Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

charging play vs Charger

charging play 4.5★ · Free + IAP · ⚠ stale 40
Winner Charger
Charger 4.7★ · Free + IAP 65

Charger (App B) offers a more reliable, albeit paid, experience for charging animations, while Charging Play (App A) struggles with significant functionality issues and intrusive ads.

Full reviews: charging play · Charger

Charger (App B) generally delivers on its promise of charging animations, though many features are locked behind a subscription. Charging Play (App A) is plagued by numerous bugs, frequent ads, and reports of animations failing to set or play correctly.

Head to head

Features and Customization tieR3R9R33R42
charging play Charging Play offers custom charging animations, but many users report issues with setting them, changing them, or getting them to play with sound R3R9R33R50. Some users appreciate the selection of animations R42.
Charger Charger provides charging animations, but most users find that only one animation is free, with additional options requiring a subscription . Users appreciate the visual aspect of the animations and some wish for a random animation option .
Ease of Use and Reliability edge: ChargerR4R6R9R10
charging play Many Charging Play users report significant issues with the app not working, getting stuck on screens, failing to set animations, or crashing R4R6R9R10. Some users found it easy to set up after watching a tutorial .
Charger Charger users generally find the app works, with animations popping up when the phone is charged R116. However, some report issues with animations not appearing on the lock screen or the battery percentage not updating accurately within the animation . Setup can be a hassle for some .
Ads and Pricing tieR1R2R5R7
charging play Charging Play is heavily criticized for its excessive and intrusive ads, which appear frequently, block content, and sometimes prevent functionality R1R2R5R7. One user reported paying for 'plus' features and not receiving them, along with concerning security issues .
Charger Charger users frequently complain about the app's subscription model, with many features locked behind a weekly ($1.99) or annual ($19.99) payment . Ads are also present and annoying for some users . The app is criticized for prompting users to rate and pay before they can even try it .
Support and User Experience tieR6R9R10R18
charging play Users of Charging Play express frustration with the app's persistent bugs, inability to change settings, and difficulty in deleting the app R6R9R18. There's a general plea for developers to fix issues R10R33.
Charger Charger users are annoyed by the app's aggressive monetization tactics, including being trapped in settings or nag screens without subscribing . Some appreciate the step-by-step instructions for setup , but others find them unclear or outdated .
Pick charging play if

You are willing to contend with numerous bugs, intrusive ads, and potential functionality issues for a free app that offers custom charging animations R1R4R6R25.

Pick Charger if

You are willing to pay a weekly or annual subscription for charging animations and prefer a more reliable app, despite its aggressive monetization tactics R116.

Evidence note: Reviews for both apps are heavily skewed towards negative experiences, particularly concerning ads and monetization. Charger (App B) has a higher lifetime rating, but recent reviews highlight significant user frustration with its subscription model and pre-use rating prompts. Charging Play (App A) has a lower lifetime rating and numerous reports of core functionality failures.

Frequently asked

Are the charging animations free in these apps?
In Charger (App B), only one animation option is typically free, with most others requiring a subscription of $1.99 per week or $19.99 per year . Charging Play (App A) is free to download and offers custom animations, but users report being bombarded with ads and experiencing significant bugs that prevent animations from working correctly R1R2R25R28.
Do these apps actually help my phone charge faster?
Neither app's reviews indicate that they improve charging speed; they are primarily for visual charging animations. One Charging Play user mistakenly believed the app was supposed to help their phone charge and found it unhelpful R1, while another mentioned it helped them 'see my phone charging' R116.
Can I use my own custom videos or GIFs for charging animations?
Charging Play (App A) allows for custom charging animations, but users frequently report issues with setting them, changing them, or getting sound to play with their videos R3R9R33R50. Charger (App B) focuses more on its own selection of animations, with most custom options locked behind a subscription .

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R3] charging play 3/5 · US Custom: When I wanted to do my own custom charging animation after I pressed set it would just keep loading and not actually setting my custom charging animation
  2. [R9] charging play 3/5 · US Just struggling.: um hi. i downloaded the app hoping to use it, but he leaves me on a screen. it won’t let me change the animation. i try to click but everytime i click the screen it will go black and then it will go back to the animation. i don’t understand.
  3. [R33] charging play 3/5 · US Please fix this bug in the app: I love this app but I do wish it would play the audio with the videos I selected. When I first got the app it worked perfectly but over time I would upload a new video and it plays silent with no sound no matter what I try and I even messed with the settings and nothing. Is there a way to fix this feature?
  4. [R42] charging play 3/5 · US Almost perfect: The instructions for creating a shortcut are very good. There is a lovely selection of animations, but I can’t find a way for the chosen application to start when I plug the phone into charge. I have to swipe down several animations until I find the one I wanted.
  5. [R4] charging play 1/5 · US What did I do wrong?: I opened the app… it only shows me my battery percentage and when I try to click on the screen it goes black… explain
  6. [R6] charging play 3/5 · US Stuck on screen: Everytime I open the app it has the MagSafe charging screen and I even re-installed it and it won’t take me off the screen I’ve used this app before when I was younger but I have no clue why it isn’t working unless my app is glitched ?
  7. [R10] charging play 2/5 · US It’s not working: It just shows what my battery is at and I’m trying to do the charging animation for Mha but I can’t get out of the charging thing fix it pls before it worries so you can do it am again
  8. [R1] charging play 1/5 · US Your mobile player: Honestly, I had a lot of faith in this game until I actually tried it out first off with the ads and stuff. It didn’t say anything about ads in the description. Maybe I haven’t looked at it right now. I saw what I saw it personally it was even working. I had to put my charger in to make a charge and then it started saying how it was helping my phone charge one about portable ch
  9. [R2] charging play 5/5 · US Great but…: It’s a great app and great set up but if I didn’t have to unlock my phone and didn’t have ads it would be top tier
  10. [R5] charging play 5/5 · US Great but: Too many ads but cool features
  11. [R7] charging play 2/5 · US Charging play has ads: There is ads
  12. [R18] charging play 3/5 · US PLEASE READ: This app is the best, but one day I was trying to get to another app and the app CHARGING PLAY kept getting on my screen, can the developers of this app stop this?
  13. [R25] charging play 1/5 · US Horrible🤬🤬🤮: This game is horrible it supposed to charge your phone but ads pop up every 5 seconds delete this app if you have it
  14. [R28] charging play 1/5 · US Not working: I tried to do the charging animation and charged it but when I charge it it just says the battery percentage so I tried to go into the app to fix it and it just shows the animation no buttons whatsoever and I click it and it just shows a black screen yes I tried deleting and redownloading the app pls fix
  15. [R116] Charger 5/5 · US Amazing app🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷: Ilooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooove this app it is amazing I love this app. I have no problems with this app and my phone. I have an iPhone 11 and it will turn off and it’s charging now that I downloaded this app. I can see my phone charging and it’s really a game changer and if I were, I would love to get this app.
  16. [R50] charging play 5/5 · US Why can’t I change the background?: I don’t know what’s going on all of a sudden but I tried changing the animation and it wouldn’t let me. It just kept playing what I had previously set, so I deleted the app and redownloaded it to see if it would work then and it hasn’t. It was enjoyable while it lasted.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store