SNLSimMagic vs Catch Santa AR
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SNLSimMagic
Experience augmented reality by scanning images in Sandia National Laboratories' High Performance Computing documents. Watch associated simulation movie clips play directly on your iPhone or iPad.
- Augmented reality experience
- Scan images to trigger content
- View simulation movie clips
- Compatible with iPhone and iPad
- Access content from HPC documents
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SNLSimMagic is an augmented reality iOS application that can be downloaded to your iPhone or iPad. Readers with the application can use their mobile devices to scan images in Sandia National Laboratories' High Performance Computing documents, and see associated simulation movie clips play on their device.
Catch Santa AR
Capture magical Christmas memories with this augmented reality app. Bring a virtual Santa Claus into your home to film him leaving gifts, interacting with your child, and more. Create realistic videos and photos as proof of Santa's visit.
- Summon virtual Santa Claus to your home
- Film Santa leaving gifts on video
- Record Santa interacting with your child
- Capture Santa drinking milk and eating cookies
- Take photos of Santa's visit
- Create realistic AR videos and photos
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The revolutionary AR app that the world has never seen before is here this Christmas! For the first time ever you can summon Virtual Santa Claus to your living room and catch him leaving gifts on video. Catch Santa AR features the world's first ever video tool to capture Virtual Santa Claus in Augmented Reality. Instead of inserting motionless stickers into your photos, summon the real moving Santa Claus and capture him leaving gifts under your tree on video. It looks so real you won't believe your eyes! FEATURES • Summon Virtual Santa Claus to your house • Catch Santa sneaking into your living room on video • Catch Santa leaving gifts under your tree on video • Film Santa having a conversation with you on video • Catch Santa drinking milk and eating cookies your child left for him on video • And many more exciting scenarios • Take a photo to capture a moment while catching Santa on video • Show your kids proof of Santa leaving gifts in your house on video and in photos PLEASE NOTE Prices are in USD. Pricing in other countries may vary.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SNLSimMagic at none against Catch Santa AR's 10. SNLSimMagic also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Catch Santa AR's advantage is ratings volume (5.7K vs 3) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 14.0). On price and device support 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. Catch Santa AR sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. SNLSimMagic asks for nothing beyond the download.
SNLSimMagic holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Catch Santa AR has 5.7K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.
SNLSimMagic ships an update every 2 months, Catch Santa AR every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SNLSimMagic | Catch Santa AR |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | 4.6 (5.7K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 32.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 5.7K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 10 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 241 MB | 388 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sandia Corporation | Dualverse, Inc. |
Customer experience
SNLSimMagic
Catch Santa AR
Bugs and requests
SNLSimMagic
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Catch Santa AR
Reported bugs
3 issues- Fails to detect floor and position Santa properly
- App crashes on launch or during use
- Purchased content not unlocking as expected
Requested features
3 requests- More realistic and high-quality Santa model
- Ability to customize the Santa experience
- Free trial or more affordable pricing
In-app purchases
SNLSimMagic
No in-app purchases
Catch Santa AR
- Sneaking in with Gifts$2.99
- Getting Caught and Talk$2.99
- Entering from Below$2.99
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- Entering from Below & Talk$2.99
- Your Child has been Nice$2.99
- Your Child has been Naughty$2.99
- Milk and Cookies$2.99
- Jumps in$2.99
- Jumps in and Talk$2.99
- All Scenarios$9.99
Questions
Is SNLSimMagic free?
Is Catch Santa AR free?
Which has better reviews, SNLSimMagic or Catch Santa AR?
Do SNLSimMagic or Catch Santa AR have ads?
Which is updated more often, SNLSimMagic or Catch Santa AR?
Other comparisons
