# Grungetastic vs Formulas

The clearest difference is rating: Grungetastic at 4.8 against Formulas's 4.2. Grungetastic also leads on monetization model (free vs paid) and review sentiment (81% vs 72%). Formulas's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 14.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Grungetastic costs $2.99 and Formulas $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Grungetastic holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 188 and 114 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Grungetastic's written reviews are positive against 72% of Formulas's.

Grungetastic ships an update every 6 months, Formulas every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Grungetastic | Formulas |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | $2.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (188 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grungetastic/id418140198/reviews)** | [4.2 (114 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/formulas-photo-lab-effects-and-custom-frames/id990668324/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **188** | 114 |
| Positive reviews | **81.4% of reviews** | 72.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Size | 56 MB | 262 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **8.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [JixiPix, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/380605671) | [Tinkerworks Apps](https://appshunter.io/developer/503806808) |

## 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


### Formulas

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/formulas-photo-lab-effects-and-custom-frames/id990668324)

Apply unique, multilayered photo effects and custom frames to your images. Features include vintage emulations, artistic styles, and textured finishes. An intuitive interface and one-tap auto adjust make professional editing easy.

**Highlights:** Custom multilayered photo effects, Vintage film emulations, Textured and artistic styles, Dozens of custom frames, One-tap auto adjust tool, Intuitive UI, Photo editing extension

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ Beautiful and professional-looking filters
- 🎨 Excellent artistic effects for photo editing
- 👍 Simple and intuitive user interface
- ⚡ Fast and efficient editing process
- 🖼️ High-quality results with vintage-style textures

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- ⏱️ No updates in 9+ years
- 🚫 Regional restrictions not disclosed
- ❌ Non-functional in-app links and cart system
- 🔗 Broken connection to App Store

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on iPhone iOS 26
- Crashes when tapping camera icon
- Cannot save to camera roll
- Crashes frequently during use
- Non-functional icons marked as forbidden

**Requested features**

- Update app for current iOS versions
- Add landscape mode support
- Increase number of filter options
- Separate color and texture controls
- Adjust opacity independently for colors and textures


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Grungetastic free?

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

### Is Formulas free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Grungetastic or Formulas?

Grungetastic is rated higher. Grungetastic averages 4.8 out of 5 from 188 ratings, while Formulas averages 4.2 from 114 ratings.

### Do Grungetastic or Formulas have ads?

Neither Grungetastic nor Formulas shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Grungetastic or Formulas?

Grungetastic ships an update every 6 months, and Formulas every 3 weeks. Most recently, Grungetastic was updated on October 23, 2026 and Formulas on October 24, 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.*