Scout Elf® Ideas vs Take that, Elf!
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Scout Elf® Ideas
This app provides daily photo inspiration and creative ideas for Scout Elves during the Christmas season. Discover crafts, clothes, and instructions to recreate scenes and enhance your holiday traditions. Get alerts from the North Pole to prepare for elf arrivals and departures.
- Daily photo feed with inspiration
- Idea Spinner for random suggestions
- Filterable ideas and photos
- Materials and instructions included
- North Pole alerts for preparation
- Elf arrival and departure notifications
- Kids Mode with North Pole activities
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AN OFFICIAL, AWARD-WINNING ELF ON THE SHELF® APP Scout Elves always match the unique personalities of their families! Some are playful and creative, while others are sporty and adventurous. This app offers fun daily photos to inspire every Scout Elf during the Christmas season. Discover fun ideas for spending time with your family along with pictures of Scout Elves that come with materials and instructions. From quick and easy ideas to creative and complex ones, this app has them all! You can find links to printable crafts and Scout Elf clothes to enhance certain designs. Filter to find tons of different ideas for your Scout Elf and get special daily reminder alerts from the North Pole. Find fun ideas for the Scout Elves and get into the holiday spirit with The Elf on the Shelf® Ideas! The Elf on the Shelf® Ideas App Features: DAILY PHOTO FEED — During the holidays, receive new daily photos from the North Pole for your family and every Scout Elf to enjoy. — Click on each for more details along with a list of materials and instructions! IDEA SPINNER — Not sure what you are looking for? Check out the new feature: Scout Elf Idea Spinner! — Tap the spin button for a fun random Scout Elf Idea! FILTER PHOTOS AND IDEAS — Santa wants to make sure you can find the right inspiration for your Scout Elf. — Use the filter to narrow down what photos display on the feed. — Feel inspired and help your Scout Elf decorate scenes! MATERIALS, INSTRUCTIONS AND MORE! — Not only were these elves captured in action, they also helped us put together a list of what your Scout Elf might need! — Recreate each photo and the Scout Elf challenges by spending time with your family. — Look at pictures and enjoy making fun arts and crafts with your Scout Elves! NORTH POLE ALERTS — Santa wants to make sure his favorite helpers have everything they need to be creative! — Check the special daily alerts from Santa so your family can remember to prepare your home. ELF ARRIVAL + DEPARTURES — Receive alerts from the North Pole before the Scout Elves depart for their annual visits and when it’s time to return to the North Pole. — Make sure your home is ready for the elves and know when they have to return to the North Pole to help Santa get ready for next year. FAREWELL MESSAGE — Santa likes to teach the Scout Elves to be polite and courteous! — Keep an eye out for a special farewell letter from your Scout Elf, thanking you for all the fun they've shared with your family. Find fun ideas and pictures of the Scout Elves before they visit your home for Christmas. Make sure your home is ready for tons of fun this holiday season with The Elf on the Shelf® Ideas App! KIDS MODE —Toggle over to the Kids experience! Your little one can be directed to Santa's North Pole, our official website with games, activities, videos and more! Download now to find holiday ideas for the scout elves! — Don't forget to RATE THIS APP! Santa wants to make sure families everywhere have access to this great inspiration for Scout Elves.
Take that, Elf!
This augmented reality experience allows users to adopt and then torment virtual elves. Vent holiday frustrations by engaging in various destructive actions against these digital creatures. It's a cathartic way to deal with pent-up emotions.
- Augmented reality experience
- Adopt a virtual elf
- Vent holiday frustrations
- Torment virtual elves
- Cathartic gameplay
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TAKE THAT, ELF is a therapeutic AR experience brought to you by the minds of WE ARE ROYALE. Vent your holiday frustration on these little punks. First, adopt an elf as your very own, and then mistreat them however you deem fit. Elves are evil, maniacal, aloof little creatures that have no place in the joy that is the holidays. And yet we trust these little dirtballs with the art of making toys for our kids. Their grubby little hands chiseling Timmy's toy tiger. Their rancid breath breathing down on Suzy's little doll. There’s a reason Santa locks them up after their work is done. Seriously. Elves are insane. And something has to be done with them. Never got over the fact that Santa “forgot” to give you that Powerglove in the late 80’s? Toss a match on an elf... Mad that your brother got that sweet Power Wheels and you had to settle for a crappy telescope? Christmas ain't for science, son! Electrocute an elf and settle the score… Now’s your time to get even, so grab your phone, adopt your own elfish nightmare, and do your best to destroy their soul.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Scout Elf® Ideas at 4.6 against Take that, Elf!'s 4.1. Scout Elf® Ideas also leads on ratings volume (3.6K vs 16) and review sentiment (65% vs 50%). Take that, Elf!'s advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 16.0). 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Scout Elf® Ideas holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Scout Elf® Ideas has 3.6K ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Scout Elf® Ideas's written reviews are positive against 50% of Take that, Elf!'s.
Scout Elf® Ideas ships an update monthly, Take that, Elf! every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Scout Elf® Ideas | Take that, Elf! |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (3.6K ratings) — better | 4.1 (16 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 65.0% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3.6K — better | 16 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 10.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 145 MB | 214 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | The Elf on the Shelf CCA & B LLC. | WE ARE ROYALE LLC |
Customer experience
Scout Elf® Ideas
Take that, Elf!
Bugs and requests
Scout Elf® Ideas
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashing or freezing
- Inability to delete the app
- Saved favorites/ideas not persisting
- Videos and images not loading properly
Requested features
4 requests- More original and simple elf ideas
- Ability to save/share custom elf ideas
- Password protection for adult section
- Expanded content for international users
Take that, Elf!
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Scout Elf® Ideas
No in-app purchases
Take that, Elf!
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Scout Elf® Ideas free?
Is Take that, Elf! free?
Which has better reviews, Scout Elf® Ideas or Take that, Elf!?
Do Scout Elf® Ideas or Take that, Elf! have ads?
Which is updated more often, Scout Elf® Ideas or Take that, Elf!?
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