Sticker Maker Studio vs Sticker.ly: Price, Ads and Features Compared
11 min read · By Feral Online · Updated 3 November 2026
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Sticker Maker Studio and Sticker.ly both turn your photos, GIFs and videos into animated WhatsApp stickers on iPhone, but they charge in opposite ways. Sticker Maker Studio has no in-app purchases and is paid for by ads at export; Sticker.ly sells Sticker.ly PLUS at $7.99 a month or $39.99 a year in the US, checked on the App Store on 23 Oct 2026. Pick Sticker Maker Studio to pay nothing, Sticker.ly for video cut-outs and its library.
This page is written by Feral Online, the one-person studio that makes Pixtide Sticker and Pixtide Swipe. We name where the other app wins. Pixtide Sticker is not part of this head-to-head: it has its own short section after the comparison.
The short answer: who should pick which
Sticker Maker Studio suits people who want every feature without paying and can sit through an ad each time a pack goes to WhatsApp. Its screenshots promise "30 Stickers per pack + unlimited packs!", and it takes the widest list of inputs of the two: camera, gallery, Files, text, paste, GIFs and videos. It has 4.72 stars from 80,171 US ratings, checked on the App Store on 23 Oct 2026.
Sticker.ly suits people who want to browse other people's stickers, follow creators and cut a person out of a video. It is the larger app, with 4.77 stars from 150,366 US ratings and 4.83 from 740,470 in Brazil, checked on the App Store on 23 Oct 2026. Its free path carries ads before saves and, according to reviewers, a watermark on free saves, so heavy users end up looking at Sticker.ly PLUS.
Side by side
Every row below comes from each app's US App Store listing, screenshots, privacy label and dated App Store reviews, checked on the App Store on 23 Oct 2026. "Not mentioned in the listing" means the developer does not say; "reviewers report" means dated App Store reviews, not the developer.
| Sticker Maker Studio | Sticker.ly | |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | Viko & Co. (seller Tamara Vardanyan) | NAVER Z Corporation |
| US rating | 4.72 from 80,171 | 4.77 from 150,366 |
| Price of the free version | Free, no in-app purchases | Free download |
| Paid plans (US) | None | $7.99 a month, $19.99 for 6 months, $39.99 a year |
| Weekly plan | No | No |
| Lifetime option | No | No |
| Ads | Yes (listing: Contains Advertising), at export | Yes (listing: Contains Advertising), before saves (reviewers report) |
| Watermark | None reported | On free saves (reviewers report) |
| Account | Not needed to create (reviews); used for the community | Sign-in with Google, Apple ID, Email or Facebook (FAQ) |
| Animated from video and GIF | Yes | Video yes; GIF not stated by the developer |
| Background removal on video | Not mentioned in the listing | Yes, Auto Cut |
| WhatsApp packs | Yes, 30 per pack, unlimited packs | Yes, still and animated |
| Telegram | Not listed | Named in the description; iOS support unverified |
| iMessage | Yes; reviewers report failures since 2025-12 | Needs PLUS (reviewers report) |
| Minimum iOS | 16.0 | 15.6 |
Price and what the free version limits
Sticker Maker Studio costs nothing at any level: its App Store page showed "Free" with no In-App Purchases row in the US and the UK on 23 Oct 2026. Every feature is in the free app, and its screenshots promise unlimited packs of 30 stickers. There is no subscription, no weekly plan and no lifetime unlock, because there is nothing to buy.
Sticker.ly's App Store page lists Sticker.ly PLUS at $7.99 a month, $19.99 for 6 months or $39.99 a year in the US, and £5.99, £14.99 or £29.99 in the UK, plus a separate "60 Avatars" purchase at $4.99, all checked on the App Store on 23 Oct 2026. There is no weekly plan and no lifetime option. Reviewers describe a free trial that turned into a yearly charge; the trial length is not stated by the developer. No cap on the number of free packs is known, but every free save costs an ad, according to reviewers.
A recent Sticker.ly reviewer summed up the price complaint: "I don't mind buying. But I want to own not rent." (App Store review, US, 15 Oct 2026).
Ads and watermarks
Both apps state "Contains Advertising" on their App Store listings, checked on 23 Oct 2026. Where the ads sit differs.
In Sticker Maker Studio, the ads play when you add a pack to WhatsApp or iMessage. Older reviewers called them "short and skippable" (App Store review, UK, 17 Dec 2022). Since 2025, reviewers report playable game ads and long videos whose close button does not appear: "It makes you watch ads or play games. 'X' to close them out never appears." (App Store review, US, 11 Jan 2026). Treat that as what reviewers report, not as a fact we tested. No reviewer we read reports a watermark on Sticker Maker Studio's stickers.
In Sticker.ly, reviewers report a rewarded ad before each sticker or pack is saved, with videos of a minute or more and some game ads with a hidden or missing close button. Sticker.ly's paid terms, effective 16 Apr 2026, list "An ad-free app experience" as a PLUS benefit. Reviewers also report a watermark on free saves: "You now have to pay to remove watermark off sticker." (App Store review, US, 14 Oct 2026).
Accounts and sign-in
Sticker.ly asks you to sign in. Its FAQ lists sign-in with Google, Apple ID, Email or Facebook, and says Sticker.ly PLUS is tied to that specific account. Reviewers back this up from both sides: one wrote that the "App forces you to create an account afterwards" (App Store review, UK, 18 Aug 2026), and another reported that stickers made without an account were lost (App Store review, UK, 18 Jun 2026).
Sticker Maker Studio appears to let you make stickers without an account. The developer does not say so directly; we infer it from reviews. An account is used for the community side: following creators and downloading community packs, which reviewers describe needing a login for. Its 1.8.7 update added a GDPR consent screen and backup to iCloud and Google Drive.
Animated stickers and background removal
Both apps make animated stickers from your own clips, and this is where Sticker.ly has the clearer edge. Its description promises to "Create animated stickers from your videos with new Auto Cut technology", and a screenshot reads "Remove Background from photos and videos". GIF input is not stated by the developer, although a 2021 UK review describes uploading a GIF for an animated sticker.
Sticker Maker Studio's description says it can "Transform any photo, GIF, or video into a static or animated sticker", and it imports GIFs and MP4 files from the Files app. Its cut-out tools are for photos: "Smart select", "Auto cutout for selfies & portraits", a freehand lasso, and square and circle cuts. Background removal on video is not mentioned in the listing, so an animated sticker keeps the whole frame unless you cut a still. Reviewers in 2026 report Smart select crashing or not working.
Neither listing states a maximum clip length or trim and speed controls. WhatsApp sets the ceiling for both: animated stickers must be WebP, 512 by 512 pixels, 500 KB or less and 10 seconds or less, with 3 to 30 stickers in a pack (WhatsApp's iOS sticker documentation).
WhatsApp, Telegram and iMessage
Both apps export still and animated packs to WhatsApp, the main reason most people install either one. Reviewers of both report export errors from time to time: Sticker Maker Studio users saw "invalid frame duration" messages in March 2025, and Sticker.ly users report "Error 44" and "error 1000" in August 2026.
Telegram is where they split. Sticker.ly's description says "Easily export your gif stickers to WhatsApp and Telegram", but a 2024 UK review says the iOS app supported only WhatsApp and iMessage, so treat Telegram on iPhone as unverified. Sticker Maker Studio does not list Telegram, and reviewers have requested it since 2022. Telegram video stickers have their own, tighter rules: 3 seconds at most, as WEBM files of up to 256 KB (Telegram's sticker rules).
For iMessage, both have a route, and both draw complaints. More than 15 Sticker Maker Studio reviewers since December 2025 report that packs added to iMessage never appear. Sticker.ly reviewers report that adding packs to iMessage now needs PLUS: "they paywalled it for imessage" (App Store review, US, 1 Feb 2026).
Privacy labels
Both privacy labels, read on the US App Store pages on 23 Oct 2026, list data used to track you, so neither is the private choice. Sticker Maker Studio's label lists Identifiers and Usage Data under "Data Used to Track You", and no user content such as photos or videos. That suggests the editing happens on the phone, though the developer does not say where the processing runs.
Sticker.ly's label lists Identifiers, Usage Data and Diagnostics under "Data Used to Track You". Under data collected for App Functionality it lists Email Address, Name, Photos or Videos, Other User Content and Search History, among others, so some of your media leaves the phone in some flows. Where its photo cut-out runs is not stated; its AI image and video generation for PLUS uses server credits under the paid terms.
Where each app wins
Sticker Maker Studio wins on price and on simplicity. Everything is free, packs are unlimited, inputs are the widest of the two, and long-time users praise it for exactly that: "Works perfectly + no subscriptions needed" (App Store review, US, 6 Dec 2023). It also runs on iPad, and it backs packs up to iCloud and Google Drive.
Sticker.ly wins on video cut-out, the community library and reach. Its screenshots promise "Explore Stickers: Billions, updated daily", with creators to follow and packs shared by link, and older users liked that community: "Stickerly is great and has an amazing app design and a community that uploads non stop" (App Store review, UK, 4 Oct 2024). It runs on iOS 15.6, a little older than Sticker Maker Studio's 16.0, it updates every one to three weeks (version 3.40.1 on 13 Oct 2026), and it is also on Android.
Where both lose: ads on the free path, tracking identifiers on the privacy label, and a recent stream of 1-star reviews.
Our own app, coming soon
Feral Online makes Pixtide Sticker, so we have not ranked it against the two apps above. Pixtide Sticker is coming soon to the App Store (not released yet), in testing, with no ratings yet. It turns your own videos, GIFs, Live Photos and photos into animated or still stickers for WhatsApp, Telegram and Messages, with the background removed on every frame of a clip by Apple's on-device Vision, made on your iPhone. It has no ads, no watermark and no account.
The free version keeps two packs for good (one still, one animated, up to 30 stickers each), every way in and out, 3 animated cut-outs to start plus one a week, and two free ready-made animated packs. Pro is $3.99 a month (£3.99 in the UK), $19.99 a year (£19.99 in the UK) or $39.99 once (£39.99 in the UK), with no weekly plan. The yearly price is half of Sticker.ly's US yearly price, and there is a one-time lifetime option where Sticker.ly has none; Sticker Maker Studio costs nothing, which Pixtide Sticker Pro does not match. Limits: iPhone only (iOS 18 or later), five ready-made packs at launch rather than a community library, and Telegram video stickers play 3 seconds. More on the Pixtide Sticker page, its privacy policy and the Pixtide apps page.
How we compared
Every fact about Sticker Maker Studio and Sticker.ly on this page comes from their US and UK App Store pages, screenshots, version history, privacy labels and App Store reviews, plus Sticker.ly's FAQ and paid terms, all checked on 23 Oct 2026. Review quotes are copied from the App Store with the storefront and date, chosen to show both sides of each app. Where a listing says nothing about a feature, such as clip length or video cut-out, we wrote "not mentioned in the listing" or "not stated" rather than "no".
This is a check of public listings and reviews, not a hands-on test: we did not pay for Sticker.ly PLUS, sit through the ads ourselves or run stickers from either app through WhatsApp for this page. Prices and features change; check each App Store page before you pay. For more options, see the best animated sticker makers for iPhone, Sticker.ly alternatives and whether Sticker.ly is free.
Pixtide is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Sticker Maker Studio and Sticker.ly. All product names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. This comparison reflects publicly available information as of November 2026; pricing and features change, so please check each app's store listing for the latest details.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sticker Maker Studio or Sticker.ly better for animated WhatsApp stickers?
It depends on what you need. Sticker Maker Studio turns videos and GIFs into animated WhatsApp stickers with nothing to buy, paid for by ads at export. Sticker.ly also removes the background from a video with Auto Cut and has a huge community library, but its ad-free use sits behind Sticker.ly PLUS at $39.99 a year in the US, checked on the App Store on 23 Oct 2026.
Is Sticker Maker Studio really free?
Yes. Sticker Maker Studio's App Store page showed "Free" with no In-App Purchases row on 23 Oct 2026, in the US and the UK, and its screenshots promise 30 stickers per pack and unlimited packs. It is paid for by ads: the listing states Contains Advertising, and reviewers report ads when adding a pack to WhatsApp or iMessage, some of which they say cannot be closed.
How much does Sticker.ly PLUS cost compared with Sticker Maker Studio?
Sticker.ly PLUS costs $7.99 a month, $19.99 for 6 months or $39.99 a year in the US, and £5.99, £14.99 or £29.99 in the UK, checked on the App Store on 23 Oct 2026. Sticker Maker Studio sells nothing, so there is no plan to compare. Neither app lists a weekly plan or a one-time lifetime purchase.
Which one works with Telegram, Sticker Maker Studio or Sticker.ly?
Sticker.ly's description says you can export GIF stickers to WhatsApp and Telegram, though a 2024 UK review says the iOS app supported only WhatsApp and iMessage, so check before you rely on it. Sticker Maker Studio does not list Telegram export, and reviewers have asked for it since 2022, checked on the App Store on 23 Oct 2026.
Do I need an account for Sticker Maker Studio or Sticker.ly?
Sticker.ly's FAQ lists sign-in with Google, Apple ID, Email or Facebook, and ties Sticker.ly PLUS to that account; a UK reviewer in June 2026 reported losing stickers made without one. Sticker Maker Studio appears to let you create without an account, according to reviews, and uses an account for its community and community downloads.