# Poster Shine vs Fx Stencil

The clearest difference is rating: Fx Stencil at 4.5 against Poster Shine's 4.0. Fx Stencil also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (43% vs 26%). Poster Shine's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Fx Stencil sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Poster Shine asks for nothing beyond the download.

Fx Stencil holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Fx Stencil has 1K ratings behind it against 113, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 26% of Poster Shine's written reviews are positive against 43% of Fx Stencil's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Poster Shine | Fx Stencil |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (113 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/poster-shine-posterize/id652972308/reviews) | **[4.5 (1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fx-stencil/id840899578/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 113 | **1K** |
| Positive reviews | 26.1% of reviews | **43.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 7 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Alexander Dr. Rieger](https://appshunter.io/developer/464916737) | [Tien Le](https://appshunter.io/developer/840899581) |

## What reviewers say

### Poster Shine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/poster-shine-posterize/id652972308)

Transform your photos into striking, limited-color poster art. This app offers a quick and easy way to apply a unique poster filter, making your images look like professional prints. Share your artistic creations across social media or save them directly to your device.

**Highlights:** Posterize photos, Limited color effect, Apply filters, Share to social media, Save to device, Use camera

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🎨 Useful for art
- 💡 Good for shading
- ✨ Nice poster effects
- 🖼️ Value map for art

**What reviewers complain about**

-  anúncios Frequent ads
- 🚫 Ads interrupt
- ❌ Ads hard to close
- 🐛 App crashes
- 📉 Limited functionality

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on open
- App crashes when sharing
- Can't get out of ads
- App crashes when opening a photo
- Page goes blank after saving

**Requested features**

- Allow more than four colors
- Improve resolution
- Add tutorial
- Allow selection of color range
- Toggle to adjust intensity of effect


### Fx Stencil

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fx-stencil/id840899578)

Transform your photos into unique stencil art. Easily edit, customize colors, and apply gradients to create personalized designs for printing on various materials or sharing with loved ones.

**Highlights:** Create stencils from photos, Edit and customize stencils, Gradient stencil effects, Save and share stencils, Simple drawing tools, Invert stencil option

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Watermark | $0.99 | one-time |
| Add Picker Color | $0.99 | one-time |
| Gradient Stencil | $0.99 | one-time |
| Remove Advertisement | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Amazing app
- 👍 Love app
- 👍 Stencil app
- 👍 Simple and elegant
- 👍 Great for black and white contrast

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Clumsy
- 🐛 Crashes
- 🐛 Buggy
- 🐛 Limited
- 🐛 Doesn't access albums

**Reported bugs**

- Only lets you do one stencil
- App closes when selecting photo
- Zooms in to one corner
- Doesn't display entire picture

**Requested features**

- Two-tone image options
- Ability to add more photos
- Bring back old invert option
- Allow access to photo albums


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Poster Shine free?

Poster Shine is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Fx Stencil free?

Fx Stencil is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Poster Shine or Fx Stencil?

Fx Stencil is rated higher. Poster Shine averages 4.0 out of 5 from 113 ratings, while Fx Stencil averages 4.5 from 1K ratings.

### Do Poster Shine or Fx Stencil have ads?

Poster Shine shows ads; Fx Stencil does not.

### Which is updated more often, Poster Shine or Fx Stencil?

Poster Shine ships an update every 2 months, and Fx Stencil every 2 months. Most recently, Poster Shine was updated on October 13, 2026 and Fx Stencil on October 12, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*