Comparison

Elmo Calls vs Tappy Tint

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Elmo Calls

Engage in interactive video and audio calls with a beloved Sesame Street character. This app encourages imaginative play, teaches healthy habits, and fosters self-confidence through fun conversations and scheduled calls.

Highlights
  • Receive audio and video calls from Elmo
  • Send and receive voicemails from Elmo
  • Live video of user during calls
  • Schedule calls for various situations
  • Learn about healthy habits and letters
  • Engage in imaginative play with Elmo
Currently charting
Read full description

This is an app full of fun phone calls from Elmo, which will help teach your child about healthy habits, self-confidence, and letters. Pick up the phone, Elmo’s calling! Receive video calls, audio calls, and voice mail from Sesame Street’s own furry, red monster. Or, give him a call yourself! With Elmo Calls you can laugh, play, and sing with Elmo! FEATURES • Receive audio and video calls from Elmo, or dial Elmo yourself. • Receive voicemail from Elmo regularly and listen to the messages any time. • See live video of yourself in the corner of the screen while you’re chatting with Elmo. • Grown-ups can activate calls or schedule calls for a variety of situations, such as time to wake up! (more calls for going to the doctor, bath time and learning to potty available with additional call packs) LEARN ABOUT "Elmo Calls" encourages children to engage in imaginative play, practice listening skills and sing songs with Elmo! This app also fosters self-confidence by encouraging children to celebrate important life moments, such as visiting the doctor, going to the potty and learning the alphabet! CALL PACKS Elmo Calls comes with The Sunny Day Sampler Call Pack. This pack includes 13 fun-filled calls for you and your child to enjoy right away! For even more calls, get "Playdate with Elmo" which is ready to download, plus you can buy additional Call Packs easily right within the app: • Firsts and Celebrations: Special calls for special days. Elmo calls you during big events, such as your birthday! • Elmo is Proud of You: You're proud of your achievements and so is Elmo! • Feelings: Everybody has feelings and Elmo can call you to share and talk about those feelings. • ABCs: Saying your ABCs is fun! It’s even more fun with Elmo! • Special Visits: Elmo wants to talk about your special plans for today. • Holidays: Holidays are fun to celebrate and Elmo wants to celebrate with you! • You Can Do It!: No matter what you're learning, whether its your ABCs or using the potty, Elmo wants to cheer you on. • Sing with Elmo!: Elmo sings for you! You can sing along or just listen. • Happy Habits: Healthy habits are more fun when you do them with Elmo. • Laugh with Elmo: Elmo just wants to say hi! • Playdate with Elmo: Play and pretend with Elmo! Ready to download! TIPS • Please allow Notifications to receive scheduled calls from Elmo! ABOUT US Sesame Workshop’s mission is to use the educational power of media to help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. Delivered through a variety of platforms, including television programs, digital experiences, books and community engagement, its research-based programs are tailored to the needs of the communities and countries they serve. Learn more at www.sesameworkshop.org. ABOUT IDEO IDEO is a human-centered design and innovation firm ranked independently among the ten most innovative companies in the world. Learn how our team of child-development experts, veteran toy designers and interaction designers approach the creation of award-winning kid apps at www.ideotoylab.com. PRIVACY POLICY The Privacy Policy can be found here: https://www.sesameworkshop.org/privacy-policy/ CONTACT US Your input is very important to us. If you have any questions, comments or need help, please contact us at: sesameworkshopapps@sesame.org.

About

Tappy Tint

Features
Read full description

Tap, and the color blooms across the page. Tappy Tint is a coloring book made for small fingers. There is nothing to stay inside and nothing to spill: pick a crayon, touch a part of the picture, and paint spreads out from your child's fingertip with a soft little note. Every finished picture earns a Ta-da!, three stars and a spot on their very own Art Wall. No ads. No in-app purchases. No accounts. No internet needed. You buy it once and hand it over. 236 PICTURES IN 5 PAPER WORLDS • Animals: fox, lion, cat, penguin, peacock and more • Vehicles: fire truck, school bus, digger, hot air balloon, train • Dinosaurs: T-Rex, triceratops, stegosaurus, baby dinos • Princesses: castles, carriages, crowns, friendly dragons • Space: rockets, astronauts, aliens, planets Easy pictures for toddlers, more detailed ones for bigger kids. 32 CRAYONS AND 8 MAGIC FILLS A box of bright crayons with a range of skin tones, plus magic ones that fill with rainbow, gold glitter, galaxy, candy stripes, polka dots, hearts, stars and ocean waves. BUILT FOR LITTLE HANDS • Slow presses and wobbly taps still count • Outlines always stay crisp, so every page looks wonderful • Undo and redo, and "start over" can be undone too • Pinch to zoom in for the tiny parts • "What's left?" sparkles find the spots they missed • Saves by itself, so they can come back any time MADE FOR PARENTS • Works fully offline: planes, road trips, waiting rooms • No ads, no tracking, no data collected • Sounds follow the mute switch, and turn off completely • A grown-ups area behind a math gate holds the settings, links and saving to Photos • Small download

Screenshots

Elmo Calls4 screens
Tappy Tint4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tappy Tint at none against Elmo Calls's 10. Tappy Tint also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 7 months) and price ($0.99 vs $1.99). Elmo Calls's advantage is chart position (#51 vs unranked). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Elmo Calls costs $1.99 and Tappy Tint $0.99 up front. Elmo Calls sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Tappy Tint asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Elmo Calls ships an update every 7 months, Tappy Tint monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Elmo Calls versus Tappy Tint: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterElmo CallsTappy Tint
Price$1.99$0.99 — better
Rating4.3 (956 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews73.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings956 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#51 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size171 MB49 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSesame Workshop (Apps)DIMITRY BRAZNICHENKO

Bugs and requests

Elmo Calls

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes on launch
  • Video calls don't work
  • Purchased content not restoring
  • Scheduled calls not triggering

Requested features

4 requests
  • More character call options (Big Bird, Cookie Monster, etc.)
  • Ability to record video calls
  • Improved UI for young users
  • Scheduled calls that actually ring the device

Tappy Tint

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Elmo Calls

One-time10
  • "Playdate With Elmo" PackFree
  • "ABCs" pack$0.99
  • "Special Visits" Pack$0.99
Show 7 more
  • "Firsts and Celebrations" Pack$0.99
  • "Elmo is Proud of You!" Pack$0.99
  • "Laugh With Elmo!" Pack$0.99
  • "Happy Habits" Pack$0.99
  • "You Can Do It!" Pack$0.99
  • "Sing With Elmo!" Pack$0.99
  • "All Calls" Pack$6.99
None

Tappy Tint

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Elmo Calls free?
Elmo Calls costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Tappy Tint free?
Tappy Tint costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Elmo Calls or Tappy Tint have ads?
Neither Elmo Calls nor Tappy Tint shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Elmo Calls or Tappy Tint?
Elmo Calls ships an update every 7 months, and Tappy Tint monthly. Most recently, Elmo Calls was updated on November 12, 2026 and Tappy Tint on November 9, 2026.

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