Phistory vs PhotoRiver
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Phistory
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Phistory is a new type photo browser which provides you a "Map app" like user interfaces. Moving, zooming in/out on the time axis, and finally you will find your favorite photo in your history. How to use Move: Swipe along with time axis direction. Zoom in/out: Like Google Maps app, there are 3 ways to achieve it. Pinch / Swipe after double tap / Double tap (zoom in) and 2 finger tap(zoom out). Customize layout of the photo : Swipe the photo horizontaly. Display the photo in full screen: Single tap on the photo. Display the next photo in full screen mode: Swipe horizontally.
PhotoRiver
Organize and display your photos with a professional management tool. Browse images in river or grid modes, manage albums, and create life diaries with customizable templates. Perfect for preserving your memories.
- River and grid photo display
- System and custom album management
- Photo and text life diaries
- Multiple photo wall templates
- Smooth photo browsing experience
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This app uses Apple's Standard End User License Agreement (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ PhotoRiver makes organizing your photo library as easy as browsing it. Swipe through your photos and videos full screen, and favorite, tag, or delete each one as you go. IMMERSIVE BROWSING • Swipe up and down, one photo per screen, with videos playing automatically • Favorite, tag, categorize, add notes, or add to albums and diaries right on the photo • Recommended, Memories, and To Organize filters • Switch between four views: River, Grid, Immersive, and Cards CLEANUP HUB • Duplicates and similar photos: compare in groups and keep the best one • Blurry photos: find the shots that didn't come out • Bursts and Live Photos: keep the best frame, clear the rest • Screenshot archiving: clear out screenshots you no longer need, in batches • Large files and video compression: see what's using your storage and compress videos in the app • Monthly review: a few minutes a month keeps your library tidy CAPTURE AND CREATE • Photo diary: combine photos with text, mood, and weather • Photo walls: templates and backgrounds for shareable collages • Albums: manage system and custom albums together • iCloud sync: favorites, tags, and diaries sync across your devices PRIVACY AND SAFETY • All photo analysis happens on your device and is never uploaded to our servers • Every deletion is confirmed first, and deleted photos stay in Recently Deleted for 30 days
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Phistory at every 2 months against PhotoRiver's every 5 months. Phistory also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (9.2 vs 18.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. Phistory sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and PhotoRiver sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Phistory ships an update every 2 months, PhotoRiver every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Phistory | PhotoRiver |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 9.2 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Yuichiro Hirota | Naihe Hu |
In-app purchases
Phistory
- Unlock all prime functions$1.99
PhotoRiver
- Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Annual Subscription$24.991 Year
- Lifetime Purchase$14.99
