# Banner Basic vs Light up letter box

The clearest difference is rating: Light up letter box at 4.7 against Banner Basic's 3.2. Light up letter box also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (811 vs 25). Banner Basic's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, update cadence, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Light up letter box sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Banner Basic asks for nothing beyond the download.

Light up letter box holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Light up letter box has 811 ratings behind it against 25, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Banner Basic's written reviews are positive against 69% of Light up letter box's.

Banner Basic ships an update every 7 months, Light up letter box every 13 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Banner Basic | Light up letter box |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.2 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/banner-basic/id285522567/reviews) | **[4.7 (811 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/light-up-letter-box/id1456091679/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 25 | **811** |
| Positive reviews | 56.3% of reviews | **69.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 7 months** | Every 13 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 6 MB | 34 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **8.4.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Masayuki Akamatsu](https://appshunter.io/developer/284722836) | [Indigo Penguin Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/307462568) |

## What reviewers say

### Banner Basic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/banner-basic/id285522567)

Create custom LED-matrix-style messages and display them on your device. Show text, symbols, dates, times, tweets, and music information with various customization options for speed, appearance, and display settings.

**Highlights:** Customizable LED-matrix display, Show user-defined messages, Display date and time, Show tweet feeds, Display music information, Adjustable scroll and blink speeds, Customizable LED appearance (size, shape, color)

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🤩 Fun and creative
- 🙌 Useful for communicating across a room
- 😊 Great for quick messages

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- ⏱️ Slow scrolling speed
- 🎨 Limited customization options
- 💤 Drains battery quickly

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on launch
- Distorted text display
- Incompatibility with iOS updates

**Requested features**

- Speed control for scrolling
- Color and font customization
- Ability to save/recall preset messages
- Orientation and display options
- Improved performance and stability


### Light up letter box

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/light-up-letter-box/id1456091679)

Create your own personalized message board with a classic cinema style. This free app offers unlimited letter and number tiles to craft endless messages. Save your creations as wallpaper or share them with friends.

**Highlights:** Classic cinema style message board, Personalized endlessly, Unlimited letter and number tiles, Save as wallpaper, Share with friends

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock colors | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and enjoyable app
- 🙂 Allows users to create their own content
- 💡 Unique concept for a lightbox app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches (e.g., app going black, issues with photo orientation)
- ⚠️ Limited features (e.g., lack of color options, emojis, typing functionality)
- 💰 In-app purchases required to unlock features

**Reported bugs**

- App resets when going off it
- Issues with sharing and unlocking features

**Requested features**

- Add keyboard functionality to type messages
- Expand color and emoji options
- Improve photo/image integration and editing tools


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Banner Basic free?

Banner Basic is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Light up letter box free?

Light up letter box is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Banner Basic or Light up letter box?

Light up letter box is rated higher. Banner Basic averages 3.2 out of 5 from 25 ratings, while Light up letter box averages 4.7 from 811 ratings.

### Do Banner Basic or Light up letter box have ads?

Banner Basic shows ads; Light up letter box does not.

### Which is updated more often, Banner Basic or Light up letter box?

Banner Basic ships an update every 7 months, and Light up letter box every 13 months. Most recently, Banner Basic was updated on October 8, 2026 and Light up letter box on October 7, 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.*