Pad Frame vs Onyx Box
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Pad Frame
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Old iPad. New Life. Pad Frame transforms any iPad into a beautiful digital photo frame. Instead of leaving your old tablet in a drawer, turn it into a stunning display for family memories, travel photos, favorite moments, and everyday inspiration. Simply plug it in, choose your photos, and let Pad Frame keep your memories alive all day, every day. FEATURES โข Beautiful slideshow experience Display your photos with elegant transitions, including Fade, Slide, and cinematic Ken Burns effects. โข Dynamic clock and weather Show time, date, and real-time weather information alongside your photos. โข Fully customizable Adjust photo duration, slideshow speed, and shuffle settings to create your perfect display. โข Works offline Your photos stay on your device. No cloud connection required. โข Optimized for older iPads Give your unused iPad a second life instead of letting it collect dust. โข Nordic-inspired design Clean, minimal, and distraction-free interface designed to blend naturally into any home. Perfect for: โข Family photos โข Travel memories โข Children's milestones โข Living rooms โข Bedrooms โข Offices โข Digital photo displays Old iPad. New Life. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Onyx Box
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One box holds 3 billion photos. That's not a limit you'll ever hit; it's the point. Onyx seals each photo and video on your iPhone to its essence โ a two-minute video that weighed 73 MB becomes a 33 KB atom. Same video, still yours. Tap it and it beams back, checked against its own seal. Nothing moved. Nothing deleted. No account, no sign-in, no ads, nothing used for training. One box holds 3 billion photos. That's not a limit you'll ever hit; it's the point. Onyx seals each photo and video on your iPhone to its essence โ a two-minute video that weighed 73 MB becomes a 33 KB atom. Same video, still yours. Tap it and it beams back, checked against its own seal. Nothing moved. Nothing deleted. No account, no sign-in, no ads, nothing used for training. Onyx Box keeps every photo and video you love without filling up your phone. Your storage doesn't matter anymore. Drop one in and Onyx seals it on your iPhone and reduces it to its essence. A two-minute video weighs 73 MB; Onyx keeps it as a 33 KB atom. Same video. Still yours. Tap it and it beams back, checked against its own seal. Do that for all of them and one phone has room for over a million photos. Stop deleting the good ones to make room for the next ones. NOTHING MOVED. NOTHING DELETED. Your originals stay right where they are. Onyx only reads the photos you choose, and it asks first โ on Apple's own permission sheet. Want everything backed up? Turn on Onyx Subspace and your saves go home on their own. Nothing leaves your phone unless you choose it. SIMPLE TO START. NO CATCH. Open it, name your box, drop a photo in. That's the whole setup. Your first 50 saves are free, and they stay free. STAMPED AS YOURS Every photo is stamped with your Signal ID the moment it lands, and the stamp travels with it. It's yours wherever it goes, and it won't open unless it still matches its seal. ONE BOX FOR A LIFETIME A box is built to hold up to 3 billion photos. A lifetime. Your kids' lifetimes. MADE FOR THE WAY YOU ALREADY LIVE Your photos and videos show up just like they always have โ a grid, an album, a tap to view, a swipe to browse. Send anything through Apple's own share sheet to a friend or your socials. Bring files in from the Files app. Play your music right on your home page. WHO IT'S FOR Anyone who has ever seen "Storage Almost Full" and had to pick which memory to lose. Parents. Travelers. Anyone with a phone full of life. Your memories belong to you. No one should have to choose between keeping the moment and affording the space to hold it. Powered by Physics ยท Math ยท Human Creativity. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://onyxsafebox.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
Pad Frame and Onyx Box are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters โ price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them โ neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
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
Both are free to download. Pad Frame sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Onyx Box sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Pad Frame ships an update every 10 days, Onyx Box every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pad Frame | Onyx Box |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | Every 5 days โ better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.0 โ better |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 35 MB | 16 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Yuhai Lin | Tony Bell |
In-app purchases
Pad Frame
- Pad Frame Pro โ Monthly$2.991 Month
- Pad Frame Pro โ Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year
- Pad Frame Pro$24.99
Onyx Box
- Onyx Backup Monthly$8.991 Month
- Onyx Save$0.99
- Onyx Drive$1.99









