Comparison

Retro Pixel Camera vs MeltCam

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

Head to head
About

Retro Pixel Camera

This camera app applies real-time dither shaders and retro color palettes to your photos and videos. Customize effects, pixel scale, and contrast live in the viewfinder. Import existing photos to apply the same artistic filters.

Highlights
  • Real-time dither shader effects
  • Fourteen live effects including error diffusion and ordered dither
  • Thirty-eight hand-graded color palettes
  • Live adjustment of pixel scale, contrast, shadows, and highlights
  • Import and edit existing photos
  • iPad Split View and Slide Over support
Features
Read full description

PIXELADO Dither the world, live in the viewfinder. Pixelado is a camera that renders every frame through a real-time dither shader. Pick an effect, pick a palette, and the viewfinder is already the photo. Nothing to apply afterwards. FOURTEEN LIVE EFFECTS Floyd-Steinberg and Atkinson error diffusion, Bayer 4x4 and 2x2 ordered dither, blue-noise stipple, per-channel RGB dither, ordered halftone, posterize, CRT scanlines, and a Sobel ink edge pass. Plus four retro hardware palettes that clamp every frame to a classic 4-color or 8-bit color set. THIRTY-EIGHT COLOR PALETTES Hand-graded palettes, from clean monochrome and graphite to neon, sunset, and deep contrast. Every one of them is free. DIAL IT IN Pixel scale, contrast, shadows, highlights, and sharpness, all live on the preview. Five effects take a tint color, so you can push a dither into any two-tone you want. Your settings are stored per effect, so switching back never loses your numbers. A CAMERA THAT STAYS OUT OF THE WAY Volume button shutter, rule-of-thirds grid, tap to focus, flash, zoom, front camera, and your last shot one tap from the editor. BRING YOUR OWN PHOTOS Import anything from your library and run it through the same shader, with the same sliders. BUILT FOR IPAD Split View and Slide Over are supported, and the camera preview keeps the right aspect ratio at every window size. COMPLETELY FREE Every effect, every palette, every slider. No subscription, no unlocks, no ads. STAYS ON YOUR DEVICE Every frame is processed on your device with Metal. Nothing is uploaded. Shoot in pixels. PRIVACY POLICY AND TERMS OF USE: Apple App Store User Agreement - Terms of Use (EULA) https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy https://tahatuna.com/pixeladoprivacy For more information, please visit https://tahatuna.com For support, send an email to: ios@tahatuna.com

About

MeltCam

Features
Read full description

Point the camera, and watch your world melt, warp, and glow. MeltCam is a real-time psychedelic camera app. From trending VHS-style noise to glitch, kaleidoscope, neon, and tie-dye, switch between bold effects and reshape the world right inside your viewfinder. [What makes MeltCam different] ◆ Zero-lag real-time preview No heavy post-processing, no waiting. Effects transform your viewfinder the instant you tap them. You're not editing after the shot — the world is already warped before you press the shutter. ◆ Choose the aspect ratio for your shot Shoot photos and videos in 3:4, 1:1, or 9:16, with the same framing in the preview and saved result. Pick the format that fits, from social feeds to vertical videos. ◆ A bold lineup of effects - Melt: signs and shapes drip and flow like liquid - Aura: a free effect that wraps bright areas in a soft pink, purple, and cyan glow without distorting faces or scenery - Tie-Dye: vivid tie-dye psychedelia - Wave: a sine-wave shimmer like looking through water - Mirror: symmetrical beauty born from a flip - Glitch: scanlines and noise, full digital decay - Acid: hue rotation paints the world in psychedelic colors - Plasma: undulating plasma light - Trip: a swirling vortex of mind-bending color - Vortex: a spiral that pulls everything inward - Kaleidoscope: peer into another world through a kaleidoscope - Neon Edge: outlines glow like neon signs - Prism Split: prism-shifted color separation - VHS Noise: gritty, retro 80s tape noise ◆ Photos and videos, ready to post Save photos and videos with the effect baked in, straight to your library. Record short videos up to 60 seconds. No extra editing step required. ◆ Front and rear camera Selfies or scenery, your call. Like the stock camera, the preview is mirrored while the saved photo is not — so what you share looks the way it should. [Made for you if you...] - Want photos and videos that don't look like everyone else's - Love glitch, psychedelic, and neon visuals - Shoot music, live shows, clubs, and festivals - Have outgrown standard filter apps - Want to play with the shot, not just edit it after [MeltCam Pro] Use six effects for free without limits: Wave, Melt, Aura, Mirror, Glitch, and Tie-Dye. Upgrade to Pro to unlock eight more effects, including Acid, Trip, and Plasma. [Supported languages] English, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil), German, Spanish, Korean, French, Simplified Chinese Look through the lens, into another world. With MeltCam, turn what's in front of you into something that isn't quite real.

Screenshots

Retro Pixel Camera4 screens
MeltCam4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Retro Pixel Camera at none against MeltCam's shown. MeltCam's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 9 days). On price, in-app purchases, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Retro Pixel Camera sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and MeltCam sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Retro Pixel Camera ships an update every 9 days, MeltCam every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Retro Pixel Camera versus MeltCam: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetro Pixel CameraMeltCam
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAli Taha TunaCROSSBRIDGE INC.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Retro Pixel Camera

Subscriptions1
  • Pixelado Pro Weekly3 Days trial$2.997 Days
One-time1
  • Pixelado Pro Lifetime$4.99
2 purchases

MeltCam

Subscriptions2
  • MeltCam Pro (Monthly)$1.991 Month
  • MeltCam Pro (Yearly)$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Retro Pixel Camera free?
Retro Pixel Camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MeltCam free?
MeltCam is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Retro Pixel Camera or MeltCam have ads?
MeltCam shows ads; Retro Pixel Camera does not.
Which is updated more often, Retro Pixel Camera or MeltCam?
Retro Pixel Camera ships an update every 9 days, and MeltCam every 2 days. Most recently, Retro Pixel Camera was updated on October 2, 2026 and MeltCam on October 28, 2026.

Other comparisons