Comparison

MaxCurve vs Hipstamatic® Analog Camera

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

MaxCurve

This professional photo editor offers advanced curve editing with 28 unique curve types, surpassing even desktop software. It includes a manual camera, HDR, layers, masks, and blend modes for detailed image reconstruction and artistic expression.

Highlights
  • 28 comprehensive curve editing tools
  • Pro manual camera controls
  • Layer management with blend modes
  • Masking and channel adjustments
  • HDR and vignette tools
  • Sync with Photoshop via Wi-Fi
Read full description

Best Apps of 2016, as Chosen by Apple. MaxCurve is a professional photo editor, which has the most comprehensive curve editing function and pro manual camera. MaxCurve achieves great innovation with 28 curves, most of which users have never seen on other apps. Even Photoshop can't achieve such an exquisite adjustment performance. Furthermore, manual camera, HDR, layer, channel, mask, preset, blend mode, opacity, crop and vignette are available. MaxCurve is able to edit every detail of your photos to its maximum design and also help to perfectly reconstruct your photography works. It's an indispensable app for photographers, and an essential tool serving as great assistant for artists. "MaxCurve should satisfy even the most perfectionist image editors." -- DPReview "Take your iPhone photography to new levels with MaxCurve." -- App Advice "MaxCurve brings professional image editing that even goes beyond some of the Photoshop curve functions. Recommended." -- Life in LoFi "Even more powerful desktop applications like Photoshop don’t offer the same level of control over some of their adjustments as MaxCurve does through its diverse range of curves tools." -- iPhone Photography School RGB KIT - RGB, Red, Green and Blue curves CMYK KIT - CMYK, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black curves LIGHTNESS KIT - Contrast/Lightness curve - Exposure/Lightness curve, like shadow/highlight in Photoshop - Gamma/Lightness curve - Temperature/Lightness curve - Lightness/Hue curve, like hue/saturation in Photoshop - Black & White/Hue curve, best BW tool ever HSL KIT - Hue curve, like hue/saturation in Photoshop - Hue/Saturation curve - Hue/Lightness curve, like color balance in Photoshop - Saturation curve - Saturation/Hue curve - Saturation/Lightness curve LAB KIT - a curve - a/Luminosity curve - Copy a to b curve - b curve - b/Luminosity curve - Copy b to a curve - Luminosity curve LAYER KIT - Manage curves using maximum 40 layers - Add color layer, texture layer or self-blending layer; then set blend modes like in Photoshop - Adjust blending opacity using curves - Add mask for every layer CHANNEL KIT - RGB, CMYK, HSL and LAB channels - Check and adjust channels separately MORE KITS - HDR brings a stunning look to your image by using one image - Crop, rotation, mirror and ratio tools - Sharpness, blur, grain, structure and vignette tools - Powerful history function with snapshot - Pixelate and border tools MANUAL CAMERA - Adjust the exposure, ISO, shutter speed, temperature and focus by manual - Use the presets to be the filters while taking photos - Use it as a standalone camera SYNC TO PHOTOSHOP - MaxCurve can be linked to your Mac or PC's Photoshop using Wi-Fi, import images from Photoshop and export them back again after processing - Output presets as the format of 3D LUT, and use them in the function named 'Color Lookup' of Photoshop - You can perform collaborative work with Photoshop like a plugin, first of its kind ever created PROFESSIONAL EDIT - Process and save images as FULL size without downscaling resolution - Support for JPEG, TIFF, PNG and RAW (CRW, CR2, DNG, ARW, RAF, ORF, NEF, MRW, PEF, and others) - Reserve EXIF and GPS information as original picture - Add copyright info into EXIF, or add watermark for protecting your copyright - Choice of export quality - Analyze pictures by professional histogram and gradient map - Open MaxCurve in system's Photos app, and have it serve as a filter extension - Support is available for split view on iPad and 3D touch SHARE CURVES - Save curves into presets for subsequent and future use - We set up an online curve sharing platform for users to share photography artworks and curves without registration - Find inspiration on a publication highlighting creativity from around the globe - Save curves of other photographers to local presets Have suggestions or problems? Contact us via email: support@ maxcurve. net

About

Hipstamatic® Analog Camera

This app simulates shooting with a vintage analog film camera, applying effects like lenses and films before you take the photo. Explore over a thousand unique analog combinations and connect with a community of photographers without algorithms or ads.

Highlights
  • Analog film camera simulation
  • Pre-shoot effect application
  • 1000+ lens and film combinations
  • Chronological community feed
  • No ads or algorithms
  • Photo challenges and stamps
Features
Read full description

Your iPhone takes perfect photos. Hipstamatic® doesn't. That's the point. Hipstamatic is not a photo editor. It's a camera... the original analog film camera for iPhone, made since 2009. —— SHOOT FIRST. EDIT NEVER. Pick a lens. Pick a film. Shoot. Hipstamatic® applies the analog look before you press the shutter — exactly the way a real film camera works. No editing. No tweaking. No second-guessing. The photo is finished the moment you take it. —— 200+ LENSES. 200+ FILMS. EVERY ONE A REAL CAMERA. Over 1,000 analog combinations across TinType, Instant, Classic Toy and more. Each one gives you grain, color shifts, light leaks and vignettes you can't fake and can't replicate anywhere else. None of them perfect. All of them honest. Don't want to choose? Shuffle, and let the camera surprise you. —— NO ADS. NO TRACKING. NO ALGORITHM. EVER. Hipstamatic® runs on members, not advertisers. No VC funding. No data harvesting. No feed deciding what you should look at. When you join, you're keeping an independent camera alive… One that's been here since before Instagram existed. —— A SMALL, QUIET ROOM. If you want it, there's a community of people who shoot the way you do. Chronological. No algorithm. No brand accounts. No promoted posts. No follower math. Just photographs people actually meant to make. And it's opt-in — if you only ever want a private camera, that's the whole app too. —— FREE TO START. MORE LOOKS WITH MEMBERSHIP. The camera is free. Join the Hipstamatic® Camera Club to open the whole shelf. Every lens, every film, every camera we've made in 15+ years and go as deep as you want to go. Your first month is on us. —— P.S. Hipstamatic was Apple's very first App of the Year (2010). We just never stopped pointing the camera at something.

Screenshots

MaxCurve4 screens
Hipstamatic® Analog Camera4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Hipstamatic® Analog Camera at Free against MaxCurve's $0.99. Hipstamatic® Analog Camera also leads on ratings volume (2.8K vs 923). MaxCurve's advantage is review sentiment (81% vs 39%) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). On rating, update cadence and ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Hipstamatic® Analog Camera is free to download; MaxCurve costs $0.99 up front. Hipstamatic® Analog Camera sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. MaxCurve asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for MaxCurve against 4.6 for Hipstamatic® Analog Camera. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 923 and 2.8K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 81% of MaxCurve's written reviews are positive against 39% of Hipstamatic® Analog Camera's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MaxCurve ships an update every 4 weeks, Hipstamatic® Analog Camera monthly. Both last shipped on November 2, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
MaxCurve versus Hipstamatic® Analog Camera: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMaxCurveHipstamatic® Analog Camera
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (923 ratings) — better4.6 (2.8K ratings)
Positive reviews80.5% of reviews — better39.5% of reviews
Number of ratings9232.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS8.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size112 MB184 MB
Age rating4+12+
Developer晓东 王Hipstamatic, LLC

Customer experience

MaxCurve

All ratings921 ratings
Positive92.8%
Neutral2.8%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews257 reviews
Positive80.5%
Neutral8.2%
Negative11.3%

Hipstamatic® Analog Camera

All ratings2,798 ratings
Positive90.1%
Neutral3.1%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews380 reviews
Positive39.5%
Neutral12.1%
Negative48.4%

User reviews

MaxCurve

From 923 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful photo editing capabilities
  • 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
  • 🎨 Excellent color correction and curve tools
  • 💻 Great for desktop and mobile editing
  • 🖌️ Versatile layering and blending options

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
  • 🔁 Lack of updates and bug fixes
  • 📱 Compatibility problems with newer devices/OS
  • 💰 Concerns about in-app purchases and subscription model
  • 🤔 Steep learning curve for some advanced features

Hipstamatic® Analog Camera

From 2.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Simple and intuitive interface
  • 👍 Variety of creative filters and effects
  • 💡 Ability to create custom camera presets
  • 🤩 Fun and engaging community features

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Locked features behind paywall
  • 😞 Loss of previous purchases and customizations
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
  • 💸 Expensive subscription model

Bugs and requests

MaxCurve

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Lower interface elements being cut off
  • Filter masks appearing misaligned
  • Photos disappearing after editing
  • Frequent, unpredictable crashes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Local masking and selective editing tools
  • Levels and histogram adjustments
  • Skin smoothing and portrait enhancement
  • Improved undo/redo functionality
  • Expanded RAW file support

Hipstamatic® Analog Camera

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inability to save custom camera presets
  • Inconsistent behavior when editing photos
  • Syncing issues with photo library and cloud storage

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to import photos from camera roll
  • Option to change aspect ratio beyond square format
  • Restore previous purchases and customizations
  • Improved search and organization for lenses/films

In-app purchases

None

MaxCurve

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Hipstamatic® Analog Camera

Subscriptions3
  • Hipstamatic Camera Club$7.991 Month
  • Hipstamatic Camera Club3 Months trial$19.996 Months
  • Hipstamatic Camera Club1 Month trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is MaxCurve free?
MaxCurve costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hipstamatic® Analog Camera free?
Hipstamatic® Analog Camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MaxCurve or Hipstamatic® Analog Camera?
MaxCurve is rated higher. MaxCurve averages 4.7 out of 5 from 923 ratings, while Hipstamatic® Analog Camera averages 4.6 from 2.8K ratings.
Do MaxCurve or Hipstamatic® Analog Camera have ads?
Neither MaxCurve nor Hipstamatic® Analog Camera shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MaxCurve or Hipstamatic® Analog Camera?
MaxCurve ships an update every 4 weeks, and Hipstamatic® Analog Camera monthly. Most recently, MaxCurve was updated on November 2, 2026 and Hipstamatic® Analog Camera on November 2, 2026.

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