Comparison

Afterlight vs Image Studio Pro

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

Head to head
About

Afterlight

Enhance your photos with a vast collection of vintage film-inspired presets, natural effects, and realistic overlays. This app offers advanced editing tools and a built-in camera mode for a seamless shooting and editing experience, all while prioritizing user privacy.

Highlights
  • Live filters in camera mode
  • 300+ film-inspired presets
  • Natural film effects (Double Exposure, Halation, Color Shift)
  • 100+ real overlays (Light Leaks, Dust)
  • 30+ advanced editing tools
  • Frames and borders
Read full description

Afterlight is designed by a small, independent team of creatives & photographers who are deeply committed to creating authentic Presets, Effects, and Overlays, made by people who really use them. • Introducing Afterlight Camera Our all-new camera mode brings Afterlight’s signature looks into the viewfinder, with live filters and a seamless transition from shooting to editing. Explore exclusive RAW presets inspired by classic digital cameras, 35mm film, and medium-format photography, with selectable color profiles to shape your look. • 300+ Film Inspired Presets Add character to your photos with a wide selection of one-tap Film Presets inspired by real film photography. Our presets were created to emulate genuine film like Kodak Gold, Portra, Agfa Vista, and Disposable cameras. Combine Effects and Tools to create your own custom look as a Fusion Filter. • Natural Film Effects Apply unique film emulation techniques like Double Exposure, add the warm glow of Halation, shift RBG channels with Color Shift, and create chromatic aberration with Chroma. • 100+ Real Overlays Add fun finishing touches to your photos with our large selection of overlay textures. Experiment with genuine Light Leaks made with real 35mm film, Natural Dust textures, Vintage Paper and VHS effects. • 30+ Advanced Editing Tools Take full control of the Brightness, Contrast, Vibrance and Sharpening in your photos and add more detail with Structure, Glow, Grain, Curves, Clarify, Vignette and many more to explore. • Frames + Borders Before exporting your final edit, add a color border or apply an Instant Film frame and your own background image. • We care about true privacy We do not collect, store or share any of your data in any way. Your photos are always your photos. Terms of Use & Privacy Policy: https://afterlight.co/privacy Have a question? Contact us: https://afterlight.co/support Find us on Instagram: @afterlight

About

Image Studio Pro

This app offers professional-grade photo editing tools for iPhone and iPad users. It provides advanced adjustments for color, exposure, and creative effects, with a focus on a non-destructive workflow and on-device processing for privacy.

Highlights
  • Professional adjustments (exposure, contrast, tone curve)
  • Advanced color grading (HSL, split toning)
  • Creative effects (sharpening, noise reduction, glow)
  • Smart cropping with social media presets
  • Non-destructive editing workflow
  • On-device processing for privacy
Features
Read full description

Image Studio Pro brings professional photo editing to your iPhone and iPad. With an intuitive interface and powerful Core Image processing, you get desktop-quality results right in your pocket. PROFESSIONAL ADJUSTMENTS • Exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, whites, and blacks • Clarity, dehaze, vibrance, and saturation controls • Temperature and tint for perfect white balance • Interactive tone curve with custom control points ADVANCED COLOR GRADING • HSL adjustments for 8 color channels (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Aqua, Blue, Purple, Magenta) • Fine-tune hue, saturation, and luminance independently • Split toning for highlights and shadows • Professional color balance controls CREATIVE EFFECTS • Sharpening with radius control • Noise reduction with detail preservation • Vignette with size and feather adjustments • Film grain with customizable size • Glow/bloom effect with threshold control • Fade for vintage looks • Soft focus blur SMART CROPPING • Freeform and preset aspect ratios (1:1, 4:3, 16:9, 3:2) • Social media presets (Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter) • Interactive crop overlay with rule of thirds grid • Rotate and flip tools DESIGNED FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS • Non-destructive editing workflow • Unlimited undo/redo history • Before/after comparison toggle • Pinch to zoom and pan for detail work • Double-tap to reset view • Quick presets for instant looks PRIVACY FIRST All processing happens entirely on your device. Your photos never leave your iPhone or iPad. No accounts, no cloud uploads, no tracking. EXPORT OPTIONS • High-quality JPEG and PNG export • Adjustable quality settings • Save directly to Photos library • Share to any app Whether you're a professional photographer, content creator, or photography enthusiast, Image Studio Pro gives you the tools to bring your creative vision to life. Download now and start creating stunning images.

Screenshots

Afterlight4 screens
Image Studio Pro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Afterlight at 21K against Image Studio Pro's 1. Afterlight also leads on update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (16.6 vs 26.0). Image Studio Pro's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Afterlight sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and Image Studio Pro sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Image Studio Pro holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Afterlight has 21K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Afterlight ships an update weekly, Image Studio Pro fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Afterlight versus Image Studio Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAfterlightImage Studio Pro
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (21K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews53.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings21K — better1
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size495 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAfterlight Collective, IncScott Manley

Customer experience

Afterlight

All ratings20,771 ratings
Positive93.7%
Neutral2.6%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews1,232 reviews
Positive53.1%
Neutral8.8%
Negative38.1%

Image Studio Pro

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Afterlight

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Photos disappear or become pixelated when editing
  • Filters and adjustments fail to save properly
  • App freezes when switching between images

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add masking/selective editing tools
  • Bring back legacy filters and frames
  • Allow non-destructive editing
  • Improve performance and stability
  • Provide better organization of tools

Image Studio Pro

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Afterlight

Subscriptions6
  • Weekly Afterlight PRO$1.997 Days
  • Monthly Afterlight PRO$2.991 Month
  • Monthly Afterlight PRO$3.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Yearly Afterlight PRO Special$15.991 Year
  • Yearly Afterlight PRO7 Days trial$17.991 Year
  • Yearly Afterlight PRO7 Days trial$23.991 Year
One-time2
  • Afterlight PRO - Lifetime$19.99
  • Lifetime Afterlight PRO$39.99
9 purchases

Image Studio Pro

One-time9
  • Monochrome Master$1.99
  • Landscape$1.99
  • Vintage Collection$1.99
Show 6 more
  • Portrait Pro$1.99
  • Creative Effects$2.99
  • Modern Looks$2.99
  • Film Classics$2.99
  • Cinematic$2.99
  • Unlock All Styles$14.99

Questions

Is Afterlight free?
Afterlight is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Image Studio Pro free?
Image Studio Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Afterlight or Image Studio Pro?
Image Studio Pro is rated higher. Afterlight averages 4.7 out of 5 from 21K ratings, while Image Studio Pro averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Afterlight or Image Studio Pro have ads?
Neither Afterlight nor Image Studio Pro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Afterlight or Image Studio Pro?
Afterlight ships an update weekly, and Image Studio Pro fortnightly. Most recently, Afterlight was updated on November 12, 2026 and Image Studio Pro on November 9, 2026.

Other comparisons