Comparison

PastViewer vs Shadow Theater

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

Head to head

PastViewer

Discover history around you!

Chinese shadow puppet stage

Free

📚 Education

No ratingsView app →

About

PastViewer

Features

Read full description

PastViewer lets you time-travel your city. Browse a live map of vintage, geotagged photos and stand exactly where the photographer once stood to compare “then & now.” Whether you’re exploring your hometown or a new place, PastViewer turns ordinary walks into discoveries.

About

Shadow Theater

Features

Read full description

A Chinese shadow-puppet stage you can actually play. Choose legendary figures, set them on the glowing screen, switch scenes, change voices, and record a show with the microphone. Built for culture class, Chinese New Year projects, and kids who want piyingxi without a classroom kit. Self-contained. No account required.

Screenshots

PastViewer4 screens

Shadow Theater4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shadow Theater at none against PastViewer's 3. PastViewer's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price, 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

Both are free to download. PastViewer sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Shadow Theater asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PastViewer ships an update monthly, Shadow Theater every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level

PastViewer versus Shadow Theater: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter	PastViewer	Shadow Theater
Price	Free	Free
Update frequency	Monthly — better	Every 3 months
Ads	No	No
In-app purchases	Yes	No — better
Devices	iPhone, iPad	iPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS	16.0	15.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size	57 MB	98 MB
Age rating	4+	4+
Developer	Dmitry Vorobyev	Jersey Zhongwen LLC

In-app purchases

3 purchases

PastViewer

One-time3

Small Tip$0.99
Medium tip$4.99
Large Tip$9.99

None

Shadow Theater

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PastViewer free?

PastViewer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

Is Shadow Theater free?

Shadow Theater is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

Do PastViewer or Shadow Theater have ads?

Neither PastViewer nor Shadow Theater shows ads.

Which is updated more often, PastViewer or Shadow Theater?

PastViewer ships an update monthly, and Shadow Theater every 3 months. Most recently, PastViewer was updated on October 15, 2026 and Shadow Theater on October 19, 2026.