# Adobe Express vs Kostka Pixel

The clearest difference is price: Adobe Express at Free against Kostka Pixel's $4.99. Adobe Express also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and chart position (#13 vs unranked). Kostka Pixel's advantage is iOS requirement (15.5 vs 18.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Adobe Express is free to download; Kostka Pixel costs $4.99 up front. Adobe Express sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Kostka Pixel sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Adobe Express ships an update every 3 weeks, Kostka Pixel every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 14, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Adobe Express | Kostka Pixel |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $4.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (370K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adobe-express-create-anything/id1051937863/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **370K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 57.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#13** | — |
| Size | 219 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.5** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) | [Hubert Przychodniak](https://appshunter.io/developer/6777076504) |

## What reviewers say

### Adobe Express

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adobe-express-create-anything/id1051937863)

**Currently charting:** #13 Top Grossing · Graphics & Design, #16 Top Free · Graphics & Design (US App Store)

Create professional marketing and business materials with ease. This app offers intuitive tools for video editing, photo enhancement, background removal, and QR code generation. Maintain brand consistency with customizable templates and brand kits.

**Highlights:** Video editing with templates, music, and effects, AI-powered photo editing and object manipulation, One-tap background removal for photos and videos, Branded QR code generation, Brand kit for consistent visuals, PDF editing and conversion

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Adobe Express Mobile | $4.99 | per month |
| Express Subscription - Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Adobe Express Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Adobe Express Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Adobe Design Mobile : Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| Adobe Express Mobile - Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Adobe Express - Yearly | $99.99 | per year |
| Adobe Express Yearly | $99.99 | per year |
| Adobe Express Premium - Annual | $99.99 | per month |
| Adobe Design Mobile: Yearly | $149.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Quick and efficient
- 💡 Vast collection of templates and design options
- 👍 Intuitive interface
- 🚀 Seamless cross-platform sync

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔒 Subscription model limits free features
- 🔒 Watermark issues with free version
- 🐛 Syncing and file management problems
- 👎 Cluttered and confusing UI after recent update

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes and freezes when using certain features
- Disappearing fonts and design elements
- Issues with exporting high-quality images
- Inconsistent behavior across mobile and desktop versions

**Requested features**

- Add more customization options for text, shapes, and layouts
- Improve alignment and resizing tools
- Introduce a search function for templates and design elements
- Allow offline editing and local file storage
- Provide better organization and management of projects and assets


### Kostka Pixel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kostka-pixel/id6777076502)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Single Mosaic | $1.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Unlock | $12.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Adobe Express free?

Adobe Express is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Kostka Pixel free?

Kostka Pixel costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Do Adobe Express or Kostka Pixel have ads?

Neither Adobe Express nor Kostka Pixel shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Adobe Express or Kostka Pixel?

Adobe Express ships an update every 3 weeks, and Kostka Pixel every 2 months. Most recently, Adobe Express was updated on November 14, 2026 and Kostka Pixel on November 10, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*