Comparison

Scout Elf® Ideas vs NEON Augmented Reality

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

NEON Augmented Reality

Experience interactive digital content brought to life through augmented reality. This app is designed to be used exclusively with specially purchased booklets from NEON attractions, unlocking a new dimension of engagement with physical materials.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality experience
  • Interactive digital content
  • Exclusive booklet integration
  • Enhanced engagement with physical media
Features
Read full description

For use with the booklets purchased exclusively in NEON attractions. Enables digital content to be seen in the book.

Screenshots

Scout Elf® Ideas4 screens
NEON Augmented Reality2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: NEON Augmented Reality at every 3 days against Scout Elf® Ideas's monthly. NEON Augmented Reality also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). Scout Elf® Ideas's advantage is ratings volume (3.6K vs 2). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NEON Augmented Reality holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Scout Elf® Ideas has 3.6K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Scout Elf® Ideas ships an update monthly, NEON Augmented Reality every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Scout Elf® Ideas versus NEON Augmented Reality: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScout Elf® IdeasNEON Augmented Reality
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (3.6K ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews65.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3.6K — better2
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size145 MB185 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe Elf on the Shelf CCA & B LLC.Cityneon Holdings Pte Ltd

Customer experience

Scout Elf® Ideas

All ratings3,610 ratings
Positive89.5%
Neutral5.2%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews157 reviews
Positive65.0%
Neutral10.8%
Negative24.2%

NEON Augmented Reality

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

NEON Augmented Reality

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Scout Elf® Ideas

No in-app purchases

None

NEON Augmented Reality

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Scout Elf® Ideas free?
Scout Elf® Ideas is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is NEON Augmented Reality free?
NEON Augmented Reality is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Scout Elf® Ideas or NEON Augmented Reality?
NEON Augmented Reality is rated higher. Scout Elf® Ideas averages 4.6 out of 5 from 3.6K ratings, while NEON Augmented Reality averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Scout Elf® Ideas or NEON Augmented Reality have ads?
Neither Scout Elf® Ideas nor NEON Augmented Reality shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Scout Elf® Ideas or NEON Augmented Reality?
Scout Elf® Ideas ships an update monthly, and NEON Augmented Reality every 3 days. Most recently, Scout Elf® Ideas was updated on November 6, 2026 and NEON Augmented Reality on November 3, 2026.

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