# Jelly Band vs Puppet Time

The clearest difference is price: Puppet Time at Free against Jelly Band's $1.99. Puppet Time also leads on ratings volume (120 vs 36). Jelly Band's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 15) and ads (none vs shown). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Puppet Time is free to download; Jelly Band costs $1.99 up front. Puppet Time sells 15 one-off in-app purchases. Jelly Band asks for nothing beyond the download.

Jelly Band holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 36 and 120 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 80% of Jelly Band's written reviews are positive against 86% of Puppet Time's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Jelly Band ships an update every 4 months, Puppet Time every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Jelly Band | Puppet Time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.6 (36 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jelly-band/id481589020/reviews)** | [4.4 (120 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/puppet-time/id1512645088/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 36 | **120** |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | **85.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 93 MB | 273 MB |
| Requires iOS | **7.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Infinite Dreams](https://appshunter.io/developer/306712040) | [Jimmy Nguyen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1496101886) |

## What reviewers say

### Jelly Band

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jelly-band/id481589020)

Create your own interactive orchestra with colorful characters and enjoy remixing familiar tunes. Become a conductor and experience a delightful musical journey with unique sounds.

**Highlights:** Interactive Jelly orchestra, Create unique sounds, Remix familiar tunes, Passionate conductor experience, Colorful musical journey

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎵 Catchy, addictive music and melodies
- 👍 User-friendly and intuitive interface
- 🎨 Adorable and charming character design
- 👶 Great for children of all ages
- 🎼 Creative music composition and arrangement

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📉 Very limited content (only 2 stages)
- 😴 Gets boring quickly after initial play
- 🔊 Audio only works through headphones, not speaker
- ⚠️ Lacks clear progression or goals
- 🎯 No indication of unlockable content

**Reported bugs**

- Recording timing glitches (sounds offset by several counts)
- Sound not working or cutting out intermittently
- App crashes frequently
- No audio output through device speaker
- App incompatibility with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Add more stages and songs
- Include additional instruments (saxophone, clarinet, violin, cello, flute, didgeridoo, theremin, xylophone, harp, melodica, dobro)
- Ability to save and share recordings
- Convert recordings to ringtones
- Remove or hide advertisement bar


### Puppet Time

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/puppet-time/id1512645088)

Unleash your creativity with a digital puppetry app. Design unique puppets with extensive customization options, create vibrant backgrounds, and record your own puppet shows with voiceovers and sound effects. Bring your imagination to life through fun and engaging animation.

**Highlights:** Customizable puppet creator, Detailed puppet editing (limbs, body parts), Paint puppets and use photos as stickers, Customizable backgrounds, Record videos with puppets, Record voice and sounds, Create digital puppet shows

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (15)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove watermark from video | $0.99 | one-time |
| Wacky Arm Man | $0.99 | one-time |
| Block Puppets | $0.99 | one-time |
| Theater Stage | $0.99 | one-time |
| Bushes | $0.99 | one-time |
| Fruit Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Blobs Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Robot Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Pets Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Lounge Room and Kitchen | $1.49 | one-time |
| Silly Animals | $1.49 | one-time |
| Halloween Pack | $1.49 | one-time |
| Remove Ads and Record Limit | $1.99 | one-time |
| School Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Christmas Pack | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and enjoyable app
- 💡 Creative tool for videos
- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Good customization options
- 👍 Can create own puppets

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Paying for puppets/maps
- ⏳ Limited recording time
- 😠 Ads for time
- 🎤 Microphone issues
- 🎨 Drawing precision issues

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot use microphone after uninstall/reinstall
- Microphone option missing in settings
- App crashes when buying from store
- Store requires internet connection when already connected
- App glitches and won't open (microphone permission issue)

**Requested features**

- Add more puppet slots (2, 6, 8, 10)
- Multiplayer mode
- Custom map editor with interactive things
- Ability to draw/create own items
- Add hair to puppets


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Jelly Band free?

Jelly Band costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Puppet Time free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Jelly Band or Puppet Time?

Jelly Band is rated higher. Jelly Band averages 4.6 out of 5 from 36 ratings, while Puppet Time averages 4.4 from 120 ratings.

### Do Jelly Band or Puppet Time have ads?

Puppet Time shows ads; Jelly Band does not.

### Which is updated more often, Jelly Band or Puppet Time?

Jelly Band ships an update every 4 months, and Puppet Time every 3 months. Most recently, Jelly Band was updated on November 1, 2026 and Puppet Time 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.*
