Stop Motion Studio vs iStopMotion
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Stop Motion Studio
Easily create stop motion animations and films with powerful editing tools. Capture every frame with manual camera controls, add sound and effects, and share your creations in high definition. Suitable for beginners and experienced animators alike.
- Onion skinning and animation guides
- Frame-by-frame editing
- Manual camera controls
- Voiceover and sound effects
- Green screen effects
- 4K export
- Remote camera control
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Join 25 million creators making stop motion animation with ease. Stop Motion Studio is the Apple-featured app for creating stunning stop motion films. Enjoy powerful creative tools with no ads, no tracking, and no subscriptions. Stop Motion Studio is the easiest and most powerful stop motion animation maker for iPhone and iPad. Create beautiful animated films with LEGO, clay, drawings, or everyday objects — no experience required. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned animator, Stop Motion Studio gives you everything you need to turn your ideas into motion. Loved by Millions Worldwide * Over 25 million creators and counting * Rated 4.7 stars with more than 65,000 reviews * Featured in Apple’s “Life on iPad” TV commercial “Stop Motion Studio makes it easy to create your own stop-motion movies.” – The Washington Post “Brings out the LEGO moviemaking geek in all of us.” – TechNewsWorld Create and Edit with Precision * Onion skinning and animation guides for perfect alignment * Interactive timeline and frame-by-frame editing * Copy, paste, cut, and insert frames with ease * Rotoscoping: draw over videos for unique effects * Built-in drawing tools, text cards, and speech bubbles * Erase unwanted objects and add facial expressions or layers * Merge frames to simulate motion blur or speed effects Capture Every Frame * Full manual camera controls: focus, exposure, ISO, and white balance * Timelapse capture mode for automatic shooting * Use your Apple Watch or another device as a remote camera Add Sound and Style * Record voiceovers and narration directly in the app * Add sound effects, background music, or import from your library * Use filters, fades, and transitions for cinematic results * Green screen effects let you place characters anywhere Share Your Masterpiece * Export your films in 4K or 1080p HD * Share directly to YouTube, TikTok, or save as a GIF or iMessage sticker * Transfer projects via AirDrop, iCloud, or Dropbox * Start on iPhone and finish on Mac — your work stays in sync Learn and Improve * Step-by-step tutorials and creative tips included * Built-in manual for quick guidance and inspiration Yours to Create No ads. No tracking. No subscriptions. Your data stays private and your creativity stays yours. Download Stop Motion Studio today. Join millions of creators and bring your imagination to life — one frame at a time. * Some features require in-app purchases. All features are already included in the Pro version.
iStopMotion
Create stop motion animations and time-lapse recordings with ease. This app allows users of all ages to tell stories frame by frame, making it a fun creative experience for families and an educational tool for classrooms. Features include camera overlays, instant playback, and audio import.
- Camera Overlay
- Instant Playback
- Timeline and Navigator
- Import or Record Audio
- Remote Camera Support
- Flip Book Printing
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Join many thousands of iStopMotion fans and enjoy the excitement of creating stop motion animations (AKA claymation or stop action movies) and time lapse recordings with the highly-rated iStopMotion. You can be a master filmmaker, directing your own blockbuster animation movie. It's fun and easy for everybody from kids to grandparents to tell your story frame by frame, featuring your favorite toys. Turn the time spent with your children into a great creative experience and wow friends and family at your opening night. iStopMotion is also used in hundreds of classrooms all over the world in all disciplines, honing creativity, problem-solving and communication skills in students of all ages. KEY FEATURES AND BENEFITS Camera Overlay – Overlay the current live camera image with the previous one and see the changes unfold before your eyes. Animate more quickly and with a higher degree of accuracy. Instant Playback – Being able to play back your work at any time without a long wait leads to instant gratification. Beautiful Timeline and Navigator – Never get lost and quickly navigate through your movie, even if there are hundreds of frames. Import or Record Audio – Easily animate to a prerecorded sound track like the pros or dub your movie after shooting. A waveform view helps you recognize significant events in the sound track making it easy to match sound with the animation. Remote Camera – Position your camera more conveniently and avoid touching the camera device for capturing a frame with iStopMotion Remote Camera (download separately from the app store) - a free complementary app to iStopMotion! Theater – Be inspired by what other people create with iStopMotion or share your own masterpiece with the world. Flip Book Printing – Create a PDF that contains the key frames of your animation to print out and assemble into a nice flip book to show off to your friends and family. For more information, great examples, a forum and tech support go to boinx.com/istopmotion/ HIGH RATINGS FOR ISTOPMOTION "Once again, Boinx has done an excellent job…" – Steve Sande, TUAW.com "I was truly impressed with the quality of movies I could make with this software." – Derrick Story, TheDigitalStory.com *** Winner Macworld Best of Show 2013 *** *** Winner Macworld Best of Show 2012 and Mac Observer Editors Choice Awards ***
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Stop Motion Studio at Free against iStopMotion's $9.99. Stop Motion Studio also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.8) and ratings volume (78K vs 23). iStopMotion's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.6). On ads, chart position 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
Stop Motion Studio is free to download; iStopMotion costs $9.99 up front. Stop Motion Studio sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. iStopMotion asks for nothing beyond the download.
Stop Motion Studio holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Stop Motion Studio has 78K ratings behind it against 23, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Stop Motion Studio's written reviews are positive against 63% of iStopMotion's.
Stop Motion Studio ships an update every 2 weeks, iStopMotion every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Stop Motion Studio | iStopMotion |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $9.99 |
| Rating | 4.6 (78K ratings) — better | 3.8 (23 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 79.3% of reviews — better | 62.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 78K — better | 23 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #170 — better | #181 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 179 MB | 35 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | CATEATER, LLC | Boinx Software International GmbH |
Customer experience
Stop Motion Studio
iStopMotion
User reviews
Stop Motion Studio
From 78K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great for stop motion
- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Allows for creative expression
- 👍 Good for beginners
- 👍 Helpful tutorials
Room to improve
- 💰 Many features locked behind paywall
- 🐛 Glitches and bugs
- 🔋 Battery draining
- 🔍 Limited free features
- 🔍 Restricted editing options without premium
iStopMotion
From 23 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great for stop motion animation
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🔍 Useful onion skinning feature
- 📱 Ability to use iPhone as remote camera
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🔒 Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- 🔒 Doesn't work on iPad 1
- 🔒 Remote camera feature not reliable
- 🔒 Inability to reorganize frames
Bugs and requests
Stop Motion Studio
Reported bugs
5 issues- Camera shaking/blurry issues
- Sound not working properly
- Frames skipping or lagging
- Inability to restore deleted projects
- Inconsistent performance across devices
Requested features
5 requests- More free features and effects
- Improved erasing and editing tools
- Ability to import photos and videos
- More sound effects and audio options
- Easier way to add text and titles
iStopMotion
Reported bugs
4 issues- Frames disappearing or showing as black screens
- Exported videos not saving properly
- Remote camera connection issues
- App crashing on launch or during use
Requested features
5 requests- Add ability to import images from camera roll
- Implement voice recording and audio editing
- Add option to loop animations
- Improve focus and exposure controls
- Implement frame reordering and editing
In-app purchases
Stop Motion Studio
- All Features Forever$5.99
iStopMotion
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Stop Motion Studio free?
Is iStopMotion free?
Which has better reviews, Stop Motion Studio or iStopMotion?
Do Stop Motion Studio or iStopMotion have ads?
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Which is more popular, Stop Motion Studio or iStopMotion?
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