# Retouch vs PaintUp

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PaintUp at 100% against Retouch's 29%. PaintUp also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Retouch's advantage is ratings volume (4.4K vs 1) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Retouch sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and PaintUp sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PaintUp holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Retouch has 4.4K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 29% of Retouch's written reviews are positive against 100% of PaintUp's.

Retouch ships an update every 3 weeks, PaintUp every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Retouch | PaintUp |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (4.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retouch-ai-object-remover/id1619769150/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paintup-remove-objects/id6468915481/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **4.4K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 29.1% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 231 MB | 72 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Anthony Durbin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1619769152) | [Karolis Raiselis](https://appshunter.io/developer/1442359782) |

## What reviewers say

### Retouch

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retouch-ai-object-remover/id1619769150)

Easily remove unwanted objects, people, or text from your photos with AI. Enhance portraits, change outfits, and replace backgrounds with professional results. Create stunning visual effects and edit images with advanced tools.

**Highlights:** AI object and person removal, Background replacement and transparency, AI-powered portrait retouching, AI outfit changer, Clone stamp tool, Background blur effects, Sky replacement

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Background | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Retouch Photo Premium | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Remove objects | $9.99 | per month |
| Remove Objects Premium | $59.99 | per year |
| Remove Objects Premium | $59.99 | per year |
| Remove People from Photo | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great free app
- 👍 Good for fixing photos
- 🚀 Works great with 3 free edits per day

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Too many charges and premium features
- 🔒 Limiting free usage
- 🐛 Quality issues after editing
- 🔍 Unrealistic object removal
- 🔋 Glitchy and slow

**Reported bugs**

- Eraser tool leaves blurry/pixelated areas
- Removal feature doesn't work as expected
- Glitches and crashes

**Requested features**

- More free daily edits
- Improved object removal quality
- Better free version features


### PaintUp

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paintup-remove-objects/id6468915481)

Effortlessly remove unwanted objects, blemishes, and distractions from your photos to achieve stunning, picture-perfect results. This user-friendly tool offers professional-quality editing for everyone, from photographers to casual users. Enhance your memories and share flawless images with ease.

**Highlights:** Object removal, Blemish correction, User-friendly interface, High-quality results, Save and share functionality, Regular updates

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PaintUp Premium | $0.99 | one-time |
| PaintUp Premium | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Retouch free?

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

### Is PaintUp free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Retouch or PaintUp?

PaintUp is rated higher. Retouch averages 4.6 out of 5 from 4.4K ratings, while PaintUp averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Retouch or PaintUp have ads?

Retouch shows ads; PaintUp does not.

### Which is updated more often, Retouch or PaintUp?

Retouch ships an update every 3 weeks, and PaintUp every 2 months. Most recently, Retouch was updated on October 2, 2026 and PaintUp on September 23, 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.*