Insider Connected Explained: How It Works, Free vs. Paid Features and Compatible Pinball Machines

Modern pinball is about much more than scores and high-score initials. With Stern Insider Connected, your games can become part of a longer journey, allowing you to track your progress, unlock achievements and compete with players around the world.

Introduced in 2021, Stern Insider Connected has become an important part of the modern Stern Pinball experience. Whether you own a Godzilla, Jurassic Park, Foo Fighters, JAWS, Pokémon or Fallout pinball machine, understanding how it works can help you get more out of your games.

But what exactly is Insider Connected? Is it free? Do you need a subscription? And how can you keep using it after installing custom pinball mods?

Let's explain everything you need to know.

What Is Stern Insider Connected?

Insider Connected is Stern Pinball's online platform that connects compatible pinball machines with your personal player account.

Instead of every game being an isolated experience, you can identify yourself when playing, track achievements and build a record of your progress across supported machines.

The system uses a QR code to identify your account. Scan in at a compatible machine, play your game and enjoy the connected features supported by that title.

Depending on the machine and available software, you can:

• Track scores and gameplay statistics.

• Earn experience points, achievements, streaks and badges.

• Complete quests and participate in challenges.

• Register and manage machines in your home collection.

• Find locations with connected pinball machines.

• Compete on leaderboards and follow your progress.

Which Stern Pinball Machines Support Insider Connected?

Insider Connected was introduced in 2021, and new Stern machines manufactured since its rollout have included the system as standard. Many earlier Stern LCD machines can also be connected using a compatible retrofit kit.

That means the platform covers a huge range of popular modern Stern pinball machines, including:

Godzilla, Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Avengers: Infinity Quest, The Mandalorian, Rush, Foo Fighters, James Bond 007, Deadpool, Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast, Metallica Remastered, JAWS, Venom, The Uncanny X-Men, Pokémon, King Kong: Myth of Terror Island and Fallout.

Other compatible titles include Guardians of the Galaxy, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Walking Dead Remastered and many more.

Compatibility depends on the particular machine, its production configuration and, for older games, whether the necessary upgrade hardware has been installed.

Whether you own a Stern Pro, Premium or Limited Edition, it's worth checking the machine's configuration to see which connected features are available.

Insider Connected Free vs. All-Access: What's the Difference?

One of the best things about Insider Connected is that you don't need to pay a subscription to enjoy its core features.

Insider Connected — Free

$0

Create your account, track scores, earn achievements and badges, register your home machines and discover connected games and locations. For many players, this is all they need.

Insider Connected All-Access — Paid

$99.99/year

Adds benefits such as home leaderboards, gold status on supported games and leaderboards, access to exclusive Stern experiences, and additional home-machine features. Some perks, including shipping benefits and factory tours, have geographical or eligibility conditions.

The important distinction is that All-Access is optional. You can use the basic Insider Connected system without paying for a subscription.

What About Insider Connected on Your Home Pinball Machine?

For home collectors, Insider Connected adds another reason to keep playing.

You can build a collection of registered machines, follow your achievements and revisit games to improve your results. If you own several modern Stern titles, your connected profile helps bring those experiences together.

The QR reader is normally located in the apron area, directly below the playfield. This creates a small challenge for collectors who want to customise their machines: a standard apron cover may hide the reader.

That's where Wizard Mod comes in.

WizAprons with Insider Connected Cut-Outs

Our WizAprons transform the apron into an extension of the machine's artwork, creating a more cohesive appearance around the lower playfield.

But you shouldn't have to sacrifice a useful feature just to customise your machine.

That's why we offer Insider Cut-Out versions of our WizAprons, featuring a precisely positioned opening that leaves the QR reader accessible. You can enjoy the custom artwork while continuing to scan your Insider Connected QR code normally.

We offer compatible designs for many Stern machines, including Pro, Premium and Limited Edition configurations. The exact design and construction depend on the model.

Here are three examples:

• Fallout LE Insider Cut-Out WizApron — custom Fallout artwork with the QR reader remaining fully accessible.

• Pokémon Pinball Mods — explore our collection, including Insider Cut-Out WizAprons for Pro and Premium/LE machines.

• Transformers MTMTE Premium WizAprons — another example of extending custom artwork across the apron area; check the selected version carefully if you need to preserve QR functionality.

You can also read our article, The Art of Custom Pinball WizAprons, to see how we approach this upgrade across modern Stern machines.

Can You Still Use Insider Connected After Installing a WizApron?

Absolutely — provided you choose the correct Insider Cut-Out version for your machine.

The opening is designed to preserve access to the QR reader, so you can continue signing in and using the connected features supported by your game.

If you don't use Insider Connected, a version without the cut-out may give you a cleaner, uninterrupted artwork design. But if you enjoy tracking achievements, collecting badges or using connected features across multiple machines, keeping the reader accessible is the practical choice.

The key is selecting the right apron for your exact model and deciding whether you want to retain QR functionality.

Get More from Your Stern Pinball Machine

Insider Connected makes modern Stern pinball more personal, giving players reasons to return, improve and explore different machines. The free account already offers plenty of value, while All-Access adds further benefits for dedicated players and collectors.

And customising your machine doesn't mean giving up those features.

With Wizard Mod's Insider Cut-Out WizAprons, you can extend the artwork across the apron while keeping the QR reader available for normal use.

Whether you're playing Godzilla, Fallout, Transformers, Pokémon, JAWS or another modern Stern pinball machine, you can enjoy the connected experience and make the machine your own.

Explore the full range of Stern Pinball Mods at Wizard Mod to discover more ways to personalise your collection. Or browse the WizAprons page.