# SideCast vs Animated Texts

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Animated Texts at none against SideCast's 2. SideCast's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 8 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

SideCast ships an update every 3 months, Animated Texts every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SideCast | Animated Texts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (208 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sidecast/id608426917/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **208** | — |
| Positive reviews | 92.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 8 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 156 MB | 175 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Alerion Media LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1674500626) | [Daniel Nowendsztern](https://appshunter.io/developer/1028876626) |

## 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)


### Animated Texts

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/animated-texts/id1658973214)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SideCast free?

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

### Is Animated Texts free?

Animated Texts is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do SideCast or Animated Texts have ads?

Both SideCast and Animated Texts show ads.

### Which is updated more often, SideCast or Animated Texts?

SideCast ships an update every 3 months, and Animated Texts every 8 months. Most recently, SideCast was updated on September 17, 2026 and Animated Texts on September 8, 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.*