# Pastello vs Project Indigo

The clearest difference is price: Project Indigo at Free against Pastello's $29.99. Project Indigo also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (702 vs 43). Pastello's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 3.8) and review sentiment (79% vs 45%). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Project Indigo is free to download; Pastello costs $29.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Pastello holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Project Indigo has 702 ratings behind it against 43, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Pastello's written reviews are positive against 45% of Project Indigo's.

Pastello ships an update every 3 months, Project Indigo every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pastello | Project Indigo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $29.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.7 (43 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pastello/id1074343686/reviews)** | [3.8 (702 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/project-indigo/id6742591546/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 43 | **702** |
| Positive reviews | **78.9% of reviews** | 45.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Size | 123 MB | 347 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.5 |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [JixiPix Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/380605671) | [Adobe Labs, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/805812963) |

## What reviewers say

### Pastello

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pastello/id1074343686)

Transform your photos into stunning dry media art, mimicking styles like pastel, charcoal, and colored pencil. This app offers a professional workflow with customizable layers and one-click presets for creating expressive, traditional-looking artwork.

**Highlights:** Photo to Pastel, Chalk, Charcoal, Crayon conversion, Layering of different dry media, Customizable stroke direction, size, and volume, One-click presets with customization options, Traditional sketch styles and DaVinci effect, Professional workflow for artists and photographers

**In-app purchases:** none


### Project Indigo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/project-indigo/id6742591546)

This app offers advanced computational photography with manual controls for a natural, SLR-like image look. It captures bursts of photos to create high-quality images with reduced noise and enhanced dynamic range, suitable for both casual and professional users.

**Highlights:** Computational photography pipeline, Natural image look (SLR-like), Full manual camera controls, Photo and Night modes, Super-resolution for zoom, Macro mode, Live viewfinder with histogram and zebra striping

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Excellent image quality
- 🚀 Powerful processing algorithms
- 🔍 Impressive zoom and detail enhancement

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔥 Overheating issues
- 🔋 Battery drain
- 🐛 Focusing problems
- 🚫 Incompatible with some regions/devices

**Reported bugs**

- Shutter sound cannot be disabled
- AI-based features causing loss of detail

**Requested features**

- Support for higher resolution photos
- Improved tap-to-focus functionality
- Better optimization for battery and thermal performance


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pastello free?

Pastello costs $29.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Project Indigo free?

Project Indigo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Pastello or Project Indigo?

Pastello is rated higher. Pastello averages 4.7 out of 5 from 43 ratings, while Project Indigo averages 3.8 from 702 ratings.

### Do Pastello or Project Indigo have ads?

Neither Pastello nor Project Indigo shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pastello or Project Indigo?

Pastello ships an update every 3 months, and Project Indigo every 3 weeks. Most recently, Pastello was updated on June 1, 2026 and Project Indigo on September 24, 2026.

---

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