# Banner Basic vs Backgrounds!

The clearest difference is rating: Backgrounds! at 4.0 against Banner Basic's 3.2. Backgrounds! also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (4.3 vs 15.0). Banner Basic's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Backgrounds! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Banner Basic asks for nothing beyond the download.

Backgrounds! holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 25 and 14 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 56% of Banner Basic's written reviews are positive against 54% of Backgrounds!'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Banner Basic ships an update every 7 months, Backgrounds! every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Banner Basic | Backgrounds! |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.2 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/banner-basic/id285522567/reviews) | **[4.0 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/backgrounds/id386110615/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **25** | 14 |
| Positive reviews | **56.3% of reviews** | 53.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 6 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 6 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **4.3** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Masayuki Akamatsu](https://appshunter.io/developer/284722836) | [Hana Mobile](https://appshunter.io/developer/306576922) |

## 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


### Backgrounds!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/backgrounds/id386110615)

Discover a vast collection of high-quality wallpapers optimized for iPad displays. Explore diverse categories, filter by your preferences, and enjoy a seamless browsing experience with a polished interface. New backgrounds are added regularly.

**Highlights:** iPad-optimized wallpapers, Multiple categories (Cars, Landscapes, Flowers, etc.), Filter by category, Browse by popularity, recent, or random, Fast speed and easy navigation, Polished UI and beautiful design

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Backgrounds Pro | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🖼️ Beautiful pictures and artwork
- ✨ High-quality images
- 🎨 Great variety of wallpapers
- 👍 Easy to use
- 💯 Free to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😩 Pop-up ads are intrusive
- 🚫 Cannot save pictures
- 📉 Limited selection of backgrounds
- 😵 Confusing interface
- 👎 Poorly organized categories

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when applying filters
- App continuously closes when clicking a filter or button
- Cannot install the app
- App shuts down when using the filter function
- Filter function doesn't work

**Requested features**

- Add a search by topic/type button
- Organize new backgrounds into a 'NEW' folder
- Add more filters like anime
- Improve organization with categories (e.g., flowers, nature, cars)
- Implement swipe to go to the next page


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Banner Basic free?

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

### Is Backgrounds! free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Banner Basic or Backgrounds!?

Backgrounds! is rated higher. Banner Basic averages 3.2 out of 5 from 25 ratings, while Backgrounds! averages 4.0 from 14 ratings.

### Do Banner Basic or Backgrounds! have ads?

Banner Basic shows ads; Backgrounds! does not.

### Which is updated more often, Banner Basic or Backgrounds!?

Banner Basic ships an update every 7 months, and Backgrounds! every 6 months. Most recently, Banner Basic was updated on October 2, 2026 and Backgrounds! on September 30, 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.*