# ElfYourself® vs Message from Santa® call&video

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Message from Santa® call&video at 115K against ElfYourself®'s 28K. ElfYourself®'s advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ElfYourself® sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per year and Message from Santa® call&video sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for ElfYourself® against 4.8 for Message from Santa® call&video. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 28K and 115K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of ElfYourself®'s written reviews are positive against 71% of Message from Santa® call&video's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. Both last shipped on November 9, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | ElfYourself® | Message from Santa® call&video |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (28K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elfyourself/id582486077/reviews) | **[4.8 (115K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/message-from-santa-call-and-video/id933921849/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 28K | **115K** |
| Positive reviews | 65.7% of reviews | **70.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 102 MB | 120 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Magic Mirror LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/582478497) | [First Class Media B.V.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1394094946) |

## 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


### Message from Santa® call&video

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/message-from-santa-call-and-video/id933921849)

Create personalized video messages and phone calls from Santa Claus for your loved ones. Encourage good behavior with simulated interactions and enjoy festive features like Santa's voicemail and a Christmas countdown. This app is for entertainment purposes only.

**Highlights:** Personalized video messages from Santa, Simulated phone calls from Santa, Santa's voicemail for wish lists, Santa tracker and North Pole weather, Instant text message replies from Santa, Naughty or nice list feature

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium+ Monthly | $1.49 | per month |
| Premium+ Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Legacy Premium Yearly | $2.99 | per year |
| Premium+ Yearly | $4.99 | per year |
| Premium+ Yearly | $9.99 | per year |
| Unlock All Features & Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |
| Premium+ 3 Years | $12.99 | one-time |
| Premium+ 5 Years | $14.99 | one-time |
| Premium+ 3 Years | $25.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Personalized calls and messages from Santa
- 🎅 Helps encourage good behavior in kids
- 💫 Brings the magic of Christmas to life
- 🎄 Customizable with child's name, interests, etc.
- 🎁 Useful for rewarding good behavior

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔁 Repetitive/same messages every call
- ⏱️ Slow response times for text messages
- 📺 Intrusive ads disrupt the experience
- 🤖 Impersonal/robotic responses from 'Santa'

**Reported bugs**

- Login/account issues after updates
- Compatibility problems on certain devices
- Freezing/crashing during calls or messages

**Requested features**

- More varied and dynamic conversations with Santa
- Ability to add custom messages/reasons for calls
- Option to have Santa call multiple children at once
- Improved text message interactions with Santa


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ElfYourself® free?

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

### Is Message from Santa® call&video free?

Message from Santa® call&video is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, ElfYourself® or Message from Santa® call&video?

Message from Santa® call&video is rated higher. ElfYourself® averages 4.8 out of 5 from 28K ratings, while Message from Santa® call&video averages 4.8 from 115K ratings.

### Do ElfYourself® or Message from Santa® call&video have ads?

Both ElfYourself® and Message from Santa® call&video show ads.

### Which is updated more often, ElfYourself® or Message from Santa® call&video?

ElfYourself® ships an update fortnightly, and Message from Santa® call&video fortnightly. Most recently, ElfYourself® was updated on November 9, 2026 and Message from Santa® call&video on November 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.*