Comparison

Image Shift vs Altered States

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

Head to head
About

Image Shift

Transform your photos into unique glitch art with a variety of pixel manipulation effects. Easily create chaotic distortions, wave-like patterns, and mosaic styles with adjustable settings and real-time previews.

Highlights
  • Random Row/Column Shift
  • Pixel Sort
  • Block Shuffle
  • Diagonal Shift
  • Mirror Effects
  • Adjustable segments
  • Real-time preview
Features
Read full description

Image Shift lets you create unique glitch art and pixel manipulation effects on your photos. FEATURES Random Row/Column Shift - Randomize segments for chaotic glitch effects Row Shift - Slice your image horizontally and shift segments Column Shift - Slice vertically for a different look Alternating Row/Column Shift - Create wave-like distortion patterns Pixel Sort - Sort pixels by brightness or saturation for that classic glitch aesthetic Block Shuffle - Randomly rearrange image blocks for mosaic-style distortion Block Zoom - Zoom into grid sections for a fragmented, magnified look Diagonal Shift - Shift pixels along diagonal lines with customizable angles Mirror Effects - Vertical, horizontal, and quadrant mirroring with flip options Adjustable segments (1-200) for fine or dramatic effects Customizable shift percentage and oscillation settings Real-time preview as you adjust parameters Customize which effects appear and their order Dark mode support Save processed images directly to your photo library Perfect for creating unique social media content, album artwork, or just having fun with your photos.

About

Altered States

Read full description

Altered States turns your iPhone camera into a real-time visual effects engine. Stack up to 30 effects across 6 independent layers, let music drive your visuals, and capture the result as full-resolution video. — EFFECTS — Over 30 GPU-powered effects in five categories: WARP: Ultrawarp, Shockwave, Wave, Vortex, Kaleidoscope, Cascade, Fisheye, Curl Drift, Mirror Warp GLITCH: Pixel Sort, Streak, Self-Glitch, JPEG Artefact, Chromatic Aberration, Feedback Loop, Radial Blur, CRT, Bloom COLOR: LSD, Neon, Thermal, Solarise, Curves, GORE, MAYHEM, LUST, Dither, Contour Lines FX: Datamosh, Halftone, ASCII Art, Blob Tracking, Pixelate, Numeric Art GEN: Plasma, Tunnel, Lattice, Pattern — MULTI-LAYER — Stack up to 6 independent source layers - live camera, imported photos, or looping videos - each with its own effect chain, blend mode, and opacity. Rearrange layers by dragging, or hide any layer instantly. — AUDIO REACTIVE — Connect the camera to your music. Bass, mid, highs, and beat transients each drive your effect parameters in real time. Map any parameter to any frequency band. Tweak sensitivity and depth on the fly. — RECORD — Record full-resolution video directly from the live canvas. Mic audio is captured alongside the visual effects and merged automatically. Save to your photo library with one tap. — PRESETS — Save your favourite effect stacks as presets with a thumbnail snapshot. Recall them instantly from the Presets panel. — TOOLS — - Shake to generate a random 3-5 effect combination instantly - Per-effect parameter curves editor - Canvas transform: pan, pinch, rotate each layer freely - 8 mirror modes: vertical, horizontal, triple, quad, diagonal - Cortex Gate: luminance-based per-layer masking - Undo history with a visual timeline Altered States is built for performers, creators, and anyone who wants their camera to do something it was never supposed to do. By subscribing, you agree to Apple's Standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Image Shift4 screens
Altered States4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Altered States at Free against Image Shift's $2.99. Image Shift's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 days). On ads 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

Altered States is free to download; Image Shift costs $2.99 up front. Altered States sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Image Shift asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Image Shift ships an update every 2 days, Altered States every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 13, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Image Shift versus Altered States: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterImage ShiftAltered States
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.2
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBenji FriedmanKwong Wa Chu

In-app purchases

None

Image Shift

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Altered States

Subscriptions2
  • Altered States Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Altered States Pro Annual$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Image Shift free?
Image Shift costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Altered States free?
Altered States is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Image Shift or Altered States have ads?
Neither Image Shift nor Altered States shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Image Shift or Altered States?
Image Shift ships an update every 2 days, and Altered States every 5 days. Most recently, Image Shift was updated on October 13, 2026 and Altered States on October 13, 2026.

Other comparisons