Comparison

Imitation Screen vs Afterlight

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

Head to head
About

Imitation Screen

Features
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Imitation Screen lets photographers and filmmakers put a believable, living screen in frame — without licensing content or shooting your own. Generate on-screen light, motion, flicker and color, royalty-free, right on your iPhone or iPad. Use it as a portable light source, a colored fill, a catchlight in the eyes, a reflection in glasses or glossy surfaces, or a full-screen backdrop that appears in frame. LIGHT & COLOR • Solid colors with precise RGB or HEX control • Kelvin temperature mode (2000–10000K), from warm to cold white light • Smooth animated gradients • Green screen / blue screen presets for keying MOTION & EFFECTS • Flicker engine — emulate TV, candle, screen or ambient flutter with adjustable speed and timing • Moving gradients with custom color sequences and transitions • On-screen text overlay PHOTO & VIDEO SLIDESHOW • Play your own photos and videos full-screen • Transitions: fade, parallax, cards • Fit or fill modes DESIGNED TO BE IN FRAME Minimal controls, hide-notch mode and artificial corner rounding so the screen reads as a prop, not a phone. PREMIUM Unlock full-screen Kelvin and green-screen modes, multi-color move sequences and flicker timing with a monthly or yearly subscription. Cancel anytime in your Apple account. Made for photographers and filmmakers who need light and backgrounds on the go. Terms of Use (EULA): https://ksprn.io/en/projects/imitation-screen/terms Privacy Policy: https://ksprn.io/en/projects/imitation-screen/privacy

About

Afterlight

Create film-inspired aesthetics for your videos with one-tap presets, authentic overlays, and a range of creative editing tools. Enhance your clips with filters, transitions, and detailed adjustments for a cinematic look.

Highlights
  • One-tap vintage presets
  • Authentic film overlays
  • Seamless clip transitions
  • 32 creative filters
  • Precise clip editing tools
  • Advanced adjustment tools
Read full description

Meet AFTERLIGHT VIDEO: your mobile video editing companion. Tell your story with film-inspired aesthetics: one-tap Presets, authentic film overlays, and a full set of creative tools built to feel like your camera, not a timeline. { VINTAGE PRESETS IN ONE TAP } An ever-growing library of one-tap Presets for any mood. Apply, preview, and fully customize for an original, film-inspired look. - 29+ full-edit Presets, applied in a single tap - Inspired by a range of camera and film types, built with old film videography in mind - Each Preset combines filters, overlays, frames, and unique effects - Tap to preview, tap again to edit - Like most of a Preset but not all of it? Pull out what you don't want, you're in control { AUTHENTIC FILM OVERLAYS } Real film scans, not simulations. Choose from Dust, Light Leak, and Glitch overlays to add texture and imperfection to your videos. { SEAMLESS CLIP TRANSITIONS } Upload multiple clips and use the transition button in your timeline to move between them with a range of creative transition styles. { CLIP EDITING & ADJUSTMENTS } 32 Filters to play with, plus a precision clip selector: trim, flip/rotate, speed up. Finish with a full adjustment kit: Brightness, Contrast, Vibrance, Chroma, our newly updated Grain, Clarify, Glow, Exposure, Highlights, Shadows, Temp, Tint, or lower FPS for a more cinematic feel. Privacy & Terms — https://afterlight.co/privacy Have a question? — https://afterlight.co/support Follow us Instagram @afterlight TikTok @afterlightapp

Screenshots

Imitation Screen4 screens
Afterlight4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Afterlight at none against Imitation Screen's shown. Imitation Screen's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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. Imitation Screen sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Afterlight sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Imitation Screen ships an update every 3 days, Afterlight fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Imitation Screen versus Afterlight: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterImitation ScreenAfterlight
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.6 (171 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—90.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—171 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Subscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB251 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperArtem KasparianAfterlight Collective, Inc

Bugs and requests

Imitation Screen

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Afterlight

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Exporting darkens videos
  • Videos darken when uploaded to Instagram Stories

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add more filters & presets
  • Add more vintage effect variations
  • Add text adding features
  • Add 4K export at 60fps
  • Revamp the whole system
Show 1 more
  • Add more transition options

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Imitation Screen

Subscriptions2
  • Imitation Screen Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Imitation Screen Yearly$19.991 Year
3 purchases

Afterlight

Subscriptions2
  • PRO Monthly$2.991 Month
  • PRO Yearly7 Days trial$17.991 Year
One-time1
  • PRO Lifetime$35.99

Questions

Is Imitation Screen free?
Imitation Screen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Afterlight free?
Afterlight is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Imitation Screen or Afterlight have ads?
Imitation Screen shows ads; Afterlight does not.
Which is updated more often, Imitation Screen or Afterlight?
Imitation Screen ships an update every 3 days, and Afterlight fortnightly. Most recently, Imitation Screen was updated on October 27, 2026 and Afterlight on October 22, 2026.

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