Lyra vs CastLoop
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Lyra
Create and experience unique, interactive stories driven by AI. Make choices that shape your adventure, or build your own worlds and characters. Explore diverse genres from fantasy to sci-fi.
- AI-powered interactive stories
- Create custom characters and worlds
- Choice-driven narrative progression
- Hundreds of original stories
- Cross-genre exploration
- Resume stories anytime
Read full descriptionHide full description
Lyra is where your imagination comes to life. Step into immersive, interactive stories that unfold one choice at a time — every reply is written just for you, so no two adventures are ever the same. Pick a story and start playing instantly, or create your own — design a character, set the scene, and bring a whole world to life. From epic fantasy to sci-fi mysteries, your next story is one tap away. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Explore hundreds of original interactive stories across fantasy, adventure, sci-fi, anime, mystery, and more • Step into rich, story-driven worlds with their own settings and openings • Create your own characters and stories in minutes — no writing experience needed • Shape the story your way: every choice steers what happens next • Pick up any story right where you left off BUILT FOR STORYTELLERS Lyra blends interactive fiction with AI-powered storytelling into one creative playground. Whether you want a quick escape, a long-running saga, or a sandbox to build in, your next story is one tap away. Membership unlocks longer story memory, more daily messages, and bonus credits for image generation. You can browse and play for free. Start your story today. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.lyra-ai.io/legal/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.lyra-ai.io/legal/privacy
CastLoop
Engage in AI-powered interactive story games where your choices shape the narrative. Watch cinematic scenes, make critical decisions, or even write your own responses to influence the plot and discover multiple endings across various genres.
- AI interactive story games
- Cinematic scenes
- Choice-based branching narratives
- User-written responses
- Multiple paths and endings
- Diverse genres (romance, mystery, fantasy, thriller, drama)
Read full descriptionHide full description
A dangerous crush. A suspicious ally. One very bad idea. Welcome to CastLoop, where stories are made to be played. Watch cinematic stories and choose your next move. Or step into an interactive novel: pick a suggested action or write your own, and let AI continue the story. Your novel can have pictures, too. Illustrated mode adds two AI-generated images to each new turn. Keep reading while they load, or switch to text-only mode for your next turn. In supported cinematic stories, choice hints show effects or requirements before you tap, and on-screen stats let you follow changes as you play. Browse by genre and set your story preferences to find your next adventure. CastLoop+ includes unlimited text-only generation in interactive novels. Illustrated turns cost 10 Diamonds with membership or 20 Diamonds without it. Nonmembers can generate text-only turns for 5 Diamonds. Illustrated generation still requires Diamonds. Subscriptions and other in-app purchases are available. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Lyra at 4.7 against CastLoop's 4.0. Lyra also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 8 days). On price, ratings volume, 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. Lyra sells 19 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per 7 days and CastLoop sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Lyra holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 4 respectively.
Lyra ships an update every 4 days, CastLoop every 8 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.
| Parameter | Lyra | CastLoop |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (6 ratings) — better | 4.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Every 8 days |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 104 MB | 193 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | +12 |
| Developer | LyraVega Tech, Inc. | X Original |
Customer experience
Lyra
CastLoop
In-app purchases
Lyra
- Nova7 Days trial$9.997 Days
- Lyra+7 Days trial$9.997 Days
- Lyra Pro7 Days trial$19.997 Days
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Lyra+1 Month trial$19.991 Month
- Supernova7 Days trial$19.997 Days
- Nova1 Month trial$19.991 Month
- Lyra Pro1 Month trial$39.991 Month
- Supernova1 Month trial$39.991 Month
- Lyra+1 Year trial$129.001 Year
- Nova$199.991 Year
- Lyra Pro1 Year trial$249.001 Year
- Supernova$299.991 Year
- Lyra+ Day Pass$1.99
- Lyra Pro Day Pass$2.49
- 200 Stars$2.79
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- 500 Stars$6.99
- 1,000 Stars$13.99
- 5,000 Stars$69.99
- 10,000 Stars$139.99
CastLoop
- CastLoop Plus Weekly Subscription$14.997 Days
- CastLoop Plus Annually Subscription$149.991 Year
- Diamond Pack 1$0.99
- Limited Deal$0.99
- Unlock Full Story$2.99
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Diamond Pack 2$2.99
- Diamond Pack 3$5.99
- Diamond Pack 4$9.99
- Diamond Pack 5$19.99
- Diamond Pack 6$69.99
