Comparison

Stop Motion Magic vs Stop Motion Lab

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

Head to head
About

Stop Motion Magic

Create stop motion animations with advanced tools for capturing, editing, and enhancing your creations. Add custom backgrounds, sound effects, and precise movement guides. Export in high resolution for sharing.

Highlights
  • Frame-by-frame animation
  • Pro-level camera controls
  • Paint and masking tools
  • Imported backgrounds and sound
  • Smart guides for movement
  • Onion skinning
  • Color grading
  • 4K export
Features
Read full description

Bring Your Imagination to Life — One Frame at a Time! Stop Motion Magic is your all-in-one stop motion animation studio—right on your iPhone. Whether you're a hobbyist, a student, or a professional animator, this powerful app makes it easy to create stunning animations frame by frame. - CAPTURE THE MAGIC Use front or back cameras with pro-level controls—adjust white balance, focus, exposure, and zoom for cinematic quality. CREATE WITHOUT LIMITS -Paint directly on frames with customizable paint layers -Mask and blend backgrounds with precision using per-frame masking -Add dynamic backgrounds with videos or still images -Transform imported images in 3D with perspective controls SOUND Import soundtracks, browse our in-app audio library, or record voiceovers and effects. Edit, trim, and sync to perfection. ANIMATE SMOOTHLY WITH SMART GUIDES Use visual guides (line, circle, spline, etc.) and timing functions (ease-in, ease-out, linear) to create lifelike movement and flow. ONION SKIN FOR PERFECT MOVEMENT See your previous frames overlaid on the camera feed to guide your next shot. Choose multiple frames or keyframes, and use edge effects to make even the smallest movements crystal clear. COLOR GRADE Adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, tint, and temperature for that perfect final touch. EXPORT YOUR MASTERPIECE Export your animation in SD, HD, or crisp 4K. Share directly to social media or save to your library. FORMAT FREEDOM Supports both portrait and landscape. Your videos always look exactly how you envisioned. From first-time creators to seasoned animators, Stop Motion Magic gives you everything you need to animate, edit, and share your stories—all from your iPhone. Download now and start animating!

About

Stop Motion Lab

Create stop motion animations with ease on your iPhone or iPad. Capture frames, edit them, add sound, and export your creations as MP4 or GIF. Perfect for claymation, classroom projects, or polished animations.

Highlights
  • Frame-by-frame capture
  • Onion skinning
  • Brightness, contrast, saturation adjustment
  • Background music and voiceovers
  • MP4 and GIF export
  • Watermark-free exports (Pro)
Features
Read full description

Stop Motion Lab is a powerful, easy-to-use stop motion animation app for iPhone and iPad. Capture frames with your camera, arrange them into animations, add music or voiceovers, and export as MP4 or GIF, all on your device. Whether you're making your first claymation, running a classroom project, or building a polished animation, Stop Motion Lab gives you practical tools without getting in your way. CAPTURE • Tap to capture, use a timer, shoot timelapse, or trigger frames hands-free with clap detection • Set intervals from 1 second to 30 minutes • Use onion skinning to line up each new frame • Lock camera focus and exposure for consistent shots EDIT • Adjust brightness, contrast, and saturation • Apply color effects to single frames or entire projects • Rotate, flip, reorder, duplicate, and delete frames • Hold frames for dramatic pauses SOUND • Add background music from the built-in library • Import your own audio files • Record voiceovers directly in the app PLAYBACK & EXPORT • Adjust FPS • Preview with loop, bounce, or reverse playback • Export as MP4 or animated GIF • Choose from multiple resolution options • Save to your device or share directly PRO UPGRADE Stop Motion Lab Pro is a one-time purchase that unlocks: • Watermark-free exports • 1080p and 4K resolution • Image sequence export as JPEG or ZIP • Extra music tracks PRIVACY • No account or sign-in required • No ads • No subscriptions • Your projects, photos, and audio stay on your device • Diagnostic crash reports help us fix bugs Made by a small team in Boulder, Colorado.

Screenshots

Stop Motion Magic4 screens
Stop Motion Lab4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Stop Motion Magic at free against Stop Motion Lab's freemium. Stop Motion Lab's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 80%) and update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly). On price, rating, ratings volume 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. Stop Motion Magic sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Stop Motion Lab sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 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 — 4.7 for Stop Motion Magic against 4.7 for Stop Motion Lab. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 70 and 31 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Stop Motion Magic's written reviews are positive against 100% of Stop Motion Lab's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Stop Motion Magic ships an update fortnightly, Stop Motion Lab every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Stop Motion Magic versus Stop Motion Lab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStop Motion MagicStop Motion Lab
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (70 ratings)4.7 (31 ratings)
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings70 — better31
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS1816.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.2 GB73 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDAVID CROOKS SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT LIMITEDZerostatic LLC

Customer experience

Stop Motion Magic

All ratings70 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral2.9%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative10.0%

Stop Motion Lab

All ratings31 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral3.2%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Stop Motion Magic

One-time1
  • Motion Magic Pro$5.99
1 purchases

Stop Motion Lab

One-time1
  • Pro Unlock$5.99

Questions

Is Stop Motion Magic free?
Stop Motion Magic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Stop Motion Lab free?
Stop Motion Lab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Stop Motion Magic or Stop Motion Lab?
Stop Motion Magic and Stop Motion Lab are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 70 and 31 ratings respectively.
Do Stop Motion Magic or Stop Motion Lab have ads?
Neither Stop Motion Magic nor Stop Motion Lab shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Stop Motion Magic or Stop Motion Lab?
Stop Motion Magic ships an update fortnightly, and Stop Motion Lab every 5 days. Most recently, Stop Motion Magic was updated on September 30, 2026 and Stop Motion Lab on October 7, 2026.

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