The Talking Shell vs XP Maker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Talking Shell
This entertainment app provides yes or no answers to your questions. Simply pull and release a cord to get a response. It's a fun way to get quick, simple answers.
- Ask yes/no questions
- Pull cord for answers
- Interactive gameplay
- Simple interface
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The Talking Shell knows all! Ask The Talking Shell a question that can be answered with "yes" or "no" and pull the cord. As soon as you release the cord you get your answer!
XP Maker
Design unique pixel-art avatars with a vast selection of items and color variations. Easily create thousands of distinct character combinations and share your creations.
- Create pixel-art avatars
- 14 item categories
- Color variations
- Thousands of combinations
- Easy to use interface
- Share creations
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Hi peeps! I'm @dave.xp and I can't wait for you to make your own characters! Me and the developer team have carefully crafted this app so you can make the coolest pixel-art avatars on the internet! It's very easy to use, and you'll get amazing results by just picking your favorite items out of 14 different categories. With many different items to choose from and their color variations, you can make thousands of unique combinations and I can't wait to see yours! Tag your portraits with the hashtag #xpmaker and I'll be featuring some of them every week on my Instagram account! Cheers Dave XP
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: XP Maker at 98% against The Talking Shell's 55%. XP Maker also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.8) and ratings volume (104 vs 9). The Talking Shell's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 13.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. The Talking Shell sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and XP Maker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
XP Maker holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: XP Maker has 104 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of The Talking Shell's written reviews are positive against 98% of XP Maker's.
The Talking Shell ships an update monthly, XP Maker every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Talking Shell | XP Maker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.8 (9 ratings) | 4.8 (104 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 54.5% of reviews | 98.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 9 | 104 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 6.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 49 MB | 108 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | RGSD | David Alvarez |
Customer experience
The Talking Shell
XP Maker
Bugs and requests
The Talking Shell
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
XP Maker
Reported bugs
2 issues- Cannot delete a duo concept
- A tiny bug emerged
Requested features
17 requests- Add movement options (walking, running)
- Basketball app for NBA characters
- More poses for free
- Wallpaper options
- More hair options (anime/series)
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- More jacket options (anime/series)
- More options for backgrounds
- More faces
- Extended color scheme options
- Animations (AI based on text)
- More simple purchase packages
- More customization options
- Add background music
- More free backgrounds
- More free animations (run, hands in air)
- More choices for creativity
- Updates and new features
In-app purchases
The Talking Shell
- Userdefined Answers$0.99
XP Maker
- Xp Maker Upgrade$1.99
Questions
Is The Talking Shell free?
Is XP Maker free?
Which has better reviews, The Talking Shell or XP Maker?
Do The Talking Shell or XP Maker have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Talking Shell or XP Maker?
Other comparisons
