Comparison

Grungetastic 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

Grungetastic

Apply a variety of aggressive and "unwell" textures and tones to your photos. This app offers seven distinct grunge styles with adjustable controls for color, textures, and borders, allowing for unique artistic creations.

Highlights
  • Seven grunge styles
  • Adjustable color, textures, and borders
  • Randomize button
  • Texture and border library
  • Customizable presets
  • High-resolution output
Features
Read full description

Rock your Photo with Unwell Textures and Tones Grungetastic cranks your photos to 11 with seven hot and heavy looks: Classic Grunge, Bleached Grunge, Worn Pop, Worn Grunge, Gritty Grunge, Distressed and Pop Grunge. These seven fun and aggressive styles let you get down and dirty with your photos. Faster than you can say "filthy," these styles and Grungetastic's easy, hands-on interface will have you smushing delightfully unwell textures and tones with deeply satisfying contrasts, and explosively pleasurable pops for dangerously-addictive ultra-Grungy art. Grungetastic is for the Photographer that loves everything grungy! Shadows, Rubbing, Scratching, Ripping, Shredding, Stressing, Distressing, Popping, Exploding, Splatters, Smudging, Glowing, Glaring, Smoking – just some of the wildness that Grungetastic hooks you up with. GRUNGETASTIC MAKES DIRTY PHOTOS - REALLY DIRTY PHOTOS! 
SO DIRTY THAT THEY HAVE THEIR OWN LITTLE DIRT STORMS
SWIRLING AROUND THEM—the styles are creative madness—or clearer visions of reality, whatever it is, they go to an artistic place few ever get. You can't get a cooler, hotter photo anywhere! ULTRA-GRUNGE STYLES Classic Grunge, Bleached, Pop Grunge, Pop Worn, Worn, Gritty and Distressed Grunge FEATURES Adjustable control over all aspect of the process: Color, multiple textures and borders INCLUDES Seven grungy styles: Classic Grunge, Bleached, Pop Grunge, Pop Worn, Worn, Gritty and Distressed Grunge "Randomize" button to quickly show off the power of the app A full library of textures and borders Quick, efficient, and very user-friendly interface Support for full-size images Presets with the ability to create custom presets Preview mode for quick workflow (Larger image rendered on save or when emailed) UNIVERSAL FEATURES All JixiPix Apps come with: Superior Customer Service, Support for High-Resolution Images & Output, Undo, Randomize Button, Quick Presets, the ability to create Custom Presets and Quick Preview. Our mobile version can Email and post directly to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr. ‘Like us on facebook’ for tips & tricks, quick announcements and interaction with the Jixi team! https://www.facebook.com/pages/JixiPixcom/338304329530235?ref=hl *************** “JixiPix turns any photo into a masterpiece. The only requirement is art appreciation — we will take care of the rest!” JixiPix.com “Creative Tools for Creative Types” Photography | Artistic | Graphic Apps Mac • iPad • iPhone

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

Grungetastic4 screens
Distressed FX4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Grungetastic at $2.99 against Distressed FX's $19.99. Grungetastic also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 13) and review sentiment (81% vs 72%). Distressed FX's advantage is chart position (#163 vs unranked) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 6 months). On rating, 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

Grungetastic costs $2.99 and Distressed FX $19.99 up front. Distressed FX sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Grungetastic asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Grungetastic against 4.8 for Distressed FX. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Distressed FX has 1.2K ratings behind it against 188, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 81% of Grungetastic's written reviews are positive against 72% of Distressed FX's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Grungetastic ships an update every 6 months, Distressed FX every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Grungetastic versus Distressed FX: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGrungetasticDistressed FX
Price$2.99 — better$19.99
Rating4.8 (188 ratings)4.8 (1.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews81.4% of reviews — better72.3% of reviews
Number of ratings1881.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#163 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS14.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB51 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJixiPix, LLCWe Are Here

Customer experience

Grungetastic

All ratings187 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral0.5%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews301 reviews
Positive81.4%
Neutral5.3%
Negative13.3%

Distressed FX

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

User reviews

Grungetastic

From 188 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Lots of creative options
  • 🎨 Customizable effects
  • 🎲 Fun randomize feature
  • 💡 Unique grunge styles
  • 👍 Easy to use

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Slow rendering/processing
  • 💰 In-app purchases for more effects
  • 🔒 Locked effects behind paywall
  • 🔒 Lack of free access to all features

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

Grungetastic

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Unable to upload/load photos
  • Presets not applying correctly
  • Crashes or freezes on certain devices

Requested features

6 requests
  • Undo button
  • More color/hue options
  • Color swapping
  • Higher resolution exports
  • Native iPad support
Show 1 more
  • Ability to stack multiple borders

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

None

Grungetastic

No in-app purchases

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 Grungetastic free?
Grungetastic costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Distressed FX free?
Distressed FX costs $19.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Grungetastic or Distressed FX?
Distressed FX is rated higher. Grungetastic averages 4.8 out of 5 from 188 ratings, while Distressed FX averages 4.8 from 1.2K ratings.
Do Grungetastic or Distressed FX have ads?
Neither Grungetastic nor Distressed FX shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Grungetastic or Distressed FX?
Grungetastic ships an update every 6 months, and Distressed FX every 3 months. Most recently, Grungetastic was updated on October 20, 2026 and Distressed FX on October 22, 2026.

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