A quick, friendly heads-upWhat’s changing in Puppet Pals
Starting August 1, 2026, we’re adding an optional membership. The short version: the app stays free, and anything you’ve ever bought stays yours.
We’re a small, independent studio. Puppet Pals has been free and downloaded millions of times since 2010, and we’ve rebuilt it from the ground up—modern, reliable, and packed with new creative tools.
To keep it alive and growing, we’re introducing an optional Creative Club membership. Making shows is still free. The membership just unlocks the extras —and if you’ve supported us with a purchase before, you keep what you unlocked, no membership required.
Find the description below that sounds like you.
I play at home, for fun
Nothing you have to do. You can keep making, recording, and saving shows for free. Creative Club is there if you ever want the AI tools, all the character packs, and video export—but it’s entirely optional.
See what’s free vs. Club ↓I’ve bought something before
Thank you. Whatever you unlocked with a purchase—the character packs, drawing your own puppets, saving movies to your device, longer recordings—stays yours forever. You’ll never need to subscribe to keep what you already had. A membership only adds AI creation on top.
You’re all set — nothing to do.I use it in a classroom
Use Puppet Pals: School Edition— everything unlocked, no AI, and no student data ever leaving the device. It’s FERPA-aligned. On iOS it’s a one-time purchase that deploys through Apple School Manager; on Android & Chromebooks it’s an annual site license per school building, ordered on our school licensing page.
Compare editions for schools →Free vs. Creative Club
Always free
- ✓ Make and animate puppet shows
- ✓ The Fairytale characters & backdrops
- ✓ Record up to 5 minutes
- ✓ Save as many shows as you like
- ✓ Play them back anytime
Creative Club adds
- ★ Every character & backdrop pack
- ★ Draw and AI-create your own characters
- ★ Export finished shows as videos to the device’s photo library
- ★ Longer recordings (up to 10 minutes)
Starts with a free trial, cancel anytime. Purchased something before? The packs, drawing, export, and longer recordings are already yours.
Common questions
Is Puppet Pals still free?
Yes. You can download it and make, record, and save shows without paying anything. Creative Club is an optional membership for the extra creative tools.
I bought a character pack years ago. Do I lose it?
No—never. Anything you unlocked with a purchase stays yours permanently, with no membership required. The update doesn’t take anything away from people who’ve supported us.
What actually changes on August 1?
The free version gains a few gentle limits geared toward personal use—the Fairytale set, 5-minute recordings, and no AI or video export. Everything you can already do keeps working, and your saved shows stay on your device.
I use Puppet Pals in a school. What should I do?
Move to School Edition. It’s built for classrooms and keeps student data on the device. On iOS it’s a one-time purchase per seat; on Android & Chromebooks it’s an annual site license per school building, ordered on our school licensing page. Our transition guide and setup guide walk you through it, including a message you can forward to your IT team.
Thank you for being part of Puppet Pals. Questions? Reach us at support@polishedplay.com.