Six ways to turn a photo into an animated sticker on iPhone, side by side: what each one makes, whether AI makes new motion, how it reaches WhatsApp and iMessage, and where each one is stronger.
Dappi is our app, so read this page with that in mind. Every fact comes from each app's US App Store page, or from Apple's support pages for Live Stickers, read on October 4, 2026. Where a page does not say, the table says Unknown. We have not tested the other apps ourselves.
| App | What it makes | Starts from | New AI motion from a still photo | iMessage | US ratings, Oct 4, 2026 | Where it is stronger than Dappi | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DappiThis site. Our app. | Animated stickers and GIFs, 3 to 6 seconds long. | A photo, and a sentence that says what happens. | Yes. A video model makes new motion from your photo and your words. | Yes. Copy in Dappi, then paste into a chat. | Yes. An iMessage extension sends it as a GIF. | No ratings yet. | This is our app, so this cell is for the others. |
| Apple Live StickersBuilt into iOS. Not an app. | Animated stickers cut out from the subject of a photo. | A Live Photo, in the Photos app. | No. It plays the motion the Live Photo already recorded. | Unknown. | Yes. Tap the plus button in Messages, then Stickers. | Not an app. | Nothing to install. Your stickers sync to your other Apple devices through iCloud. |
| Sticker.lyNAVER Z Corporation | Sticker packs. Cutout stickers from photos and animated stickers from videos. | A photo or a video. | Not claimed. The store page describes cutouts, not new motion. | Yes. The store page says it exports to WhatsApp and Telegram. | Unknown. | 4.8 from 150,128 | A very large library of ready made stickers. Also on Android. |
| AI Sticker Maker (Funny Memes)Francesco Lopez | Animated sticker packs, and still stickers with the background removed. | A photo, or an image from the web. | Unknown. The store page does not say how the motion is made. | Unknown. The store page does not name WhatsApp. | Yes. It has an iMessage app. | 4.6 from 24,548 | Ready made packs. Runs on older iPhones, from iOS 14. |
| StickGenGrillz App Studio | Still and animated stickers from selfies. | One or two selfies. | Yes. The store page says it turns a sticker or a photo into looping animations. | Yes. | Yes. It can also make stickers inside iMessage. | 4.7 from 14 | Stickers with two people in them. Makes stickers inside iMessage. The store page says no account is needed. |
| MotionleapLightricks | Moving photos, videos, GIFs and live wallpapers. Not stickers. | A photo. | Partly. AI animates water. You set other motion by hand, with arrows and anchor points. | Unknown. | Unknown. | 4.8 from 117,329 | Exact control over which parts of the photo move, plus sky and camera effects. Also on Android. |
Upload a photo of yourself or your pet and write what happens, for example a slow clap or a happy dance. A video model makes a short clip, usually in under a minute. Add text or emojis if you want, then copy it into WhatsApp or send it as a GIF in iMessage. See every step, send it in iMessage, or read the FAQ.
Ratings and features change. If something here is out of date, tell us at [email protected] and we will correct it.
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