses, then use those poses in your Studio photos. Add a bust sticker of any custom elf, made right on your device. - SEND THEM IN MESSAGES! Open Elf Studio® in the Messages app drawer to send the cast, your own elves and the stickers you have made. - HOME SCREEN WIDGETS! Count the sleeps until Christmas or until your elf arrives, with a posed elf of your choice keeping watch. - MAKE THEM AR-READY! Generate a 3D model of a scanned elf or prop before placing it in your room. - FILM IN AUGMENTED REALITY! Place AR-ready elves and props on your floor, draw walking routes, add stops and choose animations. Capture AR photos and videos, with Look at Camera, footsteps, lighting and actions you can trigger while filming. AR needs a compatible device. - CATCH THEIR FACES! Record the viewer's reaction as your video plays. Reaction recordings stay on your device and are not uploaded to Elf Studio®. - ADD THE FINISHING TOUCH! Apply eight video looks and filters without changing the original. Find your creations in the Gallery, save them to Photos and share the files. AI generation needs an internet connection. Once a job is sent, it can continue on our servers while you leave the app. Enable notifications to hear when it is ready. Your Gallery is stored on this device. Elf Studio® does not provide cloud library backup, so export the memories you want to keep. AI or AR. Photo or video. Your elf, your home, your Christmas story! Elf Studio® is created by North Pole Command Centre Limited and works with any toy. Elf Studio® is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Elf on the Shelf®, but many families use Elf Studio® alongside their existing Elf on the Shelf traditions. Made by the software elves here at the North Pole Command Center! Elf Studio® is a registered trademark in the United Kingdom, the European Union and the United States. All rights reserved.

Screenshots

shElfAR2 screens
Elf Studio®4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Elf Studio® at 45% against shElfAR's 0%. Elf Studio® also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (3.8K vs 3). shElfAR's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 14) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and device support 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. Elf Studio® sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. shElfAR asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Elf Studio® holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Elf Studio® has 3.8K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of shElfAR's written reviews are positive against 45% of Elf Studio®'s.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
shElfAR versus Elf Studio®: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametershElfARElf Studio®
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (3 ratings)4.7 (3.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews45.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings33.8K — better
Update frequency—Every 3 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size76 MB350 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerweb-engineerNorth Pole Command Centre Limited

Customer experience

shElfAR

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Elf Studio®

All ratings3,778 ratings
Positive90.8%
Neutral3.3%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews99 reviews
Positive45.5%
Neutral6.1%
Negative48.5%

Bugs and requests

shElfAR

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Elf Studio®

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Unable to scan surfaces for elf placement
  • Crashes and freezes when trying to use app

Requested features

3 requests
  • More free customization options
  • Ability to save and share created scenes
  • Improved surface detection for elf placement

In-app purchases

None

shElfAR

No in-app purchases

14 purchases

Elf Studio®

Subscriptions5
  • Unlock Elf Studio$1.991 Month
  • Elf Studio™ - Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Unlock Elf Studio$3.991 Year
Show 2 more
  • Elf Studio™ - Annual$6.991 Year
  • Elf Studio Pro - Annual$9.991 Year
One-time9
  • 50+ Elf Dance Animations$0.99
  • 1 Credit - Pro Price$1.99
  • 5 Credits - Pro Price$5.99
Show 6 more
  • 5 Elf Video Credits$7.99
  • 10 Credits - Pro Price$9.99
  • Elf Studio - Lifetime Pass$19.99
  • 25 Credits - Pro Price$22.99
  • 50 Credits - Pro Price$34.99
  • 50 Credits$39.99

Questions

Is shElfAR free?
shElfAR is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Elf Studio® free?
Elf Studio® is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, shElfAR or Elf Studio®?
Elf Studio® is rated higher. shElfAR averages 3.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Elf Studio® averages 4.7 from 3.8K ratings.
Do shElfAR or Elf Studio® have ads?
Neither shElfAR nor Elf Studio® shows ads.

Other comparisons