Comparison

Mobiography Magazine vs Blackie

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

Head to head
About

Mobiography Magazine

Learn to take better photos with your smartphone through tutorials, app reviews, and inspiration from top photographers. Discover tips and guides to create stunning images and explore the latest in mobile photography.

Highlights
  • Learn mobile photography techniques
  • Discover photo app reviews
  • Step-by-step tutorial guides
  • Get inspired by top photographers
  • Interviews with smartphone photographers
  • Reviews of iPhone accessories
Features
Read full description

SUBSCRIBE Today and get a FREE 1 Month Trial. ** LEARN How to take better photos with your iPhone. ** DISCOVER the latest photo app reviews. ** CREATE stunning pictures with step by step tutorial guides. ** GET INSPIRED by the world’s most talented Smartphone Photographers. Check Out The World's Leading Smartphone Photography Digital Magazine Today with Over 120 FIVE STAR REVIEWS Mobiography Magazine is a digital only magazine focussing in on the subject of smartphone photography. Mobiography Magazine is bi-monthly and showcases the work of talented iphoneographers as well as featuring: * Interviews with iPhone photographers * How to guides and tutorials * Reviews of the latest photo apps * Reviews of iPhone accessories. Subscribe today and save on the single issue price. ---------------------------------------------- This is a free app download. Within the app users can purchase the current issue and back issues. Subscriptions are also available within the application. A subscription will start from the latest issue. -The subscription will renew automatically unless cancelled more than 24 hours before the end of the current period. You will be charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of the current period, for the same duration and at the current subscription rate for the product. -You may turn off the auto-renewal of subscriptions through your Account Settings, however you are not able to cancel the current subscription during its active period. -Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when a subscription to that publication is purchased. -If a subscription offers a free trial, at the end of the trial period, you will be charged the full price of the subscription. You may cancel a subscription during its free trial period via the subscription settings on your iTunes account. This must be done 24 hours before the end of the subscription period to avoid being charged. Users can register for/ login to a pocketmags account in-app. This will protect their issues in the case of a lost device and allow browsing of purchases on multiple platforms. Existing pocketmags users can retrieve their purchases by logging into their account. We recommend loading the app for the first time in a wi-fi area so that all issue data is retrieved. If your app will not load past the splash page after a first install or an update, please delete and reinstall the app from the App Store Help and frequently asked questions can be accessed in-app and on pocketmags. If you have any problems at all please do not hesitate to contact us: help@pocketmags.com -------------------- You can find our privacy policy here: http://www.pocketmags.com/privacy.aspx You can find our terms and conditions here: http://www.pocketmags.com/terms.aspx

About

Blackie

This app is designed for black and white photography enthusiasts, offering a minimal interface and powerful tools for both beginners and professionals. It provides real-time effect previews, manual camera controls, and extensive editing options to achieve stunning monochrome images.

Highlights
  • Real-time effect previews
  • Manual camera controls
  • Extensive editing mods
  • Customizable presets
  • Minimalist design
  • Fast camera access
Features
Read full description

The perfect app for the Black & White photography. It doesn't matter if you've just started or you are a professional. The Blackie has something for everyone. Its minimal design and easy use with many features will make it your go-to app when you're in the mood for the Black & White. It will help you explore all the possibilities of the Black & White photography and achieve the best result. • Fast. Blackie opens in camera mode, so you can instantly capture moments around you and give them vintage feeling. • What you see is what you get. All effects are previewed in Real-time. • Shuffle your best. The smart shuffle works exceptionally. You only need to shuffle a couple of times and snap the best one. • Customize. If you have time, you can manage every effect in your photo with Mods by yourself. • Simple Minimal Design. The way that Blackie works is unique. The experience is clear and fast. No need for unnecessary buttons. • Just save it! Captured photo goes instantly to your photos library. It is up to you when you are ready to share it with the world. • No in-app purchases and no ads. Nothing to bother you while making memories. • Settings Save Original Photo On / Off. Save Photos with Compression (JPEG) On / (TIFF) Off. Modify UI to Lighting Conditions. (Black or White design). • Camera Manual Controls Manual Focus with Focus Peaking. Lenses. Manual Exposure. Shutter Speed and ISO. Manual White Balance. EV. • Grids 9x Grid Types with custom Opacity. Center Lines On / Off. Grid Color Black / White. • Presets 8x Slots for custom Presets. • Mods Crop and Rotate. Films. 5x Scanned Analog Films. 3x Digitally Created. Brightness. Contrast. Color Filters. 6x Types Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Infra. Vignette Overlay. 5x Types with rotations and inverted light. Fade. Low, Mid, High mods. Shadows. Highlights. Sharp. 2x Types Clarity and Bloom. Grain. Frame. Black & White frame with custom size. • Post processing Before / After function. Tags: #blackieapp #blackie Note: iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4/4S, iPod 4th generation, iPad2, iPad Mini 1st generation, iPad3 is Missing Sharp and Grain Mods. All iPads preview and capture is in Square Mode only.

Screenshots

Mobiography Magazine4 screens
Blackie4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Mobiography Magazine at Free against Blackie's $3.99. Mobiography Magazine also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.1) and review sentiment (89% vs 58%). Blackie's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 17) and update cadence (monthly vs every 6 months). On ratings volume, ads 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

Mobiography Magazine is free to download; Blackie costs $3.99 up front. Mobiography Magazine sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 2 months. Blackie asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Mobiography Magazine holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 109 and 44 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Mobiography Magazine's written reviews are positive against 58% of Blackie's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mobiography Magazine ships an update every 6 months, Blackie monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Mobiography Magazine versus Blackie: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMobiography MagazineBlackie
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating4.7 (109 ratings) — better3.1 (44 ratings)
Positive reviews89.1% of reviews — better58.5% of reviews
Number of ratings109 — better44
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.010.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCreativecaravan LimitedBrutality Arts

Customer experience

Mobiography Magazine

All ratings109 ratings
Positive93.6%
Neutral1.8%
Negative4.6%
Written reviews137 reviews
Positive89.1%
Neutral2.2%
Negative8.8%

Blackie

All ratings44 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral2.3%
Negative47.7%
Written reviews118 reviews
Positive58.5%
Neutral12.7%
Negative28.8%

User reviews

Mobiography Magazine

From 109 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📚 High-quality, inspiring content for mobile photographers
  • 👍 Well-designed, clean, and easy-to-navigate interface
  • 🎓 Comprehensive tutorials and educational articles
  • 🎨 Excellent artist interviews and photographer features
  • 📱 Valuable app and equipment reviews

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App frequently freezes and crashes
  • 🔄 Poor landscape/portrait mode switching
  • 📵 App fails to load purchased issues
  • ❌ Validation errors preventing content access
  • 🖱️ Touchy interface causing accidental navigation

Blackie

From 44 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Excellent B&W quality
  • 🎨 Great filters and effects
  • ⚙️ Powerful controls
  • 📸 Good for street photography
  • 💡 Customizable options

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes
  • 🚫 App not usable (on some devices)
  • 📉 Poor usability (for some)
  • 🐞 Bugs and glitches
  • 🫙 Difficult to save photos

Bugs and requests

Mobiography Magazine

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • App crashes and freezes regularly
  • Fails to switch between portrait and landscape mode
  • Validation errors preventing issue access
  • Unable to download purchased past issues
  • Subscription content not accessible after payment
Show 3 more
  • Touchy interface causing unintended page returns
  • Incompatibility with older iPad models
  • Review link functionality broken

Requested features

8 requests
  • Monthly publication instead of bi-monthly
  • Bundle packages for back issues
  • Online web access in addition to app
  • Email and print article functionality
  • More video tutorials and embedded multimedia
Show 3 more
  • More how-to tutorials with featured artists
  • Broader coverage of iOS apps and artists
  • Improved app stability and performance

Blackie

Reported bugs

53 issues
  • Severe crashes
  • Photos not saving
  • Editing not saving
  • Upper side of pictures cut off
  • Double assignments in UI (e.g., histogram)
Show 48 more
  • Filter usage broken
  • Setting a frame to black does not persist
  • GUI not usable on iPad Pro
  • Camera shuts down with manual focus on wide angle
  • App crashes when using manual focus on wide angle lens
  • App did not save any images
  • Latest update crashes consistently
  • App crashes on opening/shutter click
  • Photo not recorded in Photos app
  • Cannot take pictures after setup choice
  • App no longer works, shutter circle does nothing
  • App freezes on opening screen
  • App crashing with iPhone Pro 15
  • App freezes when opening photos
  • App freezes and hangs
  • Some shots lost and not saved
  • App drains battery even in background
  • App freezes on each section
  • App crashes when trying to load/edit from library
  • App crashes when importing photos
  • App crops images
  • App not responding
  • App crashes frequently
  • App not working on iPhone 7
  • App not working on iPhone XR
  • App not working on iPhone XS Max
  • App not working on iPhone X, Xs, Xs Max
  • App not working after last update (iPhone XS Plus)
  • Icons too small
  • Buttons too small
  • Icons are tiny
  • UI not optimized for screen size
  • Interface not user-friendly
  • Cropping to square is forced
  • Random/shuffle FX is perfect but cannot be saved
  • Clunky unintuitive UI
  • Cannot access photos, freezes phone
  • Uploads sporadically, then uploads wrong photo
  • No icons show up, cannot take photos
  • App still doesn't work on new iPhone, unable to take photos
  • Controls not quite right for iPhone 14 Pro Max
  • App doesn't work with iPad Pro 11
  • App doesn't work with iPad Air 4
  • Buttons cut off at screen edge and don't respond
  • Live camera image visible, but UI buttons cut off
  • App crashes
  • Bug crashing again
  • App not responding

Requested features

24 requests
  • Customizable default comment in metadata
  • Home screen shortcut icon
  • Masking function
  • Retouch/correction function
  • Support for 48MP max grid
Show 19 more
  • Features for night photography
  • Optimization for new iPhones
  • Ability to turn off shuffle
  • RAW capture support
  • Zoom while shooting
  • Ability to edit preset names
  • Save favorite combinations from shuffle
  • Support for second lens on iPhone 7 Plus
  • Ability to pinch out to zoom in
  • Tiff format support
  • Color photo option with same interface
  • More film simulations
  • Smaller font size
  • Support for larger photo databases
  • Guidance on app usage
  • Permanent settings after restart
  • Ability to reset chosen preset
  • Scroll through camera roll within the app
  • Clear way to upload to computer/camera roll

In-app purchases

17 purchases

Mobiography Magazine

Subscriptions2
  • Bi-Monthly Subscription1 Month trial$3.992 Months
  • Annual Subscription1 Month trial$21.491 Year
One-time15
  • April 2013 (id:486375)$2.99
  • June 2013 (id:486374)$2.99
  • August 2013 (id:486373)$2.99
Show 12 more
  • October 2013 (id:486372)$2.99
  • Mobiography Magazine Issue 8$2.99
  • June 2014 (id:486369)$2.99
  • June 2015 (id:773161)$4.99
  • June 2026 (pp:1134500)$4.99
  • August 2023 (id:721581)$4.99
  • April 2025 (pp:1111132)$4.99
  • February 2025 (pp:1111134)$4.99
  • December 2024 (pp:1026080)$4.99
  • October 2024 (pp:1026085)$4.99
  • August 2015 (id:773182)$4.99
  • Back Issues 1-7 Bundle Pack Special$19.99
None

Blackie

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Mobiography Magazine free?
Mobiography Magazine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Blackie free?
Blackie costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Mobiography Magazine or Blackie?
Mobiography Magazine is rated higher. Mobiography Magazine averages 4.7 out of 5 from 109 ratings, while Blackie averages 3.1 from 44 ratings.
Do Mobiography Magazine or Blackie have ads?
Neither Mobiography Magazine nor Blackie shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mobiography Magazine or Blackie?
Mobiography Magazine ships an update every 6 months, and Blackie monthly. Most recently, Mobiography Magazine was updated on September 21, 2026 and Blackie on September 22, 2026.

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