Comparison

Fanfics vs Glimmer

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

Head to head
About

Fanfics

Create and read original stories, novels, and books using an AI-powered writing tool. Explore a vast library of user-generated content and unleash your creativity.

Highlights
  • AI story generation
  • Read novels and books
  • Write original stories
  • User-generated content library
Features
Read full description

Your stories, brought to life by AI. Dream up any story, then step inside it. Fanfics turns a single idea into an endless, interactive story you shape one choice at a time. Invent characters, shape the setting, and follow the plot wherever you want it to go — the AI writes alongside you and remembers what matters. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Create a scenario from a one-line idea and start reading instantly • Steer the story your way — write your own actions or let the AI continue • Branch, retry, and rewrite any moment until it's just right • Edit the running story summary so the AI stays true to your plot • Explore community scenarios and play them however you like BUILT FOR LONG STORIES Our Memory system keeps track of characters, places, and key events — so your epic stays consistent hundreds of turns in, not just for the first few pages. A COMMUNITY OF STORYTELLERS Share your best scenarios, discover what others are creating, and find your next obsession across every genre — romance, fantasy, sci-fi, slice-of-life, and more. Start with a spark. See where it takes you. Find our EULA here: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Glimmer

Engage with interactive fanfiction where you are the protagonist. Make choices to shape the narrative, explore various fandoms and original stories, and experience different genres and relationship tropes. Customize your character and discover multiple story paths and endings.

Highlights
  • Choose-Your-Own-Adventure stories
  • Character customization
  • Multiple story paths and endings
  • Customizable character responses
  • Track story playthroughs
  • Favorite stories and updates
Read full description

Glimmer is the app for Choose-Your-Own-Adventure fanfiction. Play as the main character, and shape the story through your choices. **Why choose Glimmer?** - Immersive stories where you play and make choices as the Main Character - Stories in all your favorite fandoms, plus original content - A story for every mood, from one-shots to collections to epic sagas - Live out your favorite relationship tropes, from enemies-to-lovers to school rivals, and more - Play stories in a variety of genres, from slice-of-life to action/thriller, and more - Stories published by our talented community of authors, with new stories published every day **Features** - Choose-Your-Own-Adventure stories with multiple-choice options and custom responses - Customize your character and self-insert as whoever you want to be - Unlock different story paths and endings depending on the choices you make - Character interactions, dialogue, and relationships are unique and tailored to your playthrough - Keep track of multiple story playthroughs, rewind and try making different decisions - Keep track of your favorite stories and easily receive story updates **Follow us everywhere** - Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/glimmerfics - Discord: https://discord.gg/glimmerfics - Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/glimmerfics/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/glimmer_fics Need help? Email us: info@glimmerfics.com We don't do creepy stuff with your data —> https://glimmerfics.com/privacy Terms —> https://glimmerfics.com/terms

Screenshots

Fanfics3 screens
Glimmer4 screens

Verdict

The call

Fanfics and Glimmer both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 91% of Glimmer's written reviews are positive against 47% of Fanfics's. Glimmer also leads on ratings volume (5.9K vs 83) and chart position (#15 vs unranked). Fanfics's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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

Both are free to download. Fanfics sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Glimmer sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Fanfics against 4.7 for Glimmer. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Glimmer has 5.9K ratings behind it against 83, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 47% of Fanfics's written reviews are positive against 91% of Glimmer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Fanfics ships an update every 4 days, Glimmer weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Fanfics versus Glimmer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFanficsGlimmer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (83 ratings)4.7 (5.9K ratings) — better
Positive reviews46.7% of reviews91.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings835.9K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#15 — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB63 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperKawaiiGlimmer Fics

Customer experience

Fanfics

All ratings69 ratings
Positive85.5%
Neutral10.1%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive46.7%
Neutral26.7%
Negative26.7%

Glimmer

All ratings3,892 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral3.4%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews1,506 reviews
Positive91.2%
Neutral6.6%
Negative2.1%

Bugs and requests

Fanfics

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Glimmer

Reported bugs

1 issue
  • Issues with loading answers

Requested features

2 requests
  • Ability to earn more chances to read through watching ads
  • Sort stories by completed or not

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Fanfics

Subscriptions3
  • Fanfics Pro (Weekly)3 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • Fanfics Pro (Monthly)3 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Fanfics Pro (Yearly)3 Days trial$59.991 Year
11 purchases

Glimmer

One-time11
  • 20 Turns$0.99
  • 15 Turns$0.99
  • 20 + 5 Undos$3.99
Show 8 more
  • 100 Turns$3.99
  • 75 + 15 Turns$4.99
  • 50 + 30 Undos$9.99
  • 265 Turns$9.99
  • 150 + 50 Turns$9.99
  • 300 + 125 Turns$19.99
  • 750 + 350 Turns$49.99
  • 1500 + 800 Turns$99.99

Questions

Is Fanfics free?
Fanfics is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Glimmer free?
Glimmer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Fanfics or Glimmer?
Glimmer is rated higher. Fanfics averages 4.6 out of 5 from 83 ratings, while Glimmer averages 4.7 from 5.9K ratings.
Do Fanfics or Glimmer have ads?
Neither Fanfics nor Glimmer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Fanfics or Glimmer?
Fanfics ships an update every 4 days, and Glimmer weekly. Most recently, Fanfics was updated on October 28, 2026 and Glimmer on October 31, 2026.

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