Comparison

iColorama vs Oilist

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

Head to head
About

iColorama

Enhance photos and digital art with over 1000 effects, from simple adjustments to complex transforms. Repaint images with various brushes, and import custom Photoshop brushes, curves, and fonts to create unique artistic pieces.

Highlights
  • Over 1000 image effects
  • Image adjustments
  • Math transforms
  • Repainting with brushes
  • Import custom brushes
  • Import custom fonts
  • Import custom curves
Read full description

iColorama is an imaging app for creators interested in enhancing their photos/paintings/drawings and converting them into amazing pieces of art. There are too many effects to be listed, more than 1000 !! The effects go from simple image adjustments to complicated math transforms. Images can also be repainted with different brushes. You can also import your own Photoshop brushes and curves and fonts. Follow Instagram:@icolorama for news and best-featured works!! Jerry Jobe's Tutorials: http://enthusiasmnoted.wordpress.com/?s=icolorama Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Oilist

Transform your photos into unique, genuine works of art with this app. It analyzes your images using computer vision and simulates real painting techniques with customizable styles and brush strokes. Save your creations in high-resolution for printing.

Highlights
  • AI-powered art generation
  • Unique, non-repeating results
  • 48 customizable styles
  • Real-time painting simulation
  • 4k resolution output
  • Adjustable brush strokes and moods
Features
Read full description

Oilist: the Artist in your pocket. Make Fine Art based on your pictures! "Oilist is an artist in your phone, one that you watch sketch, paint, and craft a unique version of a photo you’ve shot." - MacStories, May 2017 "App of the week: Oilist review - Hypnotic, engaging, with a longevity that escapes most filter apps, and with high-res output so you can use it to create real-world art." - Stuff Magazine, April 2017 Give Oilist an image, and it will automatically generate a genuine and unique work of art based on it. Painted for you in real time! Participate or spectate it's up to you, Oilist will delight! All saved at canvas-worthy 4k resolution. ​ Oilist comes with 48 infinitely customizable styles; from photo-realist to impressionist, to abstract. Every style except for our photo-realist style offers three different levels of abstraction. Oilist is not a photo filter. Unlike most filter apps, Oilist will never generate the same results twice, and in fact, each brush stroke is unique. Instead of applying a fixed formula to an image as photo filters typically do, Oilist analyzes the supplied image using computer vision technology, then paints simulated paint particles that are applied using various brush strokes and techniques. At any time​ during the painting process, 4k resolution images may be captured as often as desired. When Oilist is painting, styles can be infinitely customized with 17 different presets (these were called Styles in previous versions of Oilist), 13 different painting moods, 15 different brushes, setting brush options such as the size and spacing, and by splashing paint with our exciting Chaos tool. Control paint gravity by tilting your device and brush angles by yawing (rotating) the device. Obtain new and exciting results by alternating settings with new settings painted on top of the previous settings. For instance, first, paint a layer using the Warm mood followed by a layer using the Cool mood. The use of large brushes tend to create more abstract artwork, and smaller brushes work best for high definition detail. Oilist will automatically provide smaller brush strokes and greater photo-realism to detected faces. Check out #oilist and follow us @3dtopo on Instagram and Twitter!

Screenshots

Oilist4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: iColorama at Free against Oilist's $2.99. iColorama also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks). Oilist's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On review sentiment, device support and iOS requirement 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

iColorama is free to download; Oilist costs $2.99 up front. iColorama sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Oilist asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Oilist holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Oilist has 3.8K ratings behind it against 256, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of iColorama's written reviews are positive against 82% of Oilist's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iColorama ships an update every 4 days, Oilist every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
iColorama versus Oilist: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriColoramaOilist
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating4.5 (256 ratings)4.8 (3.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews79.6% of reviews82.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2563.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#151 — better
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.6 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size1.1 GB152 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developertalonsodev3DTOPO Inc.

Customer experience

iColorama

All ratings256 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral3.9%
Negative8.6%
Written reviews196 reviews
Positive79.6%
Neutral5.1%
Negative15.3%

Oilist

All ratings3,791 ratings
Positive95.6%
Neutral2.7%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews221 reviews
Positive82.4%
Neutral5.4%
Negative12.2%

User reviews

iColorama

From 256 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Incredibly deep app
  • 👍 Fantastic app
  • 👍 Best app ever
  • 👍 Brilliant app
  • 👍 Superb app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Freezes constantly
  • 🐛 Crashes frequently
  • 🐛 Quality reduced when uploading photos
  • 🐛 Doesn't work with newer iOS versions
  • 💰 Moved to subscription model

Oilist

From 3.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Excellent artistic results
  • 🤩 Fun and engaging to use
  • 🎨 Versatile with many style options
  • 🎨 Transforms photos into unique artworks
  • 🎨 Impressive oil painting effects

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes or freezes
  • 🔋 Battery draining issues
  • 🤔 Confusing or unclear controls
  • 🤷‍♀️ Inconsistent or unpredictable results
  • 💸 Expensive for some users

Bugs and requests

iColorama

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Freezing issues
  • Unable to load photos
  • Watermark overlay issues
  • Incompatibility with newer devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to save in full quality
  • Improved stability and performance
  • Support for latest iOS versions
  • Restore previous free version

Oilist

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes when trying to save finished paintings
  • Certain style options don't work as expected
  • White splotches or marks appear in final paintings

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add progress indicator or notification when painting is complete
  • Provide more guidance or information on the different style options
  • Improve performance and reduce battery drain
  • Offer a desktop version or integration with other art apps

In-app purchases

3 purchases

iColorama

Subscriptions2
  • iColorama PRO3 Days trial$0.997 Days
  • iColorama PRO3 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • iColorama PRO$14.99
None

Oilist

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iColorama free?
iColorama is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Oilist free?
Oilist costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iColorama or Oilist?
Oilist is rated higher. iColorama averages 4.5 out of 5 from 256 ratings, while Oilist averages 4.8 from 3.8K ratings.
Do iColorama or Oilist have ads?
Oilist shows ads; iColorama does not.
Which is updated more often, iColorama or Oilist?
iColorama ships an update every 4 days, and Oilist every 2 weeks. Most recently, iColorama was updated on November 1, 2026 and Oilist on November 1, 2026.

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