# Grungetastic vs RetroLight Lite

The clearest difference is price: RetroLight Lite at Free against Grungetastic's $2.99. RetroLight Lite also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 6 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 81%). Grungetastic's advantage is ratings volume (187 vs 1). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

RetroLight Lite is free to download; Grungetastic costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

RetroLight Lite holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Grungetastic has 187 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Grungetastic's written reviews are positive against 100% of RetroLight Lite's.

Grungetastic ships an update every 6 months, RetroLight Lite every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Grungetastic | RetroLight Lite |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.8 (187 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grungetastic/id418140198/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retrolight-lite/id784251572/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **187** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 81.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 56 MB | 20 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **7.1** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [JixiPix, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/380605671) | [nedis](https://appshunter.io/developer/435715340) |

## What reviewers say

### Grungetastic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grungetastic/id418140198)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- Undo button
- More color/hue options
- Color swapping
- Higher resolution exports
- Native iPad support


### RetroLight Lite

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retrolight-lite/id784251572)

Apply vintage light leak effects to your photos for a nostalgic, traditional photography look. Adjust the strength of the effects and share your creations instantly.

**Highlights:** Vintage light leak effects, 30 unique light leak styles, Adjustable opacity slider, Share to social media, Simple and powerful tools

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Grungetastic free?

Grungetastic costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is RetroLight Lite free?

RetroLight Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Grungetastic or RetroLight Lite?

RetroLight Lite is rated higher. Grungetastic averages 4.8 out of 5 from 187 ratings, while RetroLight Lite averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Grungetastic or RetroLight Lite have ads?

Neither Grungetastic nor RetroLight Lite shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Grungetastic or RetroLight Lite?

Grungetastic ships an update every 6 months, and RetroLight Lite every 5 weeks. Most recently, Grungetastic was updated on October 13, 2026 and RetroLight Lite on October 4, 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.*