Vintage Scene vs Surrealizer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Vintage Scene
Transform your photos into vintage masterpieces with a variety of classic effects. This app automatically applies sepia tones, grain, and distressed textures to create an authentic old-school look. Customize each effect or use presets for a unique retro style.
- Sepia tone effect
- Grain and distressed paper effects
- Darkened edges
- Fade and color distortion
- Customizable effects
- Visual preset system
- Create custom presets
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VintageScene is your one stop shop for making photos look "old-school" or "retro". Vintage Scene is the best special effects software for photography enthusiasts, turning a new or recent photo into an old photo, one that looks like it was taken many years ago. This unique algorithm automatically combines several classic effects: sepia tone, grain, darkened edges, distressed paper, along with the look of fade that with time has left behind an image with only bright blacks and darkening whites. Vintage Scene is easy to use but gives the user control to change each component for a unique look on each photo. Includes hundreds of possible combinations, a visual preset system, and the ability to create your own presets for re-use. Built with power to produce high resolution images this app will apply the most sophisticated photo filters to your images. Vintage Scene quickly and easily creates compelling photos for graphic artists, photographers, & hobbyist who rely on a high quality end result. Supports full-size images Preview mode for quick workflow with large image rendered at save/email Visual presets with the ability to create custom presets using the "Save" menu.
Surrealizer
Create unique and surreal visual effects for your videos and photos. Apply over 20 distinct filters and manipulate the screen in real-time while recording. Easily save your creations and share them on social media.
- 20+ unique surreal effects
- Real-time screen manipulation
- Load photos and videos from library
- Intuitive controls
- Save and share creations
- Classic surrealizer, inception, abyss, and more
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Surrealizer is the latest and greatest thing to happen to video and photo FX ! There are 20+ unique effects that absolutely cannot be found anywhere else. Simply load video or photos from your iPhone/iPad photo library, and then when you have your settings the way you like it, save it back. Manipulate the screen while it is recording! Intuitive and easy to understand controls. There are : •the classic surrealizer effect •inception effect •abyss •ghost blur •wornhole •planetizer •binocculus •spiralizer •fisheye •warp •pixelator •hyperion •coloriser •random coloriser •procedural •flags •dotti •escherizer •clone •videomixer •dissolver •time tangler •time tunnel Turn ordinary footage into surreal landscapes and upload to social media. *** keep it unreal....with the SURREALIZER***
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Vintage Scene at 89% against Surrealizer's 20%. Vintage Scene also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). Surrealizer's advantage is price (Free vs $2.99) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months). On ads 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
Surrealizer is free to download; Vintage Scene costs $2.99 up front. Surrealizer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Vintage Scene asks for nothing beyond the download.
Vintage Scene holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Vintage Scene has 514 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Vintage Scene's written reviews are positive against 20% of Surrealizer's.
Vintage Scene ships an update every 5 months, Surrealizer every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and June 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Vintage Scene | Surrealizer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (514 ratings) — better | 3.3 (11 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 88.5% of reviews — better | 20.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 514 — better | 11 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 51 MB | 165 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | JixiPix, LLC | Kathrin Brock |
Customer experience
Vintage Scene
Surrealizer
Bugs and requests
Vintage Scene
Reported bugs
3 issues- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Inability to access all effects after updates
- Random filter selection not working as expected
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to mask/brush effects
- More subtle/portrait-friendly filters
- Improved stability and performance
- Expanded sharing capabilities
Surrealizer
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Vintage Scene
No in-app purchases
Surrealizer
- Unlock all effects$4.99
Questions
Is Vintage Scene free?
Is Surrealizer free?
Which has better reviews, Vintage Scene or Surrealizer?
Do Vintage Scene or Surrealizer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Vintage Scene or Surrealizer?
Other comparisons
