Comparison

Classic Camera by Hipstamatic vs Distressed FX

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

Head to head
About

Classic Camera by Hipstamatic

This app offers a unique analog-style photography experience on mobile devices. It provides a variety of vintage camera simulations, advanced editing tools, and the ability to create and share custom presets. Users can capture and edit photos with a focus on artistic expression and authentic visual aesthetics.

Highlights
  • Analog-style camera simulations
  • Manual camera controls
  • Extensive editing suite
  • Customizable presets
  • Multiple exposure feature
  • RAW format capture and editing
Features
Read full description

Hipstamatic is a world-class photography app and Apple’s original App of the Year! Shoot beautiful authentic photography and become part of the world’s most creative community, exclusively on iPhone. • Apple’s very first App of the Year • The original photo filter app • The inventor of square filtered mobile photos • Plus, all of the features below :-) — CLASSIC CAMERA Digital photography has never looked so analog. Shooting Classic provides beautifully rendered skeuomorphic cameras that transform your experience as you swipe through lenses, flashes, and films. ■ Use Multiple Exposure to shoot multiple images in one shot and get amazing artistic results ■ — PRO CAMERA For the mobile photographer looking for a minimal capture interface with maximum control, shooting Pro gives you ultimate creative control. ■ Manually control focus, white balance, exposure, shutter speed, ISO, and aspect ratio ■ — DARKROOM EDITING SUITE A full editing suite including over 20 professional adjustment tools and 12 signature presets. • Classic Lens, Film, and Flash • Crop • Straighten & Rotate • Skew • Exposure • Clarity • Definition • Exposure • Clarity • Definition • Highlights • Shadows • Vibrancy • Fade • Curves (RGB + Red + Green + Blue) • Temperature • Tint • Depth of field • Texture • Grain • Vignette • Before & After view by holding down image in edit view • Undo & Redo by swiping left and right ■ Choose the overall mood of your image with Hipstamatic's signature Lenses, Films, and Flashes, then fine tune with extensive editing tools ■ — FAVORITE PRESETS Create your own Favorite Presets and even share your signature look with others. If you are looking for inspiration hit the shuffle button and explore a world of serendipitous beauty. • 12 World-class presets • Customize and edit presets • Save new presets • Presets are synchronized across your devices with iCloud • Share any favorite preset with other photographers ■ Define your signature looks, then quickly apply them to your photos with Copy/Paste support ■ — NATIVE WORKFLOW Hipstamatic is fully synchronized with your photo library. Tap on any photo to instantly edit it, and see and organize your photos in either Hipstamatic or Apple Photos. • Runs natively on iPhone and iPad • No need to import, just tap and edit • Quickly Favorite or Delete photos • Always full resolution • Save as Separate Files (default) and keep your originals untouched • Save as non-destructive Versions and streamline your photos with the original safely embedded within the Hipstamatic version (works best with iCloud Photo Library) • Browse folders created in the Photos app • Fully synchronized with Photos app and iCloud Photo Library • View detailed metadata • View shared image details across social networks (likes, comments, etc.) • Capture and edit in RAW format ■ Shoot on iPhone and edit on iPad with fully native support and synchronized Favorite Presets via iCloud ■ — HipstaMart™ Shop Browse amazing filter packs available for purchase via the In-App store created by the world’s most talented photo makers. Collaborations from top fashion and street photographers to famous artists like Salvador Dali with new packs available monthly. PrintLab™ Get real physical prints delivered straight to your door. We built this service in 2010 because no service would print square photos, and today PrintLab is still the best square format printing service in the world. Shipping to over 200 countries! • Print Prints (4”, 7”, 10”) • 30” Gallery Prints • Aluminum Prints (10” or 20”) • Birch Wood Prints (10” or 20”) — LET'S MAKE BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS TOGETHER Help us make Hipstamatic the best app ever. Send your thoughts & comments to feedback@hipstamatic.com or message us anywhere @Hipstamatic Thanks and welcome to the HipstaFamily!

About

Distressed FX

Transform ordinary photos into unique works of art with a vast collection of textures and overlays. This app offers exclusive access to all current and future filters and effects for a single payment, making photo editing accessible and creative.

Highlights
  • Access to all current and future filters
  • Exclusive new effects and features
  • Wide range of textured images and overlays
  • Transform mundane photos into art
  • Ideal for still life and landscape photography
Features
Read full description

Distressed FX Plus is a special edition of the highly acclaimed original. For a small single payment, you will get access to all current and future filters, as well as exclusive access to all new effects and features ahead of release on the original app. This is an extraordinary opportunity to harness all the amazing effects from Distressed FX. If you are ready to take your photos to the next level, this is the ideal investment at a bargain price. Creating gorgeous artwork from your photos has never been easier. With Distressed FX, simply take a photo and choose from a wide range of textured images and overlays. Transform even the most mundane photo into a work of art. See our hashtag #distressedFX on Instagram to see 100k+ examples! ** Featured by Mac Format and Black + White Photography Magazine Join us at: www.facebook.com/DistressedFX www.instagram.com/distressedfxapp/ • Particularly suited to still life and landscape photography - this app will perfectly compliment your existing collection of photo apps. Distressed FX is powered by the textures of Cheryl Tarrant, a texture artist from Tennessee. Her popular and unique style is now available in your pocket, wherever you go. • Follow Cheryl on Instagram http://instagram.com/distressedfxapp • Be our friend on Facebook www.facebook.com/DistressedFX • Follow us on Twitter : @distressedfx See examples of the Cheryl's distinctive work here: www.flickr.com/photos/jewellofdistressed/ ** Find out more about Distressed Textures at www.distressedfx.com & www.distressedtextures.com Distressed FX (tm) is a trademark of Cheryl Tarrant in the United States of America.

Screenshots

Classic Camera by Hipstamatic4 screens
Distressed FX4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Classic Camera by Hipstamatic at $4.99 against Distressed FX's $19.99. Classic Camera by Hipstamatic also leads on ratings volume (4.5K vs 1.2K) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.6). Distressed FX's advantage is review sentiment (72% vs 63%). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Classic Camera by Hipstamatic costs $4.99 and Distressed FX $19.99 up front. Classic Camera by Hipstamatic sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Distressed FX sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Classic Camera by Hipstamatic against 4.8 for Distressed FX. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4.5K and 1.2K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of Classic Camera by Hipstamatic's written reviews are positive against 72% of Distressed FX's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Classic Camera by Hipstamatic versus Distressed FX: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterClassic Camera by HipstamaticDistressed FX
Price$4.99 — better$19.99
Rating4.7 (4.5K ratings)4.8 (1.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews63.3% of reviews72.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4.5K — better1.2K
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#142 — better#192
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size89 MB51 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHipstamatic, LLCWe Are Here

Customer experience

Classic Camera by Hipstamatic

All ratings4,537 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral2.0%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews1,649 reviews
Positive63.3%
Neutral9.0%
Negative27.8%

Distressed FX

All ratings1,234 ratings
Positive96.7%
Neutral1.7%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews101 reviews
Positive72.3%
Neutral5.9%
Negative21.8%

User reviews

Classic Camera by Hipstamatic

From 4.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful creative tool
  • 👍 Versatile lens/film combinations
  • 🎨 Unique vintage-style photography
  • 💡 Ability to edit existing photos
  • 👍 Reliable and consistent performance

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
  • 🤔 Confusing interface changes
  • 🙁 Inability to restore purchases

Distressed FX

From 1.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Creative and artistic photo editing
  • 🎨 Excellent texture and overlay options
  • 💡 Customizable layers and blending modes
  • 🎨 Ability to create unique digital art

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Compatibility issues with new iOS versions
  • 🐛 Crashing and download errors
  • 🐛 Inability to restore previous purchases
  • 🤔 Lack of clear instructions and tutorials

Bugs and requests

Classic Camera by Hipstamatic

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Photos not saving properly
  • Viewfinder not aligning correctly
  • Inability to change ISO settings without crashing
  • Purchased items disappearing from the app
  • Syncing issues between devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for iPhone 14 Pro camera
  • Improve RAW file handling
  • Implement batch photo editing
  • Provide better organization for purchased items
  • Introduce an undo/redo function

Distressed FX

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inability to download or load certain textures/overlays
  • App crashing when opening photos
  • Saving edited photos at lower resolutions

Requested features

4 requests
  • Masking and selective editing tools
  • Zoom and precise control for editing
  • Ability to use app on Mac devices
  • Improved customer support and communication

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Classic Camera by Hipstamatic

One-time10
  • Williamsburg Starter HipstaPak$0.99
  • Portland HipstaPak$0.99
  • Shibuya HipstaPak$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Camden HipstaPak$0.99
  • Mission Hipstapak$0.99
  • Dali GoodPak$0.99
  • Soho HipstaPak$0.99
  • Bondi HipstaPak$0.99
  • Wicker Park HipstaPak$0.99
  • RetroPak One$1.99
13 purchases

Distressed FX

One-time13
  • Beyond SkiesFree
  • The HeavensFree
  • Bokeh IllusionsFree
Show 10 more
  • The LightsFree
  • Artist BeginningsFree
  • Box of colorsFree
  • Old World GalleryFree
  • Obscure TexturesFree
  • Painterly GrungeFree
  • Sky BeautyFree
  • The NeutralsFree
  • Vintage CollectionFree
  • Atmospheric LightFree

Questions

Is Classic Camera by Hipstamatic free?
Classic Camera by Hipstamatic costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Distressed FX free?
Distressed FX costs $19.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Classic Camera by Hipstamatic or Distressed FX?
Distressed FX is rated higher. Classic Camera by Hipstamatic averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4.5K ratings, while Distressed FX averages 4.8 from 1.2K ratings.
Do Classic Camera by Hipstamatic or Distressed FX have ads?
Neither Classic Camera by Hipstamatic nor Distressed FX shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Classic Camera by Hipstamatic or Distressed FX?
Classic Camera by Hipstamatic ships an update every 3 months, and Distressed FX every 3 months. Most recently, Classic Camera by Hipstamatic was updated on September 24, 2026 and Distressed FX on September 23, 2026.
Which is more popular, Classic Camera by Hipstamatic or Distressed FX?
Classic Camera by Hipstamatic currently peaks at #142 in the App Store charts, and Distressed FX at #192. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

Other comparisons