# Curved Text vs Fx Stencil

The clearest difference is price: Fx Stencil at Free against Curved Text's $2.99. Fx Stencil also leads on rating (4.5 vs 2.8) and ratings volume (1K vs 72). Curved Text's advantage is review sentiment (62% vs 43%) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.0). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Fx Stencil is free to download; Curved Text costs $2.99 up front. Curved Text sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Fx Stencil sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Fx Stencil holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Fx Stencil has 1K ratings behind it against 72, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 62% of Curved Text's written reviews are positive against 43% of Fx Stencil's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Curved Text ships an update every 6 weeks, Fx Stencil every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Curved Text | Fx Stencil |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [2.8 (72 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/curved-text/id584748197/reviews) | **[4.5 (1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fx-stencil/id840899578/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 72 | **1K** |
| Positive reviews | **62.2% of reviews** | 43.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 75 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dongwook Cho](https://appshunter.io/developer/1615253426) | [Tien Le](https://appshunter.io/developer/840899581) |

## What reviewers say

### Curved Text

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/curved-text/id584748197)

Easily add beautifully curved text to your photos. Choose from various shapes, styles, and fonts, or create custom curves with your finger. Enhance your images with effects, frames, and stickers using the integrated photo editor.

**Highlights:** Beautiful curve shapes, Custom curve drawing, Unlimited text additions, Artistic and custom fonts, Text styling and colors, Photo editing tools, Background templates

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Use All Fonts | $0.99 | one-time |
| Use All Templates | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Unique curved text feature unavailable in other apps
- 🎨 Wide variety of fonts and color options
- 👍 User-friendly interface and intuitive design
- 🖼️ Built-in photo editing and cropping tools
- ✨ Multiple text effects including shadows and gradients

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes when saving photos
- 📏 Inconsistent and uneven letter spacing
- ❌ Cannot save with transparent backgrounds
- 🔤 Low resolution/blurry text output
- ⚙️ Limited customization of preset curves

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when attempting to save photos to camera roll
- Only first letter of text displays after updates
- Text fails to appear on photos during export
- Custom curve feature glitches and malfunctions
- App freezes during photo editing with multiple lines

**Requested features**

- Transparent background export option
- Automatic text centering and balancing
- Eraser tool for artistic effects
- Ability to resize text boxes independently
- Letter spacing/kerning adjustment controls


### Fx Stencil

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fx-stencil/id840899578)

Transform your photos into unique stencil art. Easily edit, customize colors, and apply gradients to create personalized designs for printing on various materials or sharing with loved ones.

**Highlights:** Create stencils from photos, Edit and customize stencils, Gradient stencil effects, Save and share stencils, Simple drawing tools, Invert stencil option

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Watermark | $0.99 | one-time |
| Add Picker Color | $0.99 | one-time |
| Gradient Stencil | $0.99 | one-time |
| Remove Advertisement | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Amazing app
- 👍 Love app
- 👍 Stencil app
- 👍 Simple and elegant
- 👍 Great for black and white contrast

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Clumsy
- 🐛 Crashes
- 🐛 Buggy
- 🐛 Limited
- 🐛 Doesn't access albums

**Reported bugs**

- Only lets you do one stencil
- App closes when selecting photo
- Zooms in to one corner
- Doesn't display entire picture

**Requested features**

- Two-tone image options
- Ability to add more photos
- Bring back old invert option
- Allow access to photo albums


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Curved Text free?

Curved Text costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Fx Stencil free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Curved Text or Fx Stencil?

Fx Stencil is rated higher. Curved Text averages 2.8 out of 5 from 72 ratings, while Fx Stencil averages 4.5 from 1K ratings.

### Do Curved Text or Fx Stencil have ads?

Neither Curved Text nor Fx Stencil shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Curved Text or Fx Stencil?

Curved Text ships an update every 6 weeks, and Fx Stencil every 2 months. Most recently, Curved Text was updated on October 18, 2026 and Fx Stencil on October 12, 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.*