Comparison

Minimal Folio vs Cobalt Image

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

Head to head
About

Minimal Folio

Create and showcase your professional portfolio of images, videos, and PDFs on your mobile devices. This unbranded app allows for easy presentation with intuitive controls and external display support. Organize multiple projects and sync them across devices.

Highlights
  • Image, video, and PDF support
  • Minimal user interface
  • Pinch and zoom gestures
  • External display support
  • Multiple portfolio management
  • Cloud sync via Dropbox
  • File transfer via iTunes
Features
Read full description

Minimal Folio shows your portfolio of images, PDF and video full screen on iPad and iPhone. The toolbar hides while you present, and the app puts no name or logo over your work. Demo videos and more: https://mfl.io/ PRESENT - Swipe sideways between columns and down through the items in a column - Pinch to look closer at an image or a PDF page - Show JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF and BMP images, PDF pages, and MOV, M4V and MP4 video - Choose whether video plays by itself, loops, shows controls, and fits or fills the screen - Move between items with the arrow keys on a hardware keyboard - Hide editing, thumbnail view, folio switching and the user guide before you hand the device over ORGANISE - Keep separate folios and switch between them - Drag items, or whole columns, into order in thumbnail view - Import several photos and videos from your albums at once - Copy and paste items between folios and between apps - Arrange newly added files into columns from their filenames - Email selected items as optimised copies or as the originals TRANSFER - Sync folios with Dropbox in both directions, or replace one side with the other - Copy files to and from a Mac in the Finder, or a Windows PC in Apple Devices MORE - Open the Settings app and choose Minimal Folio for launch, lock, video, sync, import and cache options

About

Cobalt Image

Enhance your iPhone photos with advanced AI, HDR, and smart portrait modes. This app offers unparalleled control over non-raw images, featuring cutting-edge white balance and Luma curve adjustments. Access renowned digital and film emulations for professional-level editing.

Highlights
  • AI-enhanced picture processing
  • HDR and smart portrait modes
  • Advanced color models for HEIC files
  • Unprecedented control over non-raw photos
  • White balance and Luma curve adjustments
  • Renowned digital and film emulations
  • Direct editing from Apple Photos
Features
Read full description

Please note that Cobalt Image PHOTO is available through subscription plans. The Full Access Yearly subscription provides a 7-day trial period during which you can try the full app and decide to cancel at any time. Our Digital and Film packs are renowned for their accuracy and are now available for all images taken by your favorite device. Your AI-enhanced pictures with HDR and smart portrait mode will be the starting point for our emulations. Cobalt Image PHOTO introduces a new advanced tool powered by the latest color models, specifically designed for treating AI-enhanced iPhone HEIC files. Leveraging the best color science available, it enhances and edits your cherished memories captured by the iPhone. Experience unparalleled freedom with our image editor, where you’ll be astonished by the unprecedented level of control over your non-raw photos. Our advanced color pipeline, featuring cutting-edge white balance and Luma curve adjustments, elevates the app to extraordinary heights, setting a new standard in photo editing. Features: - A complete set of renowned emulations made by Cobalt, both Digital and Film (Film available on Full Access subscription) - Advanced BW scientific conversion - Advanced White Balance - Luma curve on CIECAM16 - RGB curves on ProPhoto - Brightness, Contrast, Saturation all on CIECAM16 - Clarity - Structure - Advanced grain - Vignette The app can also be accessed directly from Apple Photos through the sharing function, allowing for direct editing of the selected photo. Standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Minimal Folio2 screens
Cobalt Image4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Minimal Folio at 4.4 against Cobalt Image's 2.3. Minimal Folio also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (201 vs 6). Cobalt Image's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 7 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, review sentiment, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Cobalt Image sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per month. Minimal Folio asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Minimal Folio holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Minimal Folio has 201 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of Minimal Folio's written reviews are positive against 56% of Cobalt Image's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Minimal Folio ships an update every 7 months, Cobalt Image every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Minimal Folio versus Cobalt Image: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMinimal FolioCobalt Image
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (201 ratings) — better2.3 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews59.8% of reviews — better55.6% of reviews
Number of ratings201 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB203 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStudio Heys LimitedCobalt Image LTD

Customer experience

Minimal Folio

All ratings201 ratings
Positive86.6%
Neutral4.0%
Negative9.5%
Written reviews184 reviews
Positive59.8%
Neutral10.3%
Negative29.9%

Cobalt Image

All ratings6 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive55.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative44.4%

Bugs and requests

Minimal Folio

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Images disappearing or rearranging unexpectedly
  • Crashes when importing/loading images
  • Dropbox sync issues causing data loss
  • Video playback problems

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to add captions or titles to images
  • Improved video playback controls
  • Support for more file formats (e.g. RAW, GIFs)
  • Sync options beyond just Dropbox
  • Kiosk mode to disable home button

Cobalt Image

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Minimal Folio

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Cobalt Image

Subscriptions3
  • Cobalt Image Pro Digital$3.491 Month
  • Cobalt Image Pro Monthly$5.491 Month
  • Cobalt Image Pro Yearly7 Days trial$44.991 Year

Questions

Is Minimal Folio free?
Minimal Folio is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Cobalt Image free?
Cobalt Image is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Minimal Folio or Cobalt Image?
Minimal Folio is rated higher. Minimal Folio averages 4.4 out of 5 from 201 ratings, while Cobalt Image averages 2.3 from 6 ratings.
Do Minimal Folio or Cobalt Image have ads?
Neither Minimal Folio nor Cobalt Image shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Minimal Folio or Cobalt Image?
Minimal Folio ships an update every 7 months, and Cobalt Image every 5 days. Most recently, Minimal Folio was updated on October 5, 2026 and Cobalt Image on October 8, 2026.

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