Comparison

Mono Lab vs modello*

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

Head to head
About

Mono Lab

Explore creative image manipulation with a focus on black and white effects. This app offers a wide range of tools for distortion, texture, and structural changes, allowing for unique artistic experimentation.

Highlights
  • 129 black and white filters
  • Sensor-based filters controlled by device movement
  • 12 dimensional surfaces and 13 lenses for 3D distortion
  • Interactive filters responding to touch
  • Raster and vector output options
  • Save directly to Files
Features
Read full description

Mono Lab is designed for exploring the unexpected. Experiment with images in black and white. From subtle relief to structural collapse, topology drift, mesh warps, fracture effects, misregistration, and controlled instability, every tool is built for focused experimentation. Responsive. Direct. Tactile. // Interactive Filters (X) Distortion that responds to you. Shift the image through movement and contact. Tilt to bend structure. Rotate to redirect tension. Touch to anchor, drag to stretch, hold to resist. Each gesture leaves a trace. Each motion reshapes the result. // 3D Surface Mode A dimensional approach to distortion. Map images across 12 surfaces and interpret them through 13 lenses. Adjust depth. Refine spatial tension. Each surface behaves differently. Each lens reshapes the outcome. Monochromatic. Structure, tone, dimension, possibility. What You Can Do • 158 filters for black and white distortion • Touch and motion control transformations • 12 surfaces. 13 lenses • Press, drag, and hold to reshape the image like a surface • Refine light, contrast, and structure • Warp topology and form • Collapse, fracture, and distort • Create raster and vector outputs • Build layered misregistrations • Adjust pressure, grain, and tone • Stack transformations • Save your favorite filters to the Index • Save directly to Files Mono Lab is for designers, artists, photographers, illustrators, and visual experimenters working in black and white.

About

modello*

Transform your photos and sketches into richly rendered image studies. Guide the generation with mood, subject, and style, adjusting creative distance to explore variations. This tool acts as a proposal generator for artists, offering a modern take on traditional preparatory painting techniques.

Highlights
  • Transform photos and sketches into image studies
  • Control mood, subject, and style
  • Adjust creative distance for variations
  • Runs entirely on-device
  • Custom models trained on original paintings
  • Curated prompts, no open text input
Features
Read full description

modello* is a generative studio for painters and visual artists. Begin with your own photo or sketch and transform it into richly rendered image studies. Set mood, subject, and style to guide each generation. Adjust Creative Distance to stay close to your original image — or push the generator to re-imagine it entirely. Italian painters once created preparatory painting proposals called modelli. modello* brings that spirit into a modern generative workflow. After the first generation, new variations appear quickly so you can explore dozens of ideas effortlessly. Features • Runs entirely on-device — your images never leave your device • Generate unlimited images with a modello* Unlimited subscription • Custom models trained on original paintings by the developer • Curated prompts — no open text input • Artist names are never used in prompting If you require technically correct anatomy, this is not that tool. Think of it as a proposal generator, not finished art. Make a few modelli. Follow the interesting ones. See what surprises you! Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Note: Requires newer hardware to create images. Minimum supported devices include iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and iPads with at least 6 GB of memory. Older and lower-memory devices are not supported.

Screenshots

Mono Lab4 screens
modello*4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: modello* at Free against Mono Lab's $4.99. Mono Lab's advantage is chart position (#4 vs unranked) and ratings volume (21 vs 3). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

modello* is free to download; Mono Lab costs $4.99 up front. Mono Lab sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and modello* sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $24.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Mono Lab against 5.0 for modello*. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mono Lab has 21 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Mono Lab versus modello*: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMono Labmodello*
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (21 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews94.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings21 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
Best chart rank#4 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size57 MB970 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperInner CircleBryan Leister

Customer experience

Mono Lab

All ratings21 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive94.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.6%

modello*

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Mono Lab

One-time4
  • Pheno Set$1.99
  • Print Set$1.99
  • ASCII Set$1.99
Show 1 more
  • Dither Set$1.99
1 purchases

modello*

Subscriptions1
  • modello Unlimited$24.991 Year

Questions

Is Mono Lab free?
Mono Lab costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is modello* free?
modello* is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mono Lab or modello*?
Mono Lab and modello* are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 21 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do Mono Lab or modello* have ads?
Neither Mono Lab nor modello* shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mono Lab or modello*?
Mono Lab ships an update every 5 days, and modello* every 5 days. Most recently, Mono Lab was updated on October 14, 2026 and modello* on October 16, 2026.

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