Comparison

Dot Style vs PIXEL86

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

Head to head
About

Dot Style

Transform your photos into a retro pixel art style with this easy-to-use application. Adjust the pixel level for unique visual effects and save your creations. Access your camera or photo album to get started.

Highlights
  • Convert photos to pixel art
  • Adjustable pixel level
  • Camera and photo album access
  • Easy to use interface
  • Save pixel art creations
Features
Read full description

This app will convert your favorite photos to pixel arts style! It is very fun, and if you want retro photos, you should get this one! *** Features **** - Quickly convert to pixel arts! - Smooth/visual adjustments for the pixel level! - Access to camera/photo album! - Super Easy to Use! *** How to use it *** 1. You can choose photo album or using camera. 2. When you choose/take a photo, it will be read, and the converting button will be enabled. 3. If you tap the convert button, pixel arts will be made in a few seconds, then you can check the pixel level using a slider. 4. Of course, you can save the photo on the screen if you want.

About

PIXEL86

Transform photos and videos with vintage pixel art aesthetics. Apply true black-and-white dithering, custom color palettes, and unique dithering styles to create retro media. Supports video editing and sharing your creations.

Highlights
  • True B/W dithering
  • Video editing support
  • Customizable color palettes
  • Three dithering styles (Natural, Pattern, Flat)
  • Vintage-inspired aesthetics
  • Social media sharing
Read full description

PIXEL86 — Retro Dithering for Photos & Videos Make your media look like it came from a cooler, glitchier timeline. Bring back the charm of vintage tech with PIXEL86, the ultimate tool to transform your photos and videos into pixel-perfect black-and-white or limited-palette art. Inspired by early computer graphics, old-school printers, and classic GIFs — this is retro done right. True B/W Dithering No grays. Just black or white pixels smartly arranged to simulate shadows and depth — exactly how early screens did it. Now Supports Video Editing Apply your favorite dithering style to video clips. Make every frame look like a piece of pixel-art history. Color Palettes, Reimagined Choose from curated vintage-inspired palettes Hit random for a fresh surprise every time Or build your own custom palette for a personalized look Three Dithering Styles Natural — Smooth, classic error diffusion. Clean and expressive. Pattern — Retro dot-matrix vibes. Adjustable matrix for custom textures. Flat — Not technically dithering, but perfect for dramatic, posterized effects in both stills and motion. Share Your Style Use #pixel86 on social and tag @pixel86app on Instagram — we love featuring the coolest creations from the community.

Screenshots

Dot Style4 screens
PIXEL864 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PIXEL86 at 100% against Dot Style's 32%. PIXEL86 also leads on rating (4.6 vs 2.5) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 4 months). Dot Style's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Dot Style sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and PIXEL86 sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PIXEL86 holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 16 and 42 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 32% of Dot Style's written reviews are positive against 100% of PIXEL86's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dot Style ships an update every 4 months, PIXEL86 every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Dot Style versus PIXEL86: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDot StylePIXEL86
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.5 (16 ratings)4.6 (42 ratings) — better
Positive reviews32.4% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1642 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS14.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB87 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperF-NET AppsPeter Tretyakov

Customer experience

Dot Style

All ratings16 ratings
Positive37.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative62.5%
Written reviews37 reviews
Positive32.4%
Neutral2.7%
Negative64.9%

PIXEL86

All ratings31 ratings
Positive90.3%
Neutral3.2%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Dot Style

One-time1
  • [ Add Pixel of circles! ] new pixel type will be added.$0.99
2 purchases

PIXEL86

One-time2
  • License Discount$9.99
  • Perpetual License$19.99

Questions

Is Dot Style free?
Dot Style is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PIXEL86 free?
PIXEL86 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Dot Style or PIXEL86?
PIXEL86 is rated higher. Dot Style averages 2.5 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while PIXEL86 averages 4.6 from 42 ratings.
Do Dot Style or PIXEL86 have ads?
Both Dot Style and PIXEL86 show ads.
Which is updated more often, Dot Style or PIXEL86?
Dot Style ships an update every 4 months, and PIXEL86 every 5 days. Most recently, Dot Style was updated on November 1, 2026 and PIXEL86 on November 3, 2026.

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