# ElfYourself® vs Esteem Builder

The clearest difference is ads: Esteem Builder at none against ElfYourself®'s shown. Esteem Builder also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 66%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). ElfYourself®'s advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 20 months) and ratings volume (28K vs 1). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ElfYourself® sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per year and Esteem Builder sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Esteem Builder holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ElfYourself® has 28K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of ElfYourself®'s written reviews are positive against 100% of Esteem Builder's.

ElfYourself® ships an update fortnightly, Esteem Builder every 20 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ElfYourself® | Esteem Builder |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (28K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elfyourself/id582486077/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/esteem-builder/id665746066/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **28K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 65.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 20 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 102 MB | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Magic Mirror LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/582478497) | [Justin Okun](https://appshunter.io/developer/429363982) |

## What reviewers say

### ElfYourself®

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elfyourself/id582486077)

Personalize holiday videos by adding your face to dancing elves. Create custom videos with up to five faces and choose from various dances. Share your festive creations as greetings or on social media.

**Highlights:** Personalized elf dance videos, Add up to 5 faces, Dozens of dance options, Automatic video creation, Social media sharing, Send holiday greetings

**Features:** iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ElfYourself® Season Pass 2020 | $6.99 | per year |
| Disco Dance | $0.99 | one-time |
| 80s Dance | $0.99 | one-time |
| Classic Dance | $0.99 | one-time |
| HipHop Dance | $0.99 | one-time |
| All Dances | $4.99 | one-time |
| All Dances | $5.99 | one-time |
| All Dances | $6.99 | one-time |
| All Dances | $7.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🤩 So much fun!!!
- 😂 Funny and entertaining
- 👍 Great for family and friends
- 💖 Brings back good memories

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Paid options are too expensive
- 🤖 AI filters make videos look abnormal
- 🤔 Confusing subscription model
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs

**Reported bugs**

- Videos not saving properly
- Black screen issue on certain devices
- Purchased content disappearing

**Requested features**

- More free dances and songs
- Ability to change elf outfits
- Easier sharing options
- Improved video quality for paid version


### Esteem Builder

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/esteem-builder/id665746066)

Receive instant words of encouragement and uplifting messages to boost your confidence.  Features professional voice talent for a lighthearted and humorous experience. Expand your phrase library with optional packs.

**Highlights:** Instant uplifting messages, Professional voice narration, Humorous and lighthearted content, Expandable phrase library, Confidence and esteem building

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Phrase Pack | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ElfYourself® free?

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

### Is Esteem Builder free?

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

### Which has better reviews, ElfYourself® or Esteem Builder?

Esteem Builder is rated higher. ElfYourself® averages 4.8 out of 5 from 28K ratings, while Esteem Builder averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do ElfYourself® or Esteem Builder have ads?

ElfYourself® shows ads; Esteem Builder does not.

### Which is updated more often, ElfYourself® or Esteem Builder?

ElfYourself® ships an update fortnightly, and Esteem Builder every 20 months. Most recently, ElfYourself® was updated on October 26, 2026 and Esteem Builder on October 22, 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.*