Comparison

Retro Pixel Camera vs Video Effects Camera

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

Video Effects Camera

Features
Read full description

Turn movement into light. Pulse is a video-only effects camera that transforms motion into live echoes, trails, clones, flashes, and tunnels. See every effect while you shoot, then trim, save, or share the result in seconds. NEW IN PULSE 1.2 - Mercury turns skin into liquid metal that reflects the room - Opal lays soap-film color across the picture in pastel bands - Star Flare throws a long anamorphic streak off every highlight - Etched puts the lights out and keeps only the outlines, cut into dark glass - Projection finds you with a cold projector and dims everything else 25 LIVE EFFECTS - Light Echo and Motion Trail leave movement hanging in the frame - Rainbow Trail paints movement with rainbow light, and Time Stack leaves a row of afterimages - Neon Clone and Shadow Double split you into bold afterimages - Prism Delay and RGB Whip pull color channels through time - Neon Trace draws glowing outlines that slowly fade - Beat Strobe, Freeze Flash, Scan Pulse, and Solar Burn add rhythmic impact - Datamosh and VHS Rewind break the frame into glitch blocks and tape wobble - Feedback Tunnel, Kaleido Beat, Vortex Trail, Liquid Echo, and Slit Drift reshape the live frame - Mercury, Opal, Star Flare, Etched, and Projection work the surface itself STUDIO LIGHT AND DUAL CAM - Studio Light turns the edge of your screen into a neon light that lights your face in the dark. Six colors, three power levels, and the camera preview stays full screen. - Dual Cam records with the front and back cameras at once, picture-in-picture or split screen, with your effect on both. BUILT FOR VIDEO - Swipe left or right on the camera preview to change effects - Open the Effect Deck to see all 25 looks at once - Adjust effect intensity with one direct signal control - Switch between front and rear cameras, or use both at once with Dual Cam - The controls fold away while you record, so the frame stays clear - Record clips with sound, or silent clips when microphone access is off FINISH AND SHARE - Trim a recording to the moment you want - Preview at 0.5x, 1x, or 2x speed - Save to Photos or use the standard iOS share sheet - Send a video directly to Instagram Stories when Instagram is installed PULSE PRO Studio Light and Dual Cam are included for everyone. Light Echo, Motion Trail, and Beat Strobe are free to export. Everyone can preview, tune, record, and edit all 25 effects; exporting a clip made with any of the other 22 effects requires Pulse Pro. Free recordings can be up to 8 seconds and exported videos include a Pulse watermark. Pulse Pro unlocks export for 22 Pro effects, extends recordings to 15 seconds, and removes the Pulse watermark from exports. Choose an auto-renewing monthly or yearly subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Available plans and prices are shown before purchase. Your Apple Account is charged at confirmation. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account subscription settings. YOUR VIDEO STAYS ON YOUR IPHONE Pulse processes camera frames, audio, effects, edits, and exports on your device. Pulse does not upload your camera feed or recorded clips. No account is required. Privacy Policy: https://pentarab.com/pulse/privacy Terms of Service: https://pentarab.com/pulse/terms Support: https://pentarab.com/pulse/support

Screenshots

Retro Pixel Camera4 screens
Video Effects Camera4 screens

Verdict

The call

Retro Pixel Camera and Video Effects Camera are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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 Video Effects Camera sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 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, Video Effects Camera every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Retro Pixel Camera versus Video Effects Camera: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetro Pixel CameraVideo Effects Camera
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAli Taha TunaPentarab

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

Video Effects Camera

Subscriptions2
  • Pulse Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Pulse Pro Yearly$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Retro Pixel Camera free?
Retro Pixel Camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Video Effects Camera free?
Video Effects Camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Retro Pixel Camera or Video Effects Camera have ads?
Neither Retro Pixel Camera nor Video Effects Camera shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Retro Pixel Camera or Video Effects Camera?
Retro Pixel Camera ships an update every 9 days, and Video Effects Camera every 5 days. Most recently, Retro Pixel Camera was updated on October 2, 2026 and Video Effects Camera on October 18, 2026.

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