# ca vs PIXEL86

The clearest difference is price: PIXEL86 at Free against ca's $2.99. PIXEL86 also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly) and review sentiment (100% vs 89%). ca's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On rating and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

PIXEL86 is free to download; ca costs $2.99 up front. PIXEL86 sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. ca asks for nothing beyond the download.

ca holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 53 and 42 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 89% of ca's written reviews are positive against 100% of PIXEL86's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

ca ships an update monthly, PIXEL86 every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 27, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | ca | PIXEL86 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.8 (53 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ca-mera-plus/id1616228106/reviews)** | [4.6 (42 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel86-retro-media-editor/id1641007991/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **53** | 42 |
| Positive reviews | 88.9% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 2 MB | 87 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Fritz Menzer](https://appshunter.io/developer/512896637) | [Peter Tretyakov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1072835768) |

## What reviewers say

### ca

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ca-mera-plus/id1616228106)

This app transforms your camera's live feed into unique, pixelated images and videos using cellular automata. Customize patterns with various color palettes, directions, rules, and resolutions for a retro aesthetic.

**Highlights:** Cellular automaton image interpretation, Pixelated output with unique patterns, Black and white or retro color palettes, Selfie and split camera modes, Video recording, Customizable automaton parameters

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### PIXEL86

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel86-retro-media-editor/id1641007991)

Transform photos and videos with vintage pixel art aesthetics. Apply true black-and-white dithering, custom color palettes, and unique dithering styles to create retro media. Supports video editing and sharing your creations.

**Highlights:** True B/W dithering, Video editing support, Customizable color palettes, Three dithering styles (Natural, Pattern, Flat), Vintage-inspired aesthetics, Social media sharing

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| License Discount | $9.99 | one-time |
| Perpetual License | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ca free?

ca costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is PIXEL86 free?

PIXEL86 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, ca or PIXEL86?

ca is rated higher. ca averages 4.8 out of 5 from 53 ratings, while PIXEL86 averages 4.6 from 42 ratings.

### Do ca or PIXEL86 have ads?

PIXEL86 shows ads; ca does not.

### Which is updated more often, ca or PIXEL86?

ca ships an update monthly, and PIXEL86 every 5 days. Most recently, ca was updated on October 27, 2026 and PIXEL86 on October 27, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*