Comparison

iPuppet vs Swapin

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

Head to head
About

iPuppet

Transform your phone into a dynamic puppet with this digital companion. It features expressive animated characters that react, blink, and talk in sync with your performance, offering a unique interactive experience for entertainers.

Highlights
  • Expressive animated characters
  • Real-time sync with performance
  • Customizable button layout
  • Seven expressive character states
  • Finger-tracking eyes
  • Upload custom photos for character appearance
Read full description

iPuppet "Digital Ventriloquist Companion" Turn your iPhone into a living puppet. iPuppet puts an expressive, animated character right on your screen, one that blinks, looks around, reacts, and talks in perfect sync with your performance. No wires, no hand puppet, no rehearsed animatronics. Just you, your phone, and a character that feels alive. Built for real performance, not just for show! iPuppet was designed with working performers in mind: ventriloquists, magicians, and anyone who wants a genuinely interactive digital character. Every feature exists because it solves a real problem on stage. Faint, performer only touch zones. Trigger expressions with barely visible circles positioned exactly where you want them. You'll know where to tap. Your audience won't have a clue. Fully customisable button layout. Drag and drop every control exactly where you want it. Left-handed? Move everything to suit you. No fixed layouts, no compromises. Seven expressive character states. Normal, Happy, Angry, Love, Dizzy, Star Struck, and Crying, each with its own animated eyes, brows, and mouth. Fluffy Angry comes with blazing red eyes and a proper shake. Star-struck and dizzy get a mesmerising "ooooh" mouth. Crying has real falling teardrops. Finger-tracking eyes. Drag your finger across the screen and watch the character's eyes follow, adding another layer of lifelike presence to your act. Two characters in one app Choose the classic animated face, picking from expressive eye and mouth styles on a bold colour background, or unlock Fluffy Character mode, iPuppet's signature trick. Upload a photo of your own phone's home screen, and a soft, fluffy character appears to magically pop up right out of your app icons. Position it, resize it, recolour its fur to any shade you like, and place your control buttons anywhere on screen. It's a genuine "wait, what?" moment the first time someone sees it. Make it yours! Custom fur colours with quick presets or full custom sliders Drag-and-drop face layout, positioning the eyes and mouth exactly where you want them on the character Save multiple character presets and switch between them instantly Ten background colours for classic mode Adjustable talk speed and idle animation behaviour Why performers choose iPuppet This isn't a novelty filter or a one-trick gimmick. iPuppet was built from the ground up by a working performer who understands that on stage, timing and invisibility matter more than flashy menus. Every control is designed to be silent, precise, and completely under your command, because the moment the audience sees you operating something, the illusion breaks. Whether you're a professional ventriloquist looking for a genuinely responsive digital companion, a magician wanting a fresh piece of visual comedy, or a performer who just wants their phone to come alive with personality, iPuppet gives you a character that reacts instantly, looks great close up, and puts you fully in control. No internet connection required. No accounts, no subscriptions to use the core character. Your character, your control, your performance. Download iPuppet and bring your puppet to life

About

Swapin

Features
Read full description

Make your friends think you have the power of mind reading and hypnosis! Swapin is a magic and mentalism extension for Safari. Change images in the browser at will. This app is for entertainment purposes only

Screenshots

iPuppet3 screens
Swapin2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Swapin at Free against iPuppet's $4.99. Swapin also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 2 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.4 vs 18.6). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Swapin is free to download; iPuppet costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iPuppet ships an update every 2 weeks, Swapin daily. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 5 level
iPuppet versus Swapin: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriPuppetSwapin
Price$4.99Free โ€” better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviewsโ€”
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksDaily โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidโ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS18.615.4 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size4 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJAMES BUCHANAN COWANKenneth Foo

In-app purchases

None

iPuppet

No in-app purchases

None

Swapin

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iPuppet free?
iPuppet costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Swapin free?
Swapin is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do iPuppet or Swapin have ads?
Neither iPuppet nor Swapin shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iPuppet or Swapin?
iPuppet ships an update every 2 weeks, and Swapin daily. Most recently, iPuppet was updated on September 27, 2026 and Swapin on September 30, 2026.

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