Real Bokeh vs 36Exp
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Real Bokeh
Easily add beautiful bokeh and light leak effects to your photos. Customize shapes, sizes, opacity, and colors to create unique and artistic images. Save and share your creations in full resolution.
- 36 bokeh shapes
- 33 light leak effects
- 23 image filters
- Draw multiple bokehs
- Adjust bokeh size and opacity
- Multiple bokeh colors
Read full descriptionHide full description
Create photo of beautiful light effects with Real Bokeh. Real Bokeh helps you to draw beautiful bokeh effect to your photos. It also enables you to apply beautiful light leak effects and filters to your photos. [Features] - 36 beautiful bokeh shapes - 33 light leak effects - 23 image filters - Draw multiple bokehs with finger touch - Apply multiple bokeh shapes to one photo - Change bokeh size (large, medium, small, tiny and mixed) - Change opacity - Multiple bokeh colors with easy color picker (28 colors) - Easy undo and clear all - Save as full resolution - Share to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr and other apps [User Reviews] - "This app is amazing. The features are great and there are so many different kinds of shapes" - "I love the freedom of this editing app" - "So much fun and add creativity and fun to your photos" - "It works very good and is worth it! It makes the pictures look so beautiful" - "Awesome app. Love using it for every picture I take and have"
36Exp
This app simulates the experience of shooting with a film camera, offering over 50 film profiles and manual camera controls. Capture 36 exposures, develop your photos, and share them with a unique analog aesthetic.
- 50+ film profiles
- 36 exposure limit per roll
- Manual and automatic exposure
- Live film effect preview
- Film grain configuration
- Custom AI Portrait Mode Bokeh
Read full descriptionHide full description
Experience the joy of film photography with the 36Exp camera app! Select from 50+ Film profiles, take 36 exposures, then develop and share, Just like film! This process mimics the analog experience you get when taking pictures on a film camera. Allowing the photographer to slow down and focus on composition. This app is perfect for both the aspiring film photographer and the seasoned analog master! We have developed a unique film emulation model that provides professional level results straight out of the camera and allows you to focus on capturing life as it happens. This app integrates well into a fully mobile editing workflow and allows for posting straight out of camera to social media or with quick simple edits. Features ---------------- Manual and automatic exposure 50+ film profiles based on analog properties (5 Free) Custom AI Portrait Mode Bokeh Blur that retains the ability to adjust ISO and shutter speed. Automatic film type photo metadata Live Film Effect Preview Manual ISO Selection Camera Lens Selection Camera Flash Setting Tap to Focus Easy camera settings access to adjust film effects in live view. Film Grain Configuration with Wholegrain Film Grain Rendering Technology that recreates the image to consist of individual film grains Blur Filter Pro Features ---------------- Instant Snap Mode (Change filters and view images right after capture) Bloom Filter Film Halation Film Simulations ---------------- Basic Film (Free) Agfa Precisa 100 Agfa Ultra Color 100 (Free) Agfa Vista 200 Fuji 400H Fuji Reala Fuji 800Z Fuji Color 160 (Free) Fuji FP 100C Fuji Provia 100 Fuji Provia 400X Fuji Superia 100,200,400,800,1600 Fuji Velvia 50,100 Ilford Delta 100,400 Ilford HP5 Ilford XP2 (Free) Kodak Ektachrome 100 Kodak Ektar 100 Kodak Elite Chrome 400 Kodak Kodachrome 64,200 Kodak Gold 200 Kodak Portra 160,400 (Free),800 Kodak Aerochrome 100 Kodak Aerochrome 100 (V6) Kodak TMax 100,400 Kodak Tri-X 400 Lomo Red Scale 100 (Free) Lomo Purple Lomo Purple V2 Lomo Turquoise Lomo Hulk-Smash Lomo C-92 Lomo Metropolis Polaroid 669 Polaroid 690 Polaroid PX 70 (Free) Polaroid PX 680 Rollie IR 400 FPP Retrochrome 400 CineFilm 400D CineFilm 800 (Original) CineFilm 800 (Tungsten balanced) CineFilm 800 (Outdoor balanced) CineFilm 800 (Alternative) Phoenix 200 Phoenix 200 (Color Corrected) Creative Simulations -------------------- Anime Bleach Bypass Crisp Warm Futuristic Bleak Horror Blue Summer Vibes Asteroid Town Teal Orange Tension Green Apocalypse Pastel Colors Expired Green Vivid Disposable (No account or signup needed and we do not collect any of your data! We will always respect your privacy) *Film names in the app are just for reference and do not represent the film stock or company. Where possible they try and replicate the characteristics.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: 36Exp at Free against Real Bokeh's $2.99. 36Exp also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.8) and review sentiment (67% vs 57%). Real Bokeh's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (56 vs 3). On update cadence, ads, 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
36Exp is free to download; Real Bokeh costs $2.99 up front. 36Exp sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Real Bokeh asks for nothing beyond the download.
36Exp holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Real Bokeh has 56 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Real Bokeh's written reviews are positive against 67% of 36Exp's.
Real Bokeh ships an update every 3 months, 36Exp every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Real Bokeh | 36Exp |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.8 (56 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 57.4% of reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 56 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 23 MB | 140 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dongwook Cho | Thomas Schucker |
Customer experience
Real Bokeh
36Exp
Bugs and requests
Real Bokeh
Reported bugs
14 issues- App crashes when loading photos
- Crashes when saving images
- Crashes when applying bokeh effects
- Freezes after opening pictures
- Random crashes during editing
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Force closes unexpectedly
- Photos don't load or appear on screen
- Orientation glitches (portrait/landscape inconsistency)
- Shape placement too random and imprecise
- Accidental deletion when holding finger too long
- No working undo button despite claims
- Incompatibility with older iOS versions
- iPad landscape mode distorts images
- RealBokeh shapes painted in wrong orientation
Requested features
15 requests- Bring back Mickey head shape
- Landscape mode support
- More shape options (food, fashion, travel, pets, words)
- Text and font options
- Frame and border options
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- Extra small size option
- Undo/redo buttons
- Ability to place bokeh in background only
- Layer support for better composition
- Zoom functionality for precision
- Rotation/twist capability for particles
- Full screen image preview
- Save to camera roll functionality
- Transparency control improvements
- Swipe-to-line feature with shape conversion
36Exp
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Real Bokeh
No in-app purchases
36Exp
- Pro$3.99








