# PuppetMaster vs Puppet Pals

The clearest difference is price: PuppetMaster at Free against Puppet Pals's $6.99. PuppetMaster also leads on ratings volume (52 vs 13) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). Puppet Pals's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and review sentiment (70% vs 39%). On rating, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

PuppetMaster is free to download; Puppet Pals costs $6.99 up front. PuppetMaster sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Puppet Pals asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.0 for PuppetMaster against 4.1 for Puppet Pals. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 52 and 13 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 39% of PuppetMaster's written reviews are positive against 70% of Puppet Pals's.

PuppetMaster ships an update monthly, Puppet Pals every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PuppetMaster | Puppet Pals |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $6.99 |
| Rating | [4.0 (52 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/puppetmaster/id438080891/reviews) | **[4.1 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/puppet-pals-school-edition/id462134755/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **52** | 13 |
| Positive reviews | 39.5% of reviews | **69.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#197** |
| Size | 415 MB | 75 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shmonster LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/438080894) | [Polished Play, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/332686547) |

## What reviewers say

### PuppetMaster

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/puppetmaster/id438080891)

Create animated videos by acting out scenes or touching the screen. Record your voice to bring characters to life in real-time. Features motion capture, multi-touch control, and the ability to use custom puppets and backgrounds.

**Highlights:** Real-time animation, Motion capture, Multi-touch animation, Create custom puppets, Create custom backgrounds, Export and share videos

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Creative Kids' Activities | $2.99 | per month |
| Animation | $2.99 | per month |
| Creative Kids' Activities | $24.99 | per year |
| Animation | $24.99 | per year |
| Animation | $2.99 | one-time |
| Animation | $24.99 | one-time |


### Puppet Pals

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/puppet-pals-school-edition/id462134755)

**Currently charting:** #197 Top Paid · Education (US App Store)

This app provides a complete toolkit for students to create animated stories, ideal for educational projects like book reports and historical reenactments. It allows for custom character and backdrop creation using drawing or photos, and includes over 100 pre-loaded characters. The app is safe for schools with no online sharing or ads.

**Highlights:** Create animated stories, Draw custom characters and backdrops, Use photos as characters/backgrounds, Over 100 pre-loaded characters, Printable lesson plans and resources, Offline functionality

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PuppetMaster free?

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

### Is Puppet Pals free?

Puppet Pals costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, PuppetMaster or Puppet Pals?

Puppet Pals is rated higher. PuppetMaster averages 4.0 out of 5 from 52 ratings, while Puppet Pals averages 4.1 from 13 ratings.

### Do PuppetMaster or Puppet Pals have ads?

Neither PuppetMaster nor Puppet Pals shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PuppetMaster or Puppet Pals?

PuppetMaster ships an update monthly, and Puppet Pals every 3 weeks. Most recently, PuppetMaster was updated on September 20, 2026 and Puppet Pals on September 11, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*