Comparison

Real Halftone 2 vs tone+

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

Head to head
About

Real Halftone 2

This app generates halftone dots for photomechanical printing. Users can select dot shapes and adjust CMYK color screen angles to create unique halftone photographs, faithfully reproducing moiré patterns.

Highlights
  • Generates halftone dots
  • Adjustable CMYK color screen angles
  • Faithful moiré pattern reproduction
  • Selectable dot shapes
  • Adjust CMY gray replacement with black
Features
Read full description

Real Halftone 2 is a full-fledged app that generates halftone dots for photomechanical printing. You can select a dot shape and adjust the screen angle of each CMYK color to create a wide variety of halftone photographs. Moiré patterns that appear depending on screen angle combinations are faithfully reproduced as well. [Features] - By adjusting the angle at which the halftone dot screens of each CMYK color are overlapped, the occurrence of moiré can be suppressed. - You can adjust the amount of CMY gray components replaced with black during color separation. - Detailed settings related to halftone dot printing are also available, such as dot shape and screen ruling.

About

tone+

Features
Read full description

Separate. Press. Print. Zero ads. 100% free. tone+ is an app that genuinely reprints your photos as Risograph art. It doesn't just slap a color filter over your image; it mathematically simulates the physical phenomenon of analog printing. ■ The Printing Process We break your photo down into separate color plates, convert them into halftones, and print them layer by layer. The app perfectly replicates the beautiful, unpredictable imperfections of a real printing press: • Misregistration ― Plates shift slightly, creating vibrant, off-register edges. • Dot Gain ― Ink bleeds into the paper, fattening the halftone dots. • Ink Unevenness ― Imperfect roller pressure creates authentic texture variations. • Paper Grain ― Paper fibers absorb ink differently, altering the visual texture. • Overprinting ― Where two inks overlap, a rich third color is naturally born. That’s why when you zoom in, you see actual halftone dots. Change the paper stock, and you change how the ink sinks in. Print with just two inks, and watch a third magically appear in the overlap. ■ Inks & Papers Choose from 14 classic Risograph inks: Fluorescent Pink, Blue, Bright Red, Black, Green, Medium Blue, Orange, Sunflower, Cornflower, Yellow, Aqua, Teal, Purple, and Burgundy. Want something specific? You can dial in your own custom colors. Print on 5 paper stocks: White, Natural, Cream, Gray, and Kraft. Just like real life, the paper dictates how the final ink looks. ■ Simple UI, Deep Controls When you open tone+, you just see your photo and a dice. Tap the dice to roll a completely random, beautiful print. Not quite right? Just swipe left or right to seamlessly browse your print history and undo/redo. Ready to get technical? Pull up the bottom bar to reveal a fully equipped darkroom: • Tones ― Adjust your ink selections, brightness, contrast, and saturation. • Textures ― Choose your paper, toggle between Halftone and Grain, set the line frequency (12–110 LPI), dot shape (Round, Ellipse, Square, Line, Cross), screen angles (Same, Offset, Rosette), ink density/opacity, misregistration, and ink unevenness. • Framing ― Aspect ratios (Original, 1:1, 4:5, 3:4, 2:3, 16:9), orientation, margins, rounded corners, deckled (rough-cut) edges, scale, and position. Need total control? Open "Details" to adjust the LPI and screen angle for each individual color plate. ■ Presets & Sharing tone+ comes loaded with 13 built-in presets to get you started, and you can easily save your own custom configurations. When you're done, you can share your final print along with its "recipe." You can even generate a custom link—when someone taps it, your exact print settings are instantly loaded into their app. ■ The Fine Print (The Good Kind) • No account or sign-up required. • Works 100% offline. Every feature works flawlessly in Airplane Mode. • Zero data collection. Your photos and data stay on your device. • Fully unlocked from day one. No in-app purchases, ever. • Fully optimized for both iPhone and iPad.

Screenshots

Real Halftone 24 screens
tone+4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: tone+ at every 2 days against Real Halftone 2's every 3 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Real Halftone 2 ships an update every 3 months, tone+ every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Real Halftone 2 versus tone+: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReal Halftone 2tone+
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (15 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings15 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTomoki KobayashiEmotionFlow LLC

In-app purchases

None

Real Halftone 2

No in-app purchases

None

tone+

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Real Halftone 2 free?
Real Halftone 2 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is tone+ free?
tone+ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Real Halftone 2 or tone+ have ads?
Neither Real Halftone 2 nor tone+ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Real Halftone 2 or tone+?
Real Halftone 2 ships an update every 3 months, and tone+ every 2 days. Most recently, Real Halftone 2 was updated on October 14, 2026 and tone+ on October 6, 2026.

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