Comparison

MODUL8 vs Smolcam

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

Head to head
About

MODUL8

Transform your photos into unique glitch art with a variety of customizable effects. Stack and reorder effects to create distinct visual styles, from retro VHS to corrupted digital art. Save your creations or export them as animations.

Highlights
  • 19 unique glitch art effects
  • Customizable effect controls
  • Stackable and reorderable effects
  • Built-in and custom presets
  • Photo import and camera capture
  • Export still images and animations
Features
Read full description

MODUL8 turns your photos into corrupted, retro, broken-signal art. Pick a photo, tap an effect, and dial in the intensity. Stack as many as you like and drag them into whatever order you want, because the order changes the result. 19 EFFECTS Noise, Pixel Shift, RGB Split, Scanlines, Distortion, Corruption, Feedback, VHS, CRT, Chroma, Film, Crush, Interlace, Invert, Datamosh, Dither, Static, Sort and Sync. Each one has its own controls: tracking and dropout on VHS, shadow mask and barrel distortion on CRT, block size and quantization on Datamosh. Nothing is a single slider. PRESETS Nine built in, from VHS and CRT through to Melt and Fried. Save your own combinations and they are there next time. WORK FROM ANYTHING Load a photo from your library or shoot one with the camera without leaving the app. PREMIUM Free, everything works, and saving goes up to 1024 pixels. Premium unlocks export at full size, looping animations generated from your still image, and your own presets. $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year, which saves you 50%. Both start with 7 days free. No ads. Everything is processed on your device. Nothing is uploaded. Terms of Use: https://mergewiththemachine.com/app-terms

About

Smolcam

This app offers a customizable retro camera experience with a variety of color palettes and dithering options. It provides a simple, distraction-free interface for capturing and saving photos instantly to your library.

Highlights
  • Customizable retro aesthetic
  • Multiple color palettes (3-bit to 24-bit)
  • Bayer ordered dithering option
  • Zoom support for all device cameras
  • Instant save to photo library
  • Distraction-free interface
Read full description

Smolcam transforms your iPhone into a small, lightweight camera with a customizable retro aesthetic. Features: - Completely free: no ads or in-app purchases - Choose from 8 colors (3-bit) to 16 million (24-bit) color palettes - Enable Bayer ordered dithering, or blue noise dithering for increased detail at low bit depths - Supports zooming through all the cameras your phone has - Instant save to photo library - Simple distraction-free interface that runs smoothly on any device and won't kill your battery

Screenshots

MODUL84 screens
Smolcam3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Smolcam at none against MODUL8's 1. MODUL8's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 8 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. MODUL8 sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Smolcam asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for MODUL8 against 5.0 for Smolcam. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MODUL8 ships an update every 5 days, Smolcam every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on August 31, 2026 and September 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
MODUL8 versus Smolcam: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMODUL8Smolcam
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLevi FosterJasper Morgal

Customer experience

MODUL8

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

Smolcam

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

MODUL8

Subscriptions1
  • Modul8 Monthly$4.991 Month
None

Smolcam

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MODUL8 free?
MODUL8 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Smolcam free?
Smolcam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MODUL8 or Smolcam?
MODUL8 and Smolcam are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do MODUL8 or Smolcam have ads?
Neither MODUL8 nor Smolcam shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MODUL8 or Smolcam?
MODUL8 ships an update every 5 days, and Smolcam every 8 months. Most recently, MODUL8 was updated on August 31, 2026 and Smolcam on September 6, 2026.

Other comparisons