PuchiScreen vs Lumen
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PuchiScreen
Create short video clips from your iPhone videos and send them to your Apple Watch. The app also allows you to make photos speak by typing text, animating the face. All processing is done locally for privacy.
- Trim videos for Apple Watch
- Create talking photos
- Local processing for privacy
- Import videos from Photos/Files
- Built-in browser for stock videos
- Apple Watch playback controls
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PuchiScreen trims the moment you want from a video on your iPhone and sends it to your Apple Watch, so you can enjoy it on your wrist. Version 3.0 adds Talking Photo: type a sentence and the face in a photo speaks it. Videos on your Apple Watch • Pick a video from Photos or Files, set the start and end by turning a dial, and keep only the part you need • Trimmed clips appear in your list and go to your Apple Watch with one tap • See the elapsed time, whether the app is waiting for your Watch, and whether it is connected • Six sample videos built in — no download needed • Open stock-video sites in the built-in browser and import a clip you like Talking Photo (new) • Choose a photo or illustration of a person and type a sentence. Faces are found automatically; if none is found, place frames over the mouth and eyes • Lips follow every sound, with expressions, blinks and subtle head movement • 60+ languages detected automatically. Enhanced and Premium voices, or your Personal Voice • The video is added to the top of your list, ready to send to your Watch On the Apple Watch • Tap to play, double-tap to switch display mode, swipe in a circle to seek, turn the Digital Crown for volume • Pick from your list, play with the standard player or delete, right on the Watch Privacy Trimming, transfer, face detection and speech synthesis all happen on your iPhone and Apple Watch. Your videos and photos are never sent anywhere. No ads. Pricing All features are free. In the free version, each video sent to the Watch can be up to 10 seconds long, and talking videos include a small "PuchiScreen" mark. The one-time "PuchiScreen Pro Upgrade" removes the length limit, unlocks five quality options and removes the watermark — not a subscription. Requires iOS 17.0 or later; the Apple Watch app requires watchOS 9.0 or later (the Watch is optional). Languages: Japanese, English, Chinese (Simplified/Traditional), Korean, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian. When making someone else's photo talk, always get their consent.
Lumen
Organize, browse, and play your personal video library with complete control. Create custom collections and playlists, tailor playback, and enjoy a private, ad-free experience. Manage all your videos your way.
- Import videos from Photos and Files
- Organize into collections and playlists
- Customizable libraries
- Ad-free playback
- Picture in Picture support
- Apple Watch control
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Lumen is a personal video library and player designed to give you complete control over how you organize, browse, and enjoy your videos. Import videos from Photos, Files, or supported storage locations, create custom collections, build playlists, and tailor the playback experience to match the way you watch. Whether you’re managing a handful of favorite clips or a large video library, Lumen helps keep everything organized and easy to access. Unlike many video players, Lumen focuses on customization, flexibility, and privacy. Your videos remain under your control, the app is designed to work with the media you already own, and unlike many other video player apps, Lumen does not use any ads at all. FEATURES Import videos from Photos and Files Organize videos into collections and playlists Create custom libraries that fit your workflow Browse and manage large video libraries with ease Continue Reel: jump back into the videos you played most recently Video details: choose your cover frame, view specs and play history, and add notes Customize video thumbnails Sort and arrange content the way you prefer Powerful built-in video player Volume normalization keeps playback at a consistent level across videos Picture in Picture support AirPlay support Background playback support Playback gestures for quick navigation Mini player support Apple Watch app for full playback control from your wrist Modern, clean interface designed for media management VIDEO DETAILS Open any video to see everything about it in one place. Pick the exact frame you want as the cover, check when it was added, recorded, and last played, and keep a personal note. Choose which sections you want to see, so the view shows only what matters to you. CONTINUE REEL Library, Playlists, and Vault each show the videos you played most recently, so picking up where you left off takes one tap. You choose where it appears and how many videos it shows. PREMIUM FEATURES Unlock more with a premium upgrade: Subtitles: show subtitles in the player and adjust their size and background Markers: save the moments that matter in any video, see them on the scrubber, and jump straight back to them PRO CUSTOMIZATION Unlock additional personalization features, including: Multiple scrubber styles Custom scrubber colors Playback speed controls Sleep timer Adjustable gesture sensitivity VAULT Vault expands Lumen beyond traditional importing by allowing you to build collections from content stored in Photos, iCloud Drive, and supported Files providers without requiring every video to be copied into the app. APPLE WATCH Control playback right from your wrist, no need to pull out your phone. Five watch layouts to match your style, from a full waveform display to a minimal single-button view Skip, play, pause, and adjust volume using the Digital Crown A dedicated double-tap gesture for hands-free control See what’s playing directly from your watch face Haptic feedback for every action PRIVACY FIRST NO ADS No account required No subscriptions No tracking No analytics Your media stays under your control Whether you’re organizing personal recordings, reference videos, downloaded media, or an extensive video collection, Lumen gives you the tools to build a video library that works the way you want.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Lumen at 100% against PuchiScreen's 0%. PuchiScreen's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. PuchiScreen sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Lumen sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
PuchiScreen ships an update every 3 weeks, Lumen every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PuchiScreen | Lumen |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 12 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | YUUSUKE HARASAWA | Paul Greenhill |
Customer experience
PuchiScreen
Lumen
In-app purchases
PuchiScreen
- PuchiScreen Pro Upgrade$2.99
Lumen
- Pro Customization$1.99
- Vault$3.99









