Comparison

AmberNote vs Retro Lab Photo Editor

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

Head to head
About

AmberNote

Features
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AmberNote is a simple photo annotation editor designed for clean, focused visual notes. Place a small marker anywhere on a photo, draw a line from it, and add a comment at the end. It is useful for design feedback, review notes, repair instructions, visual explanations, and any moment when a photo needs clear context. Key Features - Add shapes, lines, and text annotations to photos - Marker shapes including circle, square, diamond, and star - Solid, dashed, dotted, and wavy lines - Text size, bold, italic, and underline controls - Zoom in and out while editing - Export edited photos - Local-only editing on your device AmberNote Premium Unlock black, custom colors, and all fonts with a one-time purchase. This is not a subscription. Privacy AmberNote does not upload your photos to a server. Selected photos and edits are processed locally on your device.

About

Retro Lab Photo Editor

Features
Read full description

FilmGrain is a focused iPhone photo editor for classic analog film looks, vintage filters, cinematic color, and polished photo exports. Import a still image from Photos or Files, choose a simulated film preset, fine-tune the edit, crop your frame, and export a version ready to share. FilmGrain keeps the workflow simple and non-destructive, so your original image stays intact while every look is rendered from editable settings. Explore classic film-inspired presets Browse a built-in catalog of simulated looks inspired by color negative film, slide film, black-and-white photography, instant photos, and cinema-style color. Search and filter by family, era, contrast, saturation, warmth, and grain feel to find the right mood fast. Fine-tune every photo Adjust preset intensity, exposure, highlights, shadows, contrast, temperature, tint, saturation, and vibrance. Use the white-balance picker to sample a neutral point from your image and quickly correct color casts. Crop and export Refine your composition with crop controls, then export in common image sizes and formats for sharing, profile photos, social posts, printing, or archiving. Premium creative tools Unlock custom .cube LUT import, save personal presets, and add simulated film grain with intensity control. Bring your own color workflows into FilmGrain while keeping the editor simple, native, and fast. Why FilmGrain? - Classic analog and vintage photo styles - Built-in film-inspired preset catalog - Searchable presets for fast creative choices - Essential color, tone, and white-balance controls - Crop and export tools in one focused workflow - Optional premium LUT and grain tools - Orton Effect - Split Toning FilmGrain’s looks are artistic simulations designed to evoke classic analog photography and cinema color. They are not exact reproductions of any specific film stock.

Screenshots

AmberNote3 screens
Retro Lab Photo Editor4 screens

Verdict

The call

AmberNote and Retro Lab Photo Editor are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. AmberNote sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Retro Lab Photo Editor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
AmberNote versus Retro Lab Photo Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAmberNoteRetro Lab Photo Editor
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB96 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaichi TakikawaFelipe Beline Baravieira

In-app purchases

1 purchases

AmberNote

One-time1
  • AmberNote Premium$2.99
1 purchases

Retro Lab Photo Editor

One-time1
  • Lifetime Pro$9.99

Questions

Is AmberNote free?
AmberNote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Retro Lab Photo Editor free?
Retro Lab Photo Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do AmberNote or Retro Lab Photo Editor have ads?
Neither AmberNote nor Retro Lab Photo Editor shows ads.

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