# PhotoTropedelic vs Pixel Shape

The clearest difference is price: Pixel Shape at Free against PhotoTropedelic's $2.99. Pixel Shape also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 7 months). PhotoTropedelic's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 12.0). On in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Pixel Shape is free to download; PhotoTropedelic costs $2.99 up front. PhotoTropedelic sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Pixel Shape sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PhotoTropedelic ships an update every 7 months, Pixel Shape every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PhotoTropedelic | Pixel Shape |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[3.7 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phototropedelic/id350292007/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **25** | — |
| Positive reviews | 76.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 35 MB | 118 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Larry Weinberg](https://appshunter.io/developer/350292010) | [Fluocode](https://appshunter.io/developer/516988149) |

## What reviewers say

### PhotoTropedelic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phototropedelic/id350292007)

Transform your photos into unique Pop Art masterpieces. This app analyzes your images and applies the vibrant colors, textures, and symbols of 1960s Pop Art to create bold, distinctive artwork.

**Highlights:** Advanced image processing, Pop Art style transformation, Color and texture analysis, Unique art generation, 60s Pop Art inspiration

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Custom Color Palette Editing | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Unique psychedelic/Peter Max-style artistic effects
- 👍 User-friendly interface and easy to use
- 🎛️ Highly customizable settings and controls
- 🚀 Fast processing speed on iPad
- 📄 Vector PDF export capability for high-quality prints

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently on iOS 11+
- 🐛 Won't load photos or access photo library
- ❌ No customer support available
- ⚠️ Inconsistent results across different photos
- 🔧 Custom color settings don't persist between sessions

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on iOS 11 and later versions
- Photos won't load from library
- White screen when accessing Albums or Photos
- App won't open or shows blank screen
- Custom color settings reset or don't save properly

**Requested features**

- Update for iOS 11+ compatibility
- Ability to select/mask specific image areas
- Control over ray emanation point
- Repositionable stars and circles
- Blending function to soften psychedelic effect


### Pixel Shape

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel-shape/id1439002450)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Long text and Fonts | $4.99 | one-time |
| Shape Editor | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PhotoTropedelic free?

PhotoTropedelic costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Pixel Shape free?

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

### Do PhotoTropedelic or Pixel Shape have ads?

Pixel Shape shows ads; PhotoTropedelic does not.

### Which is updated more often, PhotoTropedelic or Pixel Shape?

PhotoTropedelic ships an update every 7 months, and Pixel Shape every 2 weeks. Most recently, PhotoTropedelic was updated on October 26, 2026 and Pixel Shape on October 15, 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.*