Dottre vs DotMatrix Studio
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Dottre
Transform your photos into unique CMYK halftone prints. Control dot size, density, and registration for creative textures and compositions. Experiment with different paper types and color separations to achieve a distinct print aesthetic.
- CMYK halftone dot generation
- Adjustable dot size and density
- Channel isolation and control
- Registration drift simulation
- Subject isolation with depth
- Multiple paper stock options
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Dottre turns photos into CMYK halftone prints. Split images into Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. Adjust dots, density and registration. Experiment with paper stocks, and use Portrait depth to separate subjects from their backgrounds before printing. Built for photographers, designers and printmakers. WORK IN DOTS, NOT PIXELS Every image is rebuilt from halftone dots. * Control dot size and density. * Create clean screens or heavy print textures. * Shape contrast through the printing process. THINK IN PLATES Build the image one plate at a time. * View or isolate CMYK channels. * Print in colour, mono or negative. * Decide how each plate contributes. PERFECT IS OPTIONAL Real print is rarely perfect. * Offset channels. * Introduce registration drift. * Create subtle movement or bold separation. BRING THE SUBJECT FORWARD Portrait photos can use depth information to separate subjects from the background. * Isolate people naturally. * Print onto coloured or textured paper. * Create bold poster-style compositions. CHOOSE YOUR SURFACE Print onto more than white paper. * Newsprint * Kraft * Matte * Fine Art * Custom colours MADE FOR PRINT Create posters, zines, artwork and experimental graphics. Because sometimes the print is more interesting than the photograph.
DotMatrix Studio
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Your photos, run through a monitoring terminal. DotMatrix Studio turns anything you shoot or import into a 1-bit artifact — the dot-matrix look of VFD displays, old newsprint and station monitors. There is no preset carousel to scroll past: you dial the look in yourself and watch it render live. SHOOT IN 1-BIT A live dithered viewfinder shows you the look before the shutter, not after. Toggle between DOTMATRIX and NORMAL if you would rather frame with the plain camera first, adjust pixel size and palette on the rail, and flip between front and back cameras. THREE FILM STOCKS NEWSPRINT — Floyd–Steinberg error diffusion, the fine scattered grain of a printed photograph. MATRIX — Bayer 8x8 ordered dithering, the regular weave of a hardware display. HALFTONE — real circular dots on a grid, with an adjustable cell size. All three are written by hand for this app and tuned by eye, not borrowed from a library. FOUR PALETTES OXBLOOD, PAPER, PHOSPHOR and AMBER. Each is a two-colour stock with its own accent, from warm terminal red to green phosphor glow. THE DIALS Virtual resolution, 80 to 480 pixels wide, is the chunkiness itself: drop it and the image breaks into big honest dots, raise it and the detail creeps back. Contrast runs -50 to +50. Halftone cell size is adjustable. Scanlines darken every third row. Press and hold the preview to peek at the original underneath. TELEMETRY FRAMES Five frames — ACQUIRED, STATION, SPECIMEN, REC, or none — stamp your artifact with instrument chrome: dates, dither codes, resolution readouts, and a caption of your own. Frame text is drawn at full export resolution, so it is never a pixel-doubled smear. WALLPAPERS Render your artifact at your device's exact pixel size as a lock and home pair, then set it from the Photos app. A LIBRARY THAT STAYS EDITABLE Saved artifacts are parametric: the source photo and every setting are stored together, so reopening one restores the whole editing session. Change your mind about a palette a month later and nothing is lost. EXPORT PNG at 2048px on the long edge. Save to Photos, share anywhere, save as a wallpaper, or keep it in the library. Saving and sharing record the artifact automatically, so an exported image is never a dead end. COMPLETELY OFFLINE There is no network permission in this app at all. No account, no sign-in, no analytics, no ads, no location. Your photos never leave your device, because there is nowhere for them to go.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: DotMatrix Studio at Free against Dottre's $2.99. DotMatrix Studio also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On 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
DotMatrix Studio is free to download; Dottre costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Dottre | DotMatrix Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | James Moore | John Darkwa |
In-app purchases
Dottre
No in-app purchases
DotMatrix Studio
No in-app purchases








