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

Easily transform your photos into stunning artwork using a variety of textured images and overlays. This app is perfect for adding unique artistic effects to your still life and landscape photography.

Highlights
  • Apply textured images
  • Add overlays
  • Create artwork from photos
  • Suitable for still life photography
  • Suitable for landscape photography
Features
Read full description

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: Distressed FX at Free against Grungetastic's $2.99. Distressed FX also leads on ratings volume (5.3K vs 188). Grungetastic's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and chart position (#127 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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

Distressed FX is free to download; Grungetastic costs $2.99 up front. Distressed FX sells 10 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 5.3K 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 86% of Distressed FX's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Grungetastic ships an update every 6 months, Distressed FX every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Grungetastic versus Distressed FX: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGrungetasticDistressed FX
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (188 ratings) — better4.8 (5.3K ratings)
Positive reviews81.4% of reviews86.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1885.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#127 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB48 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 ratings5,258 ratings
Positive96.5%
Neutral2.4%
Negative1.1%
Written reviews766 reviews
Positive86.0%
Neutral5.2%
Negative8.7%

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 5.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🎨 Variety of creative effects
  • 💡 Unique textures and overlays
  • 🚀 Fast and efficient
  • 🎨 Ability to layer effects

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes after selecting photos
  • 🔒 Restore purchases not working
  • 🔍 Lack of clear instructions
  • 🔍 Confusing interface for switching packs
  • 🔍 Limited control over effects

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

2 issues
  • Purchased effects not carrying over to new devices
  • Filters disappearing after updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to mask or brush on effects
  • Higher output resolution
  • Bundled pricing for all effects
  • More advanced editing tools
  • Landscape mode support

In-app purchases

None

Grungetastic

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

Distressed FX

One-time10
  • Obscure Texture Pack$1.99
  • Sky Beauty Texture Pack$1.99
  • Artist Beginnings Texture Pack$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Old World Gallery Texture Pack$1.99
  • Bokeh Illusions Overlay$1.99
  • The Lights Overlay Pack$1.99
  • The Neutrals Texture Pack$1.99
  • The Heavens Overlay Pack$1.99
  • Painterly Grunge$1.99
  • Beyond Skies Overlay Pack$1.99

Questions

Is Grungetastic free?
Grungetastic costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Distressed FX free?
Distressed FX is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Grungetastic or Distressed FX?
Grungetastic is rated higher. Grungetastic averages 4.8 out of 5 from 188 ratings, while Distressed FX averages 4.8 from 5.3K 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 4 months. Most recently, Grungetastic was updated on November 6, 2026 and Distressed FX on November 1, 2026.

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