Comparison

NIR Color vs RetroLight Lite

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

RetroLight Lite

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
Read full description

RetroLight is perfect image editing app for the good old days of traditional photography. ** Red,Yellow,Brown,Red.....colorful light leak ** 30 light leaks ** Opacity Slider to control effect and style strength ** Share to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and more RetroLight's simple design, paired with powerful and snappy tool, will give you the look you want in seconds. If you have comments, need help or found a bug, please help and send a email to nedisapp@gmail.com and we'll try to help you.

Screenshots

NIR Color4 screens
RetroLight Lite2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: RetroLight Lite at Free against NIR Color's $2.99. RetroLight Lite also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 10 months). NIR Color's advantage is ratings volume (21 vs 1). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RetroLight Lite 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. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of NIR Color's written reviews are positive against 100% of RetroLight Lite's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NIR Color ships an update every 10 months, RetroLight Lite every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
NIR Color versus RetroLight Lite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNIR ColorRetroLight Lite
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (21 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews82.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings21 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 10 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.07.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJixiPix, LLCnedis

Customer experience

NIR Color

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

RetroLight Lite

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

NIR Color

No in-app purchases

None

RetroLight Lite

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NIR Color free?
NIR Color 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, NIR Color or RetroLight Lite?
RetroLight Lite is rated higher. NIR Color averages 4.3 out of 5 from 21 ratings, while RetroLight Lite averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do NIR Color or RetroLight Lite have ads?
Neither NIR Color nor RetroLight Lite shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NIR Color or RetroLight Lite?
NIR Color ships an update every 10 months, and RetroLight Lite every 5 weeks. Most recently, NIR Color was updated on October 5, 2026 and RetroLight Lite on October 4, 2026.

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