Comparison

Pixel Art Camera vs ca

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

Head to head
About

Pixel Art Camera

Transform your photos and videos into pixel art in real-time with a variety of unique styles and creative effects. Save your creations as videos, Live Photos, or GIFs.

Highlights
  • Convert photos to pixel art
  • Record videos in pixel art style
  • Load videos from camera roll
  • 30+ unique styles
  • 10+ creative effects
  • Save as video, Live Photo, or GIF
Features
Read full description

Pixel art yourself! Real-time Pixel Art Camera: Turn everything into pixel art! ● Convert any photo to pixel art ● Record videos in pixel art style directly from the camera ● Load videos from the Camera Roll and turn them into retro pixel art ● 30+ Unique Styles ● 10+ Creative Effects ● Save your art as a Video, as a Live Photo or as a GIF Turn your favorite moments into amazing pixel art using different styles and patterns. ------------------------------- PRO Subscription ------------------------------- Subscriptions are billed monthly or annually depending on the selected subscription plan. Subscriptions will automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. The subscription fee is charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase. If you subscribe before a free trial ends, the remainder of the trial period will be forfeited. You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal by going to your account settings in the App Store. Privacy Policy: https://net-sigma.com/privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://net-sigma.com/terms-of-use

About

ca

This app transforms your camera's live feed into unique, black and white pixelated images using a cellular automaton. Customize the output by adjusting automaton direction, resolution, brightness, and fidelity. Unlock advanced features through optional ad viewing.

Highlights
  • Cellular automaton image generation
  • Black and white pixelated output
  • Adjustable automaton direction
  • Customizable resolution
  • Control input brightness
  • Adjust input fidelity
  • Selfie mode
Features
Read full description

Probably the nerdiest camera app ever made, ca-mera uses a cellular automaton to interpret the brightness values of your camera stream. The resulting images are black/white and pixelated, and contain unique patterns created by the cellular automaton (Wolfram rule 126). This app provides a "selfie" mode, and lets you change the appearance of the pictures by controlling the automaton application direction, the resolution, the input brightness, and the input fidelity (i.e. to which extent the cellular automaton is allowed to run freely). Furthermore, features from the more advanced ca-mera+ app can be unlocked inside ca-mera by tapping the "+" button and watching our handcrafted ads.

Screenshots

Pixel Art Camera4 screens
ca4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ca at none against Pixel Art Camera's 3. ca also leads on review sentiment (91% vs 66%) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). Pixel Art Camera's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 58 months) and ratings volume (1.2K vs 30). On price, rating, ads and monetization model 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

Both are free to download. Pixel Art Camera sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. ca asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Pixel Art Camera against 4.7 for ca. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pixel Art Camera has 1.2K ratings behind it against 30, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of Pixel Art Camera's written reviews are positive against 91% of ca's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pixel Art Camera ships an update every 5 weeks, ca every 58 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and August 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Pixel Art Camera versus ca: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixel Art Cameraca
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (1.2K ratings)4.7 (30 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.4% of reviews90.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.2K — better30
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 58 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNET SigmaFritz Menzer

Customer experience

Pixel Art Camera

All ratings1,220 ratings
Positive89.7%
Neutral4.9%
Negative5.4%
Written reviews137 reviews
Positive66.4%
Neutral8.0%
Negative25.5%

ca

All ratings30 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral3.3%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews121 reviews
Positive90.9%
Neutral1.7%
Negative7.4%

User reviews

Pixel Art Camera

From 1.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent filters and effects
  • 👍 Fun and creative app
  • 💡 Great for pixel art and retro aesthetics
  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 👍 Worth the price for Pro version

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs after updates
  • 💰 Paywall for full features
  • 📢 Intrusive ads
  • 🔍 Difficult to select photos from library

ca

From 30 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Unique and creative visual effects
  • ⚡ Lightweight app with minimal storage footprint
  • 💰 Free to use with no paywalls
  • 🧠 Innovative Wolfram algorithm-based filters
  • 📱 Simple and intuitive user interface

Room to improve

  • 📹 No video recording capability
  • 📸 Cannot import photos from camera roll
  • 🚫 Limited to live camera input only
  • 💧 Watermark present on images
  • 🔤 Limited language support

Bugs and requests

Pixel Art Camera

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes when trying to load photos
  • Video export issues, cutting off footage
  • Inability to save images with transparent backgrounds

Requested features

5 requests
  • More customization options for filters and effects
  • Ability to revert to original colors
  • Adjustable pixel size
  • Support for video editing and GIFs
  • Recently used or favorite filters list

ca

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • App crashes on launch with iOS 14 (iPhone XS)
  • Black screen on startup (some devices)
  • Crashes on iPhone X
  • Display issues on iPhone 6s with iOS 12.1
  • Incompatibility with older iOS versions
Show 1 more
  • Inconsistent filter performance

Requested features

12 requests
  • Video recording functionality
  • Import and process photos from camera roll
  • Remove watermark option (premium feature)
  • Post-processing for existing images and videos
  • Auto mode for quicker photo capture
Show 7 more
  • Automatic album organization for saved photos
  • Old OS window border frame option
  • Additional color options (RGB palette)
  • API access for personal projects
  • Clearer/higher quality output
  • More language support
  • iPhone X/XS Max interface optimization

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Pixel Art Camera

Subscriptions2
  • Pixel Art Camera PRO$4.991 Month
  • Pixel Art Camera PRO3 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pixel Art Camera Pro$19.99
None

ca

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pixel Art Camera free?
Pixel Art Camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ca free?
ca is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pixel Art Camera or ca?
ca is rated higher. Pixel Art Camera averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while ca averages 4.7 from 30 ratings.
Do Pixel Art Camera or ca have ads?
Neither Pixel Art Camera nor ca shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pixel Art Camera or ca?
Pixel Art Camera ships an update every 5 weeks, and ca every 58 months. Most recently, Pixel Art Camera was updated on September 23, 2026 and ca on August 29, 2026.

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