Asciilizer vs Atkinson
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Asciilizer
Transform your photos into unique text-based art. Choose from various detail levels to create custom ASCII images from your camera or existing pictures. Save and share your creations easily.
- Generate ASCII art from photos
- Six fineness modes
- Save art as image
- Clip art as text
- Share to social media
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Asciilizer is an ascii art generator which makes your photo into text. ◇ Generate Ascii Arts - Take a camera or load a photo, then the photo will be an amazing ascii art. - Select the fineness of ascii art from 6 modes, light, lighter, normal, detailed, complicated and super. ◇ Save & Clip Ascii Arts - Save generated ascii arts into the camera roll as image. - Clip the ascii arts as text ◇ Share Ascii Arts - Share the asciilized image with your friends. - Support Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LINE and Weibo.
Atkinson
This app processes photos using the Atkinson dithering algorithm, originally used for black and white displays on old Macintosh computers. It creates small file-sized images with options for square cropping, rounded corners, and white borders, offering a real-time preview of the effect.
- Atkinson dithering algorithm processing
- Square photo output
- Toggleable rounded corners
- White border option
- Real-time preview
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Transform your photos with the iconic Atkinson dithering algorithm — the same technique used on the original Macintosh by Bill Atkinson. Create stunning retro-style images with a single tap. # What is Atkinson Dithering? Atkinson dithering was the algorithm behind the classic 1-bit graphics of early Macintosh computers. It converts photos i nto beautiful two-tone pixel patterns, producing images with a distinctive vintage charm and remarkably small file sizes. # Features - Real-time Atkinson dithering preview through your camera - 7 retro-tech color palettes: Terminal Green, Amber Monitor, Original Macintosh, Game Boy, Apple II Green, White Phospho r, and classic black & white - 5 iconic frames inspired by computing history: MacPaint, Classic Mac window, Terminal, White Frame, and frameless - Adjustable brightness control - Rounded corner option - Square photo output optimized for social media - Lightweight PNG output with tiny file sizes # Color Palettes Go beyond black and white. Choose from color palettes inspired by legendary displays — the green glow of VT100 terminals, the warm amber of IBM monitors, the creamy screen of the original Macintosh, and more. # Retro Frames Wrap your dithered photos in frames inspired by classic software. The MacPaint frame features pixel-perfect tool palettes and menu bars, just like Bill Atkinson's legendary paint program. The Classic Mac frame recreates the iconic window chrome of early Macintosh. # Perfect for - Retro and vintage photo enthusiasts - Pixel art lovers - Social media posts with a unique aesthetic - Anyone who appreciates the beauty of 1-bit graphics
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Asciilizer at none against Atkinson's shown. Asciilizer also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). Atkinson's advantage is rating (3.3 vs 3.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Asciilizer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Atkinson sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Atkinson holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 6 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 73% of Asciilizer's written reviews are positive against 71% of Atkinson's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Asciilizer ships an update every 5 weeks, Atkinson monthly. The most recent releases landed on July 19, 2026 and June 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Asciilizer | Atkinson |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (4 ratings) | 3.3 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 73.0% of reviews — better | 71.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 6 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nooon LLC | Tsutomu Koyachi |
Customer experience
Asciilizer
Atkinson
In-app purchases
Asciilizer
- Super Mode$1.99
Atkinson
- Standard Month$0.991 Month
- Standard Year$9.991 Year
