Comparison

Elf Studio® vs Nisse Kamera

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Elf Studio®

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
Read full description

Welcome to Elf Studio®! The latest marvel from the Software Elves here at the North Pole Command Center (Creators of Speak to Santa)! Turn your elf's Christmas mischief into photos and videos set in your own home! Put them under the tree, send them towards the cookie jar, or dream up a surprise of your own. - SCAN YOUR OWN ELF! Start with one photo of your elf toy, with room for up to four views. Every account includes one elf scan. Elf Studio Pro includes ten a month, with no additional credit charge. - NO TOY? DRAW OR DESCRIBE ONE! Sketch your elf on the drawing pad or describe it in words, and the AI turns it into an elf you can cast in any scene. - QUICK CREATE OR STUDIO! Pick an elf and a photo, then describe the action, or stage your photo by dragging elves and props into place, choosing poses and adjusting sizes. - GET HELP WITH THE WORDS! Studio builds a scene script from your layout. Get Ideas suggests actions for your photo, and Improve helps rewrite your prompt. - AI PHOTOS & VIDEOS! Make photo takes, compare them and animate your favorite. Cast up to three elves with their own roles in the scene. - DIRECT THE SHOT! Create five-second AI videos with Natural, Stop Motion or Storybook styling, camera movement, portrait or landscape framing and optional generated sound. Use start and end images to guide the action. - MAKE AN EXAMPLE YOUR OWN! Browse scene ideas and use an example recipe with your chosen elf and your own photo. - THE ELF WORKSHOP! Choose ready-made elves in classic and felt styles, or design one in 3D with hair, hats, outfits, gloves, shoes, glasses and colors, with a live preview. - ENHANCE WITH AI! Give your elf a lifelike look and keep different looks to choose from. - BRING THE PROPS! Pick from the prop shelf, scan a toy or describe a prop for the AI to create reference pictures. - STICKERS & POSES! Make AI stickers of your elf striking new poses, then use those poses in your Studio photos. Add a bust sticker of any custom elf, made right on your device. - SEND THEM IN MESSAGES! Open Elf Studio® in the Messages app drawer to send the cast, your own elves and the stickers you have made. - HOME SCREEN WIDGETS! Count the sleeps until Christmas or until your elf arrives, with a posed elf of your choice keeping watch. - MAKE THEM AR-READY! Generate a 3D model of a scanned elf or prop before placing it in your room. - FILM IN AUGMENTED REALITY! Place AR-ready elves and props on your floor, draw walking routes, add stops and choose animations. Capture AR photos and videos, with Look at Camera, footsteps, lighting and actions you can trigger while filming. AR needs a compatible device. - CATCH THEIR FACES! Record the viewer's reaction as your video plays. Reaction recordings stay on your device and are not uploaded to Elf Studio®. - ADD THE FINISHING TOUCH! Apply eight video looks and filters without changing the original. Find your creations in the Gallery, save them to Photos and share the files. AI generation needs an internet connection. Once a job is sent, it can continue on our servers while you leave the app. Enable notifications to hear when it is ready. Your Gallery is stored on this device. Elf Studio® does not provide cloud library backup, so export the memories you want to keep. AI or AR. Photo or video. Your elf, your home, your Christmas story! Elf Studio® is created by North Pole Command Centre Limited and works with any toy. Elf Studio® is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Elf on the Shelf®, but many families use Elf Studio® alongside their existing Elf on the Shelf traditions. Made by the software elves here at the North Pole Command Center! Elf Studio® is a registered trademark in the United Kingdom, the European Union and the United States. All rights reserved.

About

Nisse Kamera

Read full description

See the Nisse in your own home. -Rotate and move your device to record the Nisse's movement. -Create lights to mimic the lighting in your home. -Create virtual walls to conceal the Nisse when it walks behind a corner. -No in app purchases. Saving of videos is included with the app. Questions ? Please write to: hello@nissekamera.com The Nisse is a beloved mythical human-like creature, from Scandinavian folklore, associated with Christmas. Think of it as a small magical guardian of the home. To honor the Nisse, families leave out porridge or other treats during Christmas. In return, the Nisse is said to protect the household and may even leave small gifts for the children. Some families go a step further, installing a tiny wooden door to welcome the Nisse into their home, making the spirit feel like part of the family. But beware—if a Nisse feels disrespected or forgotten, it can play tricks! You might find: - Milk dyed strange colors - Household items hidden in odd places - Shoes wrapped in paper - Candles replaced with carrots These and other antics are the Nisse’s way of reminding everyone to keep up the traditions. The Nisse (also called Tomte in some regions) has deep roots in Norse mythology and Scandinavian culture. The Nisse is considered the spirit of the household, watching over the home and family. While Christmas elves share some traits with the Nisse, the Nisse’s history goes back much further - making it the original household elf.

Screenshots

Elf Studio®4 screens
Nisse Kamera3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Elf Studio® at Free against Nisse Kamera's $2.99. Nisse Kamera's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Elf Studio® is free to download; Nisse Kamera costs $2.99 up front. Elf Studio® sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Nisse Kamera asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Elf Studio® ships an update every 6 days, Nisse Kamera weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Elf Studio® versus Nisse Kamera: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterElf Studio®Nisse Kamera
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating4.6 (3.8K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews45.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings3.8K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size344 MB318 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNorth Pole Command Centre LimitedSoeren Lisager

Bugs and requests

Elf Studio®

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Unable to scan surfaces for elf placement
  • Crashes and freezes when trying to use app

Requested features

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

Nisse Kamera

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Elf Studio®

Subscriptions6
  • Unlock Elf Studio$1.991 Month
  • Elf Studio Pro - Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Elf Studio™ - Monthly$2.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Unlock Elf Studio$3.991 Year
  • Elf Studio Pro - Annual$3.991 Year
  • Elf Studio™ - Annual$6.991 Year
One-time4
  • 50+ Elf Dance Animations$0.99
  • 1 Elf Video Credit$1.99
  • 5 Elf Video Credits$7.99
Show 1 more
  • Elf Studio - Lifetime Pass$19.99
None

Nisse Kamera

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Elf Studio® free?
Elf Studio® is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Nisse Kamera free?
Nisse Kamera costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Elf Studio® or Nisse Kamera have ads?
Neither Elf Studio® nor Nisse Kamera shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Elf Studio® or Nisse Kamera?
Elf Studio® ships an update every 6 days, and Nisse Kamera weekly. Most recently, Elf Studio® was updated on November 12, 2026 and Nisse Kamera on October 25, 2026.

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