Stickers are one of the things that make LINE feel different from other messaging apps. They are not just emoji. They are full illustrations, often with a specific character or style, and they communicate things that text does not quite capture. This guide covers how to find them, how to buy them, and a bit about where they come from.
Free sticker sets: where to find them ¶
LINE releases free sticker sets regularly, often tied to seasons or collaborations with brands and public figures. To find them, open the Sticker Shop from the chat keyboard and tap the Free tab. Free sets are available for a limited time, usually a few months, before they are rotated out. If you download a set while it is free, you keep it permanently even after it leaves the free section.
Buying sticker sets from the shop ¶
Paid sticker sets are available in the Sticker Shop. Most sets cost 120 yen for a set of 8 stickers, or 250 yen for larger sets of 16 or more. You pay using LINE Coins, which you buy in advance through the app. 60 LINE Coins cost 120 yen. Once you buy a set, it is linked to your account and available on all your devices.
The LINE Creators Market ¶
The Creators Market is the platform where independent designers sell their own sticker sets. Anyone can apply to become a creator and submit a set for review. If it passes LINE's content guidelines, it goes on sale in the shop. Creators receive 35% of the revenue from their sets. Some creators in Japan earn a significant portion of their income this way, particularly those with distinctive styles that build a following.
Finding stickers that suit you ¶
The Sticker Shop has a search function and category filters. Searching by mood (greetings, apologies, reactions) is often more useful than searching by character name if you do not already have a favourite. The ranking tab shows the most downloaded sets this week, which is a reasonable way to find sets that other people find useful in conversation.
Stickers are worth spending a few minutes exploring when you first set up LINE. A small collection of sets that match how you communicate makes the app noticeably more enjoyable to use day to day.