# SideCast vs TEXT Animation Banner

The clearest difference is rating: SideCast at 4.6 against TEXT Animation Banner's 3.7. SideCast also leads on ratings volume (208 vs 3). TEXT Animation Banner's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SideCast sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. TEXT Animation Banner asks for nothing beyond the download.

SideCast holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SideCast has 208 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 93% of SideCast's written reviews are positive against 100% of TEXT Animation Banner's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SideCast | TEXT Animation Banner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (208 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sidecast/id608426917/reviews)** | [3.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-animation-banner/id1504239947/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **208** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 92.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 156 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Alerion Media LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1674500626) | [Emanuele Floris](https://appshunter.io/developer/597490842) |

## What reviewers say

### SideCast

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sidecast/id608426917)

Easily enlarge typed messages on your device screen for clear, silent communication from a distance. Use text or emojis to convey your message, then rotate your device to share it with anyone nearby. Perfect for loud environments or private conversations.

**Highlights:** Create instant signs and billboards, Enlarge typed messages, Use text and emojis, Rotate device for display, Silent and private communication, Voice-to-text support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SideCast upgrade | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and effective communication
- 💡 Useful for various noisy environments
- 🚀 Fast and snappier UX (recent updates)
- 👍 Easy to use and understand
- 💡 Great for communicating when unable to speak

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Freezes too often
- 🐛 Does not rotate reliably
- 🐛 Pages run into each other
- 🐛 Timed out forcing upgrade
- 🐛 Not compatible with older iOS versions (historically)

**Reported bugs**

- Freezes too often
- Side cast does not rotate more often than not
- When it does rotate, the pages run into each other
- Doesn’t work with iOS 16 (prior to recent update)
- Timed out - forced to upgrade (specific instance)

**Requested features**

- Allow selection of text and background colors
- Remove time limit (mentioned once)


### TEXT Animation Banner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-animation-banner/id1504239947)

Create eye-catching moving text banners with a variety of animation effects. Make your messages unique, grab attention, and express your creativity.

**Highlights:** Variety of animation effects, Create moving text banners, Make messages unique, Grab attention, Express creativity

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SideCast free?

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

### Is TEXT Animation Banner free?

TEXT Animation Banner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, SideCast or TEXT Animation Banner?

SideCast is rated higher. SideCast averages 4.6 out of 5 from 208 ratings, while TEXT Animation Banner averages 3.7 from 3 ratings.

### Do SideCast or TEXT Animation Banner have ads?

Both SideCast and TEXT Animation Banner show ads.

### Which is updated more often, SideCast or TEXT Animation Banner?

SideCast ships an update every 3 months, and TEXT Animation Banner every 3 months. Most recently, SideCast was updated on October 12, 2026 and TEXT Animation Banner on September 26, 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.*