Comparison

Frontier Minilab vs Dearstill

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

Head to head
About

Frontier Minilab

Recreate the classic film lab aesthetic on your iPhone. Apply authentic presets, fine-tune colors with CMYK controls, and batch edit entire rolls of film. Experience instant, lag-free edits with haptic feedback.

Highlights
  • Authentic film lab presets
  • CMYK color control
  • Batch editing
  • GPU-accelerated Metal rendering
  • Custom haptic feedback
  • Film borders and contact sheets
  • Google Drive export
Features
Read full description

Frontier brings the film lab to your iPhone. The Frontier scanner has defined the film lab look for decades. Warm highlights. Smooth rolloff. Colors that feel right instead of processed. We studied thousands of Frontier scans. Built that look into three presets. Supra — Daylight warmth. Superia soul, Portra glow. Chrome — Tungsten cinema. Fujichrome punch, Kodachrome mood. XXX — Contrast and grain. Double-X grit, Tri-X punch. That's it. Metal fast. Runs on Apple's Metal framework. GPU-accelerated shaders render your edits in milliseconds. Drag a slider, see it instantly. No lag. No waiting. Batch editing. Edit up to 36 frames at once. Lock your settings, swipe through your roll, apply to the batch. Like a real lab. Feel every adjustment. 30+ custom haptics. Every tap, every slider tick, every preset has its own feel. CMYK color control. Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Density. Adjust like a lab tech. Film borders. 14 authentic borders. Each preset has its own. Contact sheets. Auto-generated proof sheets. Perfect for carousels or archiving. Google Drive export. Export direct. Browse folders. Stay organized. Try free for 7 days. Then $3.99/month or $12.99/year. Terms of Use: https://frontierminilab.com/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://frontierminilab.com/privacy/

About

Dearstill

Read full description

A camera for the days you'll miss. Dearstill turns everyday photographs into warm, lasting memories with 104 original film looks. Capture a new moment or import one through Apple's photo picker, choose a film mood, adjust its strength, and keep the result in your private Dearstill Roll. - 104 original film looks across thirteen categories, all included - Travel and Experimental collections, plus Favorites and Recent looks - 3- or 10-second self-timer and an optional composition grid - Tune exposure, warmth, grain, and light leaks in the Lab - Save personal recipes and reuse them on your next photo - Analog character: halation, light leaks, split tones, and grain - Instant, Street, and Seasons shelves alongside Daylight, Portrait, Night, B&W, Cinema, Compact, Nostalgia, and Dream - Real camera capture plus private photo import - 4:3, 1:1, and 9:16 framing - Focus, flash, zoom, exposure, and optional date stamp - On-device development with no account, ads, analytics, or uploads - Add-only export to Photos when you choose Pay once. No subscription and no in-app purchases.

Screenshots

Frontier Minilab4 screens
Dearstill4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Dearstill at every 3 days against Frontier Minilab's weekly. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Frontier Minilab sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Dearstill sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Frontier Minilab ships an update weekly, Dearstill every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Frontier Minilab versus Dearstill: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFrontier MinilabDearstill
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB13 MB
Age rating12+4+
Developerelliot HasseNomadiq

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Frontier Minilab

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Yearly7 Days trial$12.991 Year
2 purchases

Dearstill

Subscriptions1
  • Dearstill Pro 연간 구독$3.991 Year
One-time1
  • Dearstill Pro 평생 이용권$9.99

Questions

Is Frontier Minilab free?
Frontier Minilab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Dearstill free?
Dearstill is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Frontier Minilab or Dearstill have ads?
Neither Frontier Minilab nor Dearstill shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Frontier Minilab or Dearstill?
Frontier Minilab ships an update weekly, and Dearstill every 3 days. Most recently, Frontier Minilab was updated on October 30, 2026 and Dearstill on October 31, 2026.

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