# Snapchat vs AR Camera ◉

The clearest difference is ads: AR Camera ◉ at none against Snapchat's shown. AR Camera ◉ also leads on review sentiment (42% vs 30%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Snapchat's advantage is ratings volume (5.9M vs 972) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Snapchat sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and AR Camera ◉ sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Snapchat holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Snapchat has 5.9M ratings behind it against 972, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 30% of Snapchat's written reviews are positive against 42% of AR Camera ◉'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Snapchat ships an update every 6 days, AR Camera ◉ every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Snapchat | AR Camera ◉ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (5.9M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/snapchat/id447188370/reviews)** | [4.3 (972 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ar-camera/id1252237038/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.9M** | 972 |
| Positive reviews | 30.3% of reviews | **41.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#2** | — |
| Size | 399 MB | 223 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Snap, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/446889612) | [Ubicolor Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/828691698) |

## What reviewers say

### Snapchat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/snapchat/id447188370)

**Currently charting:** #2 Top Grossing · Photo & Video, #5 Top Grossing, #7 Top Free · Photo & Video, #68 Top Free (US App Store)

Instantly share photos and videos with friends and family. Express yourself with creative tools, connect through live messaging and video calls, and discover content from the community. Save your favorite moments and explore shared memories.

**Highlights:** Camera with Lenses and Filters, Live Messaging and Video Chat, Friend and Group Stories, Spotlight for user-created content, Location Sharing Map, Memories for saving photos/videos, Friendship Profiles

**Features:** Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers

**In-app purchases (15)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Memories Storage | $1.99 | per month |
| Snapchat+ Monthly Plan | $3.99 | per month |
| Snapchat+ Monthly Plan | $3.99 | per month |
| Snapchat+ (Monthly Plan) | $3.99 | per month |
| Snapchat+ (Monthly Plan) | $4.99 | per month |
| Snapchat+ (Monthly Plan) | $4.99 | per month |
| Snapchat+ Monthly Plan | $4.99 | per month |
| Snapchat+ (Annual Plan) | $29.99 | per year |
| Snapchat+ (12-Month Plan) | $39.99 | per year |
| Snapstreak Restore | $0.49 | one-time |
| Snapstreak Restore | $0.99 | one-time |
| Snapstreak Restore | $1.49 | one-time |
| Snapstreak Restore | $2.99 | one-time |
| Snapstreak Restore | $3.99 | one-time |
| Snapstreak Restore | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💬 Great way to communicate with friends
- 📷 Convenient for sharing photos and videos
- 🤳 Fun filters and customization options
- 🔒 Secure messaging with disappearing content
- 🗺️ Useful location-based features like Snap Map

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤖 Forced AI assistant that can't be removed
- 🤢 Dislike for new 3D bitmoji design
- 🕰️ Frustration over Snapchat+ paywall for basic features
- 🔇 Inability to disable shutter sound
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and glitches

**Reported bugs**

- Accounts being permanently locked for unclear reasons
- Inability to create new accounts on banned devices
- Disappearing Memories and lack of data retrieval
- Inconsistent video upload and playback issues
- Notifications and chat features not working properly

**Requested features**

- Allow permanent deletion of Memories
- Add multi-video upload to Stories
- Improve customer support and account recovery
- Provide option to disable AI assistant
- Bring back 2D bitmoji customization


### AR Camera ◉

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ar-camera/id1252237038)

Bring your videos to life with augmented reality effects. Add 3D objects, text, and emojis that interact realistically with your environment, including shadows and occlusion. Create magical visual content for social media or professional projects.

**Highlights:** Add 3D text, emojis, and objects, Realistic shadows and environmental occlusion, Physically based textures for virtual objects, Scan environment for surface detection, Intuitive object manipulation (move, rotate, scale), Create and share augmented reality videos

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock All Smileys | $1.99 | one-time |
| Unlock all 3D objects | $1.99 | one-time |
| Unlock All moods! | $1.99 | one-time |
| Unlock All TextStyles | $1.99 | one-time |
| Unlock All Textures | $1.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Media Objects | $2.99 | one-time |
| Unlock All Themes | $2.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Everything forever! | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Impressive 3D tracking
- 💡 Lots of customization options
- 👍 Fun and engaging

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes on launch
- 🐛 Unreliable performance
- 🐛 Glitchy and buggy
- 🐛 Poor instructions and lack of guidance

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to stop video recording
- Controls not working as expected
- Purchased features not unlocking properly
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Ability to import custom 3D objects
- Scene/object/face referencing and saving/loading
- Option to write custom text
- Improved occlusion handling


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Snapchat free?

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

### Is AR Camera ◉ free?

AR Camera ◉ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Snapchat or AR Camera ◉?

Snapchat is rated higher. Snapchat averages 4.5 out of 5 from 5.9M ratings, while AR Camera ◉ averages 4.3 from 972 ratings.

### Do Snapchat or AR Camera ◉ have ads?

Snapchat shows ads; AR Camera ◉ does not.

### Which is updated more often, Snapchat or AR Camera ◉?

Snapchat ships an update every 6 days, and AR Camera ◉ every 3 weeks. Most recently, Snapchat was updated on September 27, 2026 and AR Camera ◉ on September 9, 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.*