Comparison

Pixelize Me vs Smolcam

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

Head to head
About

Pixelize Me

Features
Read full description

Pixelize turns any photo into real pixel art: authentic retro palettes, true dithering and a live preview that updates as you tweak. Pick a photo, then pick a look. Game Boy Camera, PICO-8, NES sprite, 1-bit Mac, CRT arcade: every style renders on your own photo before you tap it. Fine-tune pixel size, palette, dithering and tone, then export a crisp PNG or an animated GIF. REAL PIXELS, NOT A BLUR FILTER Pixelize snaps your photo to an actual pixel grid and maps every pixel to a real palette. Export at 1× for game sprites and pixel-art references, or up to 4K for prints and wallpapers. 50 RETRO PALETTES • Consoles: NES, Sega Master System, PICO-8, Sweetie 16 • Handhelds: Game Boy and its variants, Virtual Boy • Computers: Commodore 64, CGA, Apple II, ZX Spectrum, MSX, Amstrad CPC • Moods: Vaporwave, Cyberpunk, Synthwave, Thermal, Risograph and more • Palette Studio: build and save your own SMART PALETTE Let Pixelize pick the 4 to 32 colors that best represent your photo, for pixel art that still looks like the original. 6 DITHERING STYLES Floyd-Steinberg, Atkinson, two Bayer matrices, blue noise and halftone, with adjustable strength: the patterns that gave 8-bit and 16-bit art its texture. 18 ONE-TAP STYLES Game Boy Camera, PICO-8, NES Sprite, 1-bit Mac, C64 Demo, CRT Arcade, Vaporwave, Newspaper, Sticker, Thermal, Poster and more. ANIMATED GIFS Export a "pixel reveal" GIF that resolves from chunky blocks into your finished art. Made for chats and socials. STICKERS AND EFFECTS Remove the background for a transparent sticker, add a die-cut border, cel-shaded outlines and CRT scanlines. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Everything runs on your device. Photos are never uploaded, there is no account, and the editor works offline. FREE, WITH OPTIONAL PRO The editor, 25 classic palettes and 10 styles are free, with ads. Pixelize Pro adds Smart Palette, 25 more palettes, 8 Pro styles, 4K export, GIFs without the watermark and unlimited custom palettes, and removes all ads. Pixelize Pro is a one-time purchase, not a subscription: pay once and keep it. To get it back on a new device or after reinstalling, tap Restore purchases in Settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://pixel.chinesepowered.com/privacy.html

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

Pixelize Me4 screens
Smolcam3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Smolcam at none against Pixelize Me's shown. On price, update cadence, 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pixelize Me ships an update every 4 months, Smolcam every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Pixelize Me versus Smolcam: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixelize MeSmolcam
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 8 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.416.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size48 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNelson LaiJasper Morgal

In-app purchases

None

Pixelize Me

No in-app purchases

None

Smolcam

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pixelize Me free?
Pixelize Me is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Smolcam free?
Smolcam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Pixelize Me or Smolcam have ads?
Pixelize Me shows ads; Smolcam does not.
Which is updated more often, Pixelize Me or Smolcam?
Pixelize Me ships an update every 4 months, and Smolcam every 8 months. Most recently, Pixelize Me was updated on October 8, 2026 and Smolcam on October 7, 2026.

Other comparisons