Phocus vs Blur Background
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Phocus
This AI-powered app creates DSLR-style portraits by simulating realistic background blur and offering advanced 3D relighting capabilities. It allows for precise control over depth, lighting, and scene atmosphere, transforming any photo into a cinematic masterpiece.
- DSLR-style portrait creation
- Realistic background blur simulation
- Advanced 3D relighting
- AI-powered subject detection
- DSLR lens emulation
- Portrait video blur
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Featured by Apple in “Powered by Apple Intelligence” and “Great Apps Updated for iOS 27” around the world, and in “Best New Apps and Updates” in the US and Canada. Phocus is a portrait camera and depth editor for iPhone, iPad, and iPhone Duo. See each lens's bokeh live before you shoot, or bring any photo from your library, even one taken without Portrait mode, and reshape its focus and depth with tools that understand distance, not just outlines. SHOOT - Eight lens characters, from clean and modern to swirly vintage and black and white, each with its own bokeh rendered live in the viewfinder - The blur you see is the blur you get, in the photo and the editor - Live AI depth for real-time blur even where the camera can't measure depth on its own - Live aperture and focus control - Manual ISO, shutter speed, white balance, exposure, and focus - Histogram, zebra, focus peaking, level, and timer - RAW and ProRAW capture - Import your own .cube LUTs, or choose from Daily, Film Looks, Vintage, Signature, and Mono - Lens and color look suggestions with Apple Intelligence, generated on device - Siri, Shortcuts, Lock Screen, and Control Center to open the camera you need EDIT - Change aperture, focus, blur falloff, and bokeh shape after the shot - Edit any photo in your library: AI depth adds realistic blur even to photos taken without Portrait mode - Edit the depth map directly: every color is a distance, so you can pick a depth and brush it over any area - Select a subject with a tap on iOS 27, then refine it with Brush, Erase, and Hardness - Masks in Portrait, Depth, and Select modes - Curves, adjustments, tone, and film grain - 3D Relight and 3D Scene Preview for depth-aware lighting - Copy a photo's look onto other photos, with undo and redo for every change - Save as Portrait keeps the depth with your photo - Export depth maps and portrait mattes - Portrait video blur - Built-in tutorials and Mask Help MADE FOR EVERY SCREEN Phocus adapts to iPhone, iPad, and iPhone Duo. Open your Duo for more room to shoot and edit, or partially fold it with the preview and controls on either side of the fold. "Looking for an app that not only adds the Portrait mode effect to your photos but does a bit more? Then Phocus is the one you're looking for." — iMore "The app is a fine example of technical and artistic craftsmanship." — iGeeksBlog PHOCUS PRO Unlock every lens, look, and tool with Phocus Pro. Subscriptions are billed weekly, monthly or annually at the rate selected depending on the subscription plan. Terms of use: https://rayinformatics.com/terms Privacy policy: https://rayinformatics.com/privacy Contact: https://rayinformatics.com/contact
Blur Background
Easily blur unwanted parts of your photos to create professional-looking effects. Select images from your gallery or camera, apply blur with adjustable brush sizes and effect strength, and then save or share your creations.
- Blur unwanted photo parts
- Adjust blur effect strength
- Select photos from gallery or camera
- Adjustable blur brush size
- Save and share edited photos
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blur background is a picture blur app used to blur the unwanted part of your picture very fast. You can also unblur the image, using this blur background editor. Select the picture to be blurred from the gallery and also take the picture using the camera, and give it a blurry effect, using this blur background editor. The blurred pic can be saved to the gallery and blurred picture can be shared to social media platforms like the Facebook, Instagram and so much more, using this blur background. --- Features --- - This will get the background blur effect like professional photographer. - This will blur some part of your photo image. - This will used to changed after the strength of the effect - Very easy to use with friendly user interface. --- How to use --- - Load image from library and also take the picture using the camera. - Use the blur image brush or photo effect brush to blur and add effect any part of the photo. - Change the size of the blur brush to fit your use. - Change after the level of the effect you use. - Save or share
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Phocus at 50% against Blur Background's 10%. Phocus also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). Blur Background's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price and device support 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. Phocus sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Blur Background asks for nothing beyond the download.
Phocus holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Phocus has 6.8K ratings behind it against 853, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Phocus's written reviews are positive against 10% of Blur Background's.
Phocus ships an update fortnightly, Blur Background every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Phocus | Blur Background |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (6.8K ratings) — better | 4.3 (853 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 49.5% of reviews — better | 10.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6.8K — better | 853 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 320 MB | 26 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | RAY INFORMATICS YAZILIM TEKNOLOJI MEDYA DANISMANLIK VE EGITIM TICARET LIMITED SIRKETI | Jyoti Virani |
Customer experience
Phocus
Blur Background
User reviews
Phocus
From 6.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Good app
- 👍 Best tool camera app
- 👍 Easy editing, works great
- 👍 Makes your phone current
Room to improve
- 🐛 Hilariously terrible effects
- 🔒 Can't limit access to personal stuff
- 🐛 Awful, blurs everything
- 🐛 Crashes too much
- 🐛 Doesn't render, gets stuck
Blur Background
From 853 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ⭐ Great app for showing off catches
- 👍 Easy to use
- 💯 Perfect results
Room to improve
- 🔍 Difficult to access controls
- 🚫 Ads disrupt the experience
- 🔨 Limited functionality
- 🤯 Crashes and glitches
- 📏 Doesn't fit screen properly
Bugs and requests
Phocus
Reported bugs
5 issues- Can't save pictures
- Photos don't download
- Unable to save picture
- Camera crashes when clicking portrait
- App dies if you don't upgrade
Requested features
4 requests- Change bokeh shapes/effects
- Add manual brush to control bokeh
- Make it a photo extension in Photos app
- Add more shadows and directional lighting
Blur Background
Reported bugs
3 issues- Done button overlaps with phone UI
- Blur tools don't work as expected
- App doesn't load properly on some devices
Requested features
3 requests- Improve button placement and accessibility
- Add more advanced editing tools
- Reduce intrusive ads
In-app purchases
Phocus
- Phocus AI Weekly2 variants$3.997 Days
- Phocus AI Monthly2 variants$7.991 Month
- Phocus AI Yearly3 Days trial$19.991 Year
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- Phocus AI Yearly$39.991 Year
- Phocus AI Unlimited Access$49.99
Blur Background
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Phocus free?
Is Blur Background free?
Which has better reviews, Phocus or Blur Background?
Do Phocus or Blur Background have ads?
Which is updated more often, Phocus or Blur Background?
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