Comparison

NIR Color vs ARK Infrared

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

Head to head
About

NIR Color

Transform ordinary photos into surreal, ethereal landscapes with near-infrared technology and color filters. This app adds unique hues and dramatic contrast, making everyday objects appear otherworldly. Explore a different light and create magical, mysterious atmospheres in your images.

Highlights
  • Near infrared technology
  • Infrared color filters
  • Surreal and ethereal effects
  • Dramatic contrast adjustments
  • Preset library
  • Custom preset saving
  • Hi-Res image support
Features
Read full description

Photography is the art of capturing light. Infrared photography, on the other hand, is the art of capturing invisible light. If your looking for something new and unique to add to your photography arsenal then you came to the right place NIR Color is truly beautiful, surreal and will transform ordinary landscapes into something magical and ethereal. NIR Color uses “near infrared” light technology, along with infrared “color” filters to add violet, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red colors, and all their combinations back into your image. The combination creates stunning imagery with otherworldly and mysteriously atmospheres. When using “NIR” everyday objects differ sharply from those of visible light. A blue sky can sometimes appear very dark, while foliage often turns light to create an amazing and chilling contrast. Not only will the contrast make your photo ‘pop’, it will also transform the original color to ones that are dreamy and surreal using our infrared “color” filters. The decision is in your hands to tone down the color to ones that are classy, clean, and contrasted. Or boost them to a dramatic color of your choosing taking your infrared photography to a completely different level. With NIR Color you can quickly see how incredibly beautiful the world can be in a different light. The world as seen using NIR Color is at once familiar and strange, using hues that are entirely different than those we actually see in reality. The eerie but seductive effects that NIR photographs bring to the table consist mostly of landscape shots, but on occasion portraits can be completely converted from what we recognize as normal into ones where skin tones turn pale and cold and eyes that go dark. This may lead you to shift gears from a normal pose into something that is wildly terrestrial. So give NIR Color a try and transcend your photo into a world where you and your viewer will be offered a chance to encounter a deeper connection to the story behind your photograph. NIR Color … • Works best on colorful landscape images • “Near Infrared” technology turns blue-sky dark and foliage light to make your image ‘pop’ • Infrared “Color” filters add violet, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red colors, and all their combinations back into the image to create a dreamy and surreal appearance. • Works with Hi-Res images and saves Hi-Res for top-quality results • Gets you started fast with a variety of presets • Creates personal-favorite custom presets using the "Save Preset" menu • Has the addictive JixiPix Randomizer – so much fun! • Easy-to-use slider controls to adjust light, contrast and texture just how you want it • Superfast preview mode to immediately see edit results, with large image rendered at save • You can save to the photo roll and/or email or post to Facebook. Share your masterpieces! •Superior customer support and updates – we're committed to your long-term satisfaction

About

ARK Infrared

Transform ordinary photos into striking infrared images with realistic film simulations. Explore various infrared effects, from black-and-white to false color, and apply them to both photos and videos. Features an interactive deck for live adjustments and educational content on infrared photography.

Highlights
  • Infrared film simulations
  • Photo and video editing
  • Adjustable filter wavelengths
  • False color effects
  • Day-to-night conversion
  • Interactive editing deck
  • Educational content
Features
Read full description

ARK Infrared turns ordinary photos into infrared photographs, the way they would look on infrared film behind a real filter. The app reads the colours in your photo for the things infrared responds to: chlorophyll in leaves, blue light in the sky, the heat of tungsten lamps. From those it rebuilds the picture as infrared film would have recorded it. Leaves turn white and skies turn dark because of what is in the scene. EIGHT FILMS BW. Black-and-white infrared from 590 to 850 nm, in the manner of Kodak HIE: white foliage, dark skies, a soft glow around bright areas. The dial sets the filter wavelength. AERO. Kodak Aerochrome false colour. Vegetation turns red and neutral tones stay neutral. The dial moves through the Wratten filters photographers used with the real film, #12 to #25. NIGHT. Infrared at night. Tungsten lights blaze and foliage turns red against a black sky. The dial sets how far into red the film goes, and the app adjusts to each photo's white balance. MOON. Day for night. A daylight photo becomes a moonlit one, following how the eye sees in the dark: reds fade first, colour drains and the daytime sky turns to night. The dial sets how deep the night goes. NEG. The exposure before development: the scene as a camera sensor records it behind a deep red filter. Press and hold to develop the print. SAFELIGHT. The darkroom lamp. Warm surfaces glow red and everything else falls into blue dark. CYANO. The cyanotype, John Herschel's iron-blue print from 1842, in a blue measured from real prints. The dial sets the printing time. Hold the print to tone it to sepia and back to the original photo. COPPER TONE. The copper-toned print after Kodak's 1918 Tone A: a red image on white paper. The dial sets the toning time. Hold the print to see the silver print under the toner. VIDEO Load a clip and tune the film on its first frame. One key renders the whole clip through the same film. THE DECK An aluminium deck with a tuning ruler, an exposure dial and one red key, rendering live while you drag. Swipe the film name to change films. Tap the nameplate to read how infrared light works, with a chapter on each film and Herschel's experiment from 1800 that you can repeat with your finger. Exports are 10-bit HEIF up to 19 megapixels and keep the date, place and camera of the original. There is no account and no network access. Your photos stay on the device.

Screenshots

NIR Color4 screens
ARK Infrared4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ARK Infrared at Free against NIR Color's $2.99. ARK Infrared also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 10 months). NIR Color's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (21 vs 1). On ads and monetization model 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

ARK Infrared is free to download; NIR Color costs $2.99 up front. ARK Infrared sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. NIR Color asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ARK Infrared holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NIR Color has 21 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NIR Color ships an update every 10 months, ARK Infrared every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
NIR Color versus ARK Infrared: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNIR ColorARK Infrared
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (21 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews82.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings21 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 10 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJixiPix, LLCARK ICELAND LLC

Customer experience

NIR Color

All ratings21 ratings
Positive81.0%
Neutral9.5%
Negative9.5%
Written reviews40 reviews
Positive82.5%
Neutral2.5%
Negative15.0%

ARK Infrared

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

NIR Color

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

ARK Infrared

One-time1
  • IR-01 Full$6.99

Questions

Is NIR Color free?
NIR Color costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ARK Infrared free?
ARK Infrared is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, NIR Color or ARK Infrared?
ARK Infrared is rated higher. NIR Color averages 4.3 out of 5 from 21 ratings, while ARK Infrared averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do NIR Color or ARK Infrared have ads?
Neither NIR Color nor ARK Infrared shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NIR Color or ARK Infrared?
NIR Color ships an update every 10 months, and ARK Infrared every 3 weeks. Most recently, NIR Color was updated on November 1, 2026 and ARK Infrared on October 31, 2026.

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