# Elf Studio® vs Live Santa Tracker

Elf Studio® and Live Santa Tracker both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 75% of Live Santa Tracker's written reviews are positive against 45% of Elf Studio®'s. Live Santa Tracker also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Elf Studio®'s advantage is ratings volume (3.8K vs 853). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Elf Studio® sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Live Santa Tracker sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Elf Studio® against 4.7 for Live Santa Tracker. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3.8K and 853 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 45% of Elf Studio®'s written reviews are positive against 75% of Live Santa Tracker's.

Elf Studio® ships an update every 3 days, Live Santa Tracker every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 16, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Elf Studio® | Live Santa Tracker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (3.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elf-studio/id6443879616/reviews) | [4.7 (853 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/live-santa-tracker/id6473787738/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.8K** | 853 |
| Positive reviews | 45.5% of reviews | **75.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Every 4 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 350 MB | 109 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [North Pole Command Centre Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/976131058) | [Matthew Pidden](https://appshunter.io/developer/1584824127) |

## What reviewers say

### Elf Studio®

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elf-studio/id6443879616)

Create magical videos and photos of Santa and his elves visiting your home using augmented reality. Place characters in any environment, customize their appearance and animations, and record your own festive scenes.

**Highlights:** Add Santa Claus and elves, Unlimited elves and recording time, Create custom elves with Elf Workshop, Customize elf outfits and accessories, Elves with walking and dancing animations, Pre-plan or perform animations, Customize lighting, shadows, and camera filters

**Features:** Family Sharing, iMessage stickers

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Elf Studio | $1.99 | per month |
| Elf Studio™ - Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Unlock Elf Studio | $3.99 | per year |
| Elf Studio™ - Annual | $6.99 | per year |
| 50+ Elf Dance Animations | $0.99 | one-time |
| 1 Credit - Pro Price | $1.99 | one-time |
| 5 Credits - Pro Price | $5.99 | one-time |
| 5 Elf Video Credits | $7.99 | one-time |
| 10 Credits - Pro Price | $9.99 | one-time |
| Elf Studio - Lifetime Pass | $19.99 | one-time |
| 25 Credits - Pro Price | $22.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎅 Elf-themed game
- 👍 Fun for kids
- 💡 Ability to create elf scenes

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Many features locked behind paywall
- 🐛 Glitchy performance
- 🚫 Limited free functionality

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to scan surfaces for elf placement
- Crashes and freezes when trying to use app

**Requested features**

- More free customization options
- Ability to save and share created scenes
- Improved surface detection for elf placement


### Live Santa Tracker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/live-santa-tracker/id6473787738)

Experience the magic of Christmas with a live tracker for Santa's journey around the world. Engage in real-time chats with Santa, test your holiday spirit with a quiz, and enjoy festive countdowns and mini-games. Get updates on gift delivery and daily blogs from the North Pole.

**Highlights:** Live Santa tracking on interactive map, 1-on-1 chat with Santa Claus, Naughty or Nice quiz with certificate, Gift delivery and Santa arrival estimates, Festive Christmas countdown, Daily blogs from the North Pole, Santa's stats (speed, altitude, cookies eaten)

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $0.99 | one-time |
| Santas Stats | $1.99 | one-time |
| Naughty or Nice List | $2.99 | one-time |
| Track To Me | $3.99 | one-time |
| Message Santa | $4.99 | one-time |
| Bundle Unlock | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎅 Fun Santa tracking feature for children
- 📊 Detailed countdown timers and Christmas statistics
- 📱 User-friendly and easy-to-navigate interface
- 📖 Engaging blogs from Santa, reindeer, and elves
- 🎮 Mini-games and interactive activities

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Excessive in-app purchases and paywalls
- 📺 Frequent ads required for basic features
- 🗺️ Inaccurate location tracking and positioning
- 🌐 Wi-Fi connectivity and stability issues
- 🔄 Chaotic tracker with confusing visual lines

**Reported bugs**

- Tracker shows Santa at North Pole even on Christmas Eve
- Location tracking inaccurate and doesn't update properly
- In-app purchase payment button redirects to home screen
- Wi-Fi connectivity errors preventing Santa messaging
- App text rendering issues on login screen

**Requested features**

- Make messaging Santa free or ad-free
- Add live CCTV camera feed instead of cartoon
- Call Santa feature
- Make more games free to play
- Expand app availability to more platforms


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Elf Studio® free?

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

### Is Live Santa Tracker free?

Live Santa Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Elf Studio® or Live Santa Tracker?

Elf Studio® and Live Santa Tracker are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3.8K and 853 ratings respectively.

### Do Elf Studio® or Live Santa Tracker have ads?

Neither Elf Studio® nor Live Santa Tracker shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Elf Studio® or Live Santa Tracker?

Elf Studio® ships an update every 3 days, and Live Santa Tracker every 4 days. Most recently, Elf Studio® was updated on October 16, 2026 and Live Santa Tracker on October 16, 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.*