# Emoticons vs Animated Emojis for Message

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Emoticons at 76% against Animated Emojis for Message's 10%. Emoticons also leads on rating (4.4 vs 3.3) and update cadence (monthly vs every 8 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Emoticons sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and Animated Emojis for Message sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Emoticons holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Emoticons has 759 ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Emoticons's written reviews are positive against 10% of Animated Emojis for Message's.

Emoticons ships an update monthly, Animated Emojis for Message every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Emoticons | Animated Emojis for Message |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (759 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emoticons/id354870264/reviews)** | [3.3 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/animated-emojis-for-message/id1309006190/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **759** | 17 |
| Positive reviews | **75.7% of reviews** | 10.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 8 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 36 MB | 160 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.3** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Trilliarden Entertainment GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1121555076) | [Danijel Cvetkovic](https://appshunter.io/developer/1304342180) |

## What reviewers say

### Emoticons

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emoticons/id354870264)

Easily design unique emojis and create custom sticker packs for iMessage.  Share your creations as pictures in any messenger or email, ensuring they look perfect on all devices.

**Highlights:** Design custom emojis, Create sticker packages for iMessage, Copy emojis as pictures, Cross-platform compatibility, Effortless emoji creation

**Features:** iMessage stickers

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Super Slot Package | Free | one-time |
| Ad Removal | $0.99 | one-time |
| Poop Package | $0.99 | one-time |
| Summer Package | $0.99 | one-time |
| Lunatic Professor Package | $0.99 | one-time |
| Smiley Package | $0.99 | one-time |
| Halloween Package | $0.99 | one-time |
| Christmas Package | $0.99 | one-time |
| Caffeine Package | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Ability to create custom emoticons
- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Unique feature to personalize emoticons
- 🚀 Works well
- 🎉 Fun and creative

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Paid features required for full functionality
- 📦 Limited number of free emoticon slots
- 🔒 Restricted options without paying

**Reported bugs**

- Emoticons not visible to non-iPhone users
- Inconsistent behavior when deleting the app

**Requested features**

- More emoticon options and customization
- Compatibility with other messaging apps
- Ability to resize and position emoticons


### Animated Emojis for Message

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/animated-emojis-for-message/id1309006190)

Enhance your text conversations with a collection of animated emoticons and funny smileys. Easily share these vibrant emojis across various messaging platforms to make your chats more engaging and expressive.

**Highlights:** Animated funny smileys, Emoticons for texting, Share across chat apps, Add fun to typing, Stylish emoji options

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock This Category | $1.99 | one-time |
| Unlock All | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Emoticons free?

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

### Is Animated Emojis for Message free?

Animated Emojis for Message is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Emoticons or Animated Emojis for Message?

Emoticons is rated higher. Emoticons averages 4.4 out of 5 from 759 ratings, while Animated Emojis for Message averages 3.3 from 17 ratings.

### Do Emoticons or Animated Emojis for Message have ads?

Neither Emoticons nor Animated Emojis for Message shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Emoticons or Animated Emojis for Message?

Emoticons ships an update monthly, and Animated Emojis for Message every 8 months. Most recently, Emoticons was updated on November 1, 2026 and Animated Emojis for Message on October 29, 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.*