Focos vs Apollo
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Focos
Transform your iPhone and iPad photos with DSLR-like bokeh and depth-of-field effects. This app uses computational photography to let you refocus, adjust aperture, and add multiple lights in 3D space, unlocking endless creative possibilities.
- AI-powered depth calculation
- Adjustable aperture and bokeh effects
- Refocus photos after capture
- Add and control multiple 3D lights
- Simulate lens characteristics
- 3D depth map visualization
- Augmented reality preview
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Focos is a big step into the future of computational photography and light-field camera, bringing DSLR-like photography to your iPhone and iPad Pro, with beautiful bokeh effects usually achievable only with professional large aperture cameras. With the technology of computational photography, you can make unlimited changes to your photos, focus after the fact, change the aperture repeatedly, and add multiple lights in 3D space, exceeding the limits of any editing tools you’ve known before. The creative potential unleashed by Focos is endless. The Verge, "Focos has long been one of the most ambitious photo-editing apps on iOS, turning any photo into a 'portrait mode'-style image with fully adjustable depth of field, no matter what kind of camera you took it with." MAIN FEATURES - Take photos with shallow depth of field, without manually painting or making selections. - The AI engine can calculate depth of field automatically for all photos. - True 3D imaging. - Simulate large apertures to create real bokeh effects normally only possible with DSLR cameras and expensive lenses. - Import all existing photos and customize the bokeh effect. - Re-focus portrait photos that have already been taken, with a simple tap. - Choose from various simulated aperture diaphragms to generate different bokeh spot effects. - Professional options to simulate lens characteristics, such as creamy, bilinear, swirly, and reflex effects, and more. - Visualize the depth of areas within your portrait photos in a 3D view, and intuitively add depth filters. - Add multiple lights in a 3D space, and adjust the color, brightness and so on for each light. - Check the portrait picture in the real world with augmented reality technique. - It is possible to patch the depth map precisely on iPad with Apple Pencil. - Intuitive and easy to use, with built-in video tutorials. - An essential tool for all iPhones and iPads. Do you have questions or suggestions? Contact us via support @ focos . me.
Apollo
Enhance your Portrait Mode photos by adding and manipulating light sources after the shot. This app reconstructs a 3D map of your image, allowing real-time adjustments to color, intensity, and distance of lights for professional-looking results.
- Add light sources to Portrait Mode photos
- Adjust light color, intensity, and distance
- Real-time 3D light and shadow rendering
- Create invisible light sources
- Edit photos after they are taken
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*** Apollo operates on Portrait Mode photos (requires iPhone 7 Plus, 8 Plus, X or NEWER). *** Apollo is the FIRST application that enables you to add light sources to your **Portrait Mode** photos, after the photo was taken! Apollo reconstructs a 3D map of your photo which you can augment with new light sources in real time. Take your portrait mode photographs from awesome to unforgettable by selecting the color, intensity, distance of a light and illuminate your photos and selfies to your heart's content. *** WARNING: Taking portrait mode photos requires iPhone 7 Plus, 8 Plus, X or NEWER. *** Apollo is the first app to use the depth data of your portrait mode photos to calculate photorealistic light and shadow. Using a proprietary processing algorithm running on your iPhone's graphics card, Apollo is able to render light sources on a portrait scene or selfie in real time. Apollo allows professional photographers and amateurs alike to try things that are not possible in the physical world. You can shape scene lighting by adding or even removing light. Since lights are computationally rendered in the scene, it is possible to put a light source within the frame: say hello to invisible lamps! The UI is optimised for use with one thumb, allowing you to always view the entire photo. One price, no in-app purchases and no subscriptions. We hope that Apollo is part of the computational photography revolution. We are doing our best but your support is crucial. Send us your feedback, ideas or bug reports on our support email. Show off your lighting chops on our social media outlets. --- Instagram: @apollo_illumination_app and share with tag: #apollo_illumination --- Facebook page: apollo.illumination --- Follow us on twitter: @Apollo_illum or share with tag: #apollo_illumination
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Focos at Free against Apollo's $2.99. Focos also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (51K vs 447). Apollo's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 12) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). On review sentiment, ads 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
Focos is free to download; Apollo costs $2.99 up front. Focos sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Apollo asks for nothing beyond the download.
Focos holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Focos has 51K ratings behind it against 447, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 51% of Focos's written reviews are positive against 47% of Apollo's.
Focos ships an update every 2 weeks, Apollo monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Focos | Apollo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $2.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (51K ratings) — better | 4.2 (447 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.5% of reviews — better | 46.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 51K — better | 447 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 332 MB | 21 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mosaic S.r.l. | INDICE S.A. |
Customer experience
Focos
Apollo
User reviews
Focos
From 51K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent depth of field control
- 👍 Powerful photo editing features
- 🎨 Versatile lighting and effects
- 💡 Ability to edit non-Portrait mode photos
- 🔍 Precise focus adjustment
Room to improve
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🤔 Steep learning curve for advanced features
- 🔍 Inaccurate depth mapping in some cases
- 🖼️ Reduced quality for free version exports
Apollo
From 447 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💡 Unique lighting effects
- 🚀 Impressive depth-based editing
- 👍 Intuitive user interface
- 🎨 Ability to create dramatic photos
Room to improve
- 🐛 Compatibility issues with older iPhones
- 🔒 Limited to portrait mode photos only
- ⚠️ Crashes and freezes reported
- 🤔 Confusing tutorial prompts
Bugs and requests
Focos
Reported bugs
3 issues- App freezes or crashes when editing certain photos
- Depth adjustments not saving properly
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between editing modes
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to save edited photos with depth map
- More precise brush tools for depth editing
- Improved hair/fine detail handling
- Faster processing and loading times
- Easier organization and management of edited photos
Apollo
Reported bugs
3 issues- Unable to access full photo library
- Crashes when trying to edit certain photos
- Inconsistent performance across devices
Requested features
4 requests- Support for all photo types, not just portrait mode
- Option to save and load custom lighting presets
- Ability to control light direction and intensity
- Integration with other photo editing apps
In-app purchases
Focos
- Focos Pro Weekly7 Days trial$1.997 Days
- Focos Pro Weekly7 Days trial$3.997 Days
- Focos Pro Weekly$3.997 Days
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- Weekly Subscription - Standard$3.997 Days
- Standard Weekly - Free Trial7 Days trial$3.997 Days
- Weekly Creator Bundle - FT7 Days trial2 variants$9.997 Days
- Weekly Creator Bundle$9.997 Days
- Monthly subscription$1.99
- Lifetime unlimited access$12.99
Apollo
No in-app purchases









