# Video Call Santa vs Elf Studio®

The clearest difference is ads: Elf Studio® at none against Video Call Santa's shown. Elf Studio® also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 6 weeks). Video Call Santa's advantage is ratings volume (160K vs 3.8K) and review sentiment (62% vs 45%). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Video Call Santa sells 22 one-off in-app purchases and Elf Studio® sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Video Call Santa against 4.6 for Elf Studio®. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Video Call Santa has 160K ratings behind it against 3.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 62% of Video Call Santa's written reviews are positive against 45% of Elf Studio®'s.

Video Call Santa ships an update every 6 weeks, Elf Studio® every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Video Call Santa | Elf Studio® |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (160K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/video-call-santa/id947281623/reviews)** | [4.6 (3.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elf-studio/id6443879616/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **160K** | 3.8K |
| Positive reviews | **62.3% of reviews** | 45.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 308 MB | 343 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dualverse, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1145696722) | [North Pole Command Centre Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/976131058) |

## What reviewers say

### Video Call Santa

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/video-call-santa/id947281623)

Experience the magic of Christmas with a personalized video call from Santa Claus. Choose your Santa, schedule a call, and let him greet your child by name. Capture precious moments and discover wish lists through interactive conversations.

**Highlights:** Choose American or British Santa, Schedule calls or connect instantly, Incoming or outgoing calls, Personalized greetings by name, Santa asks about behavior and wish list, Record and save video conversations, Passcode-protected parent recordings

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (22)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Aaliyah | $1.99 | one-time |
| Aarav | $1.99 | one-time |
| Aaron | $1.99 | one-time |
| Aarush | $1.99 | one-time |
| Abby | $1.99 | one-time |
| Abdul | $1.99 | one-time |
| Abdullah | $1.99 | one-time |
| Abel | $1.99 | one-time |
| Abigail | $1.99 | one-time |
| Emma | $1.99 | one-time |
| Ava | $1.99 | one-time |
| Olivia | $1.99 | one-time |
| Christmas Day Episode | $2.99 | one-time |
| Nice Episode | $2.99 | one-time |
| Naughty Episode | $2.99 | one-time |
| Sleep on Time Episode | $2.99 | one-time |
| Christmas Eve Episode | $2.99 | one-time |
| Premium | $3.99 | one-time |
| VIP Package from All Episodes | $5.99 | one-time |
| All Episodes | $9.99 | one-time |
| VIP Package from Premium | $10.99 | one-time |
| VIP Package | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and engaging app
- 🎅 Realistic Santa interaction
- 💝 Brings joy to kids
- 🎄 Personalized with child's name

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤖 Repetitive/scripted responses
- 💰 Paid features/upgrades required
- 🔇 Audio/recording issues
- 🕰️ Short call duration

**Reported bugs**

- Calls getting dropped or not connecting
- Paid features not working as expected
- Compatibility issues with certain devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to have longer/more interactive calls
- More customization options for call content
- Support for multiple children in one call
- Improved audio/recording quality


### Elf Studio®

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elf-studio/id6443879616)

Create magical videos and photos of Santa and his elves visiting your home using augmented reality. Place characters in any environment, customize their appearance and animations, and record your own festive scenes.

**Highlights:** Add Santa Claus and elves, Unlimited elves and recording time, Create custom elves with Elf Workshop, Customize elf outfits and accessories, Elves with walking and dancing animations, Pre-plan or perform animations, Customize lighting, shadows, and camera filters

**Features:** Family Sharing, iMessage stickers

**In-app purchases (15)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Elf Studio | $1.99 | per month |
| Elf Studio™ - Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Unlock Elf Studio | $3.99 | per year |
| Elf Studio™ - Annual | $6.99 | per year |
| Elf Studio Pro - Annual | $9.99 | per year |
| 50+ Elf Dance Animations | $0.99 | one-time |
| 1 Elf Video Credit | $1.99 | one-time |
| 1 Credit - Pro Price | $1.99 | one-time |
| 5 Credits - Pro Price | $5.99 | one-time |
| 5 Elf Video Credits | $7.99 | one-time |
| 10 Credits - Pro Price | $9.99 | one-time |
| Elf Studio - Lifetime Pass | $19.99 | one-time |
| 25 Credits - Pro Price | $22.99 | one-time |
| 50 Credits - Pro Price | $34.99 | one-time |
| 50 Credits | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎅 Elf-themed game
- 👍 Fun for kids
- 💡 Ability to create elf scenes

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Many features locked behind paywall
- 🐛 Glitchy performance
- 🚫 Limited free functionality

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to scan surfaces for elf placement
- Crashes and freezes when trying to use app

**Requested features**

- More free customization options
- Ability to save and share created scenes
- Improved surface detection for elf placement


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Video Call Santa free?

Video Call Santa is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Elf Studio® free?

Elf Studio® is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Video Call Santa or Elf Studio®?

Video Call Santa is rated higher. Video Call Santa averages 4.7 out of 5 from 160K ratings, while Elf Studio® averages 4.6 from 3.8K ratings.

### Do Video Call Santa or Elf Studio® have ads?

Video Call Santa shows ads; Elf Studio® does not.

### Which is updated more often, Video Call Santa or Elf Studio®?

Video Call Santa ships an update every 6 weeks, and Elf Studio® every 6 days. Most recently, Video Call Santa was updated on October 28, 2026 and Elf Studio® on October 27, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*