Boxpop vs Phocal
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Boxpop
Transform your photos into artistic Zines, collages, or visually striking pieces with unique outlines. This app offers automatic layout generation for Zines, a freeform collage editor, and AI-powered subject outlining. It prioritizes on-device processing for privacy and is ad-free.
- Automatic Zine generation from photos
- Freeform photo collage editor
- AI-powered subject outlining
- Artistic effects and visual styles
- On-device processing for privacy
- Export as JPG, MP4, or book-like flip
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Smoother collages, plus a tunnel of stars. • New Star Tunnel effect: stars swirl around the person in your photo, who always stays in front. Change the star shape, color, rings and speed, tap Multicolor for a new color mix, and export as a Live Photo. • A redesigned collage editor: a bigger canvas, and the tools you need right next to the photo, text or sticker you select. • Add things faster: tap a recent photo to drop it in, and drag text or shapes right where you want them. • Double-tap a photo to reframe it, or double-tap text to edit it on the canvas. • Long-press to select several items, then align, distribute, group or duplicate them together. Drag layers to reorder them, and show or hide each one.
Phocal
Personalize your device's home screen by displaying your favorite photos and stickers. Create custom photo walls with various templates, stickers, and outline options. Organize your creations with smart folders and choose widget sizes to fit your style.
- Display favorite photos on home screen
- Customize photos and stickers
- DIY photo wall creation
- Adjustable widget sizes
- Smart folder organization
- Multiple border templates
- Various sticker outline options
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1.Don't let your photos just sit in the album - bring your favorites to the home screen. 2.Customize photos and stickers - decorate your screen with personality. 3.DIY photo wall - create your own personalized home screen. 4.Choose from large, medium, or small widgets - size is up to you. 5.Organize your photos and stickers with smart folders. 6.Multiple border templates - add style and texture to your photos. 7.Various sticker outline options - control every detail of the outline. 8.Massive library of materials - mix and match effortlessly. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://mtkangkang.github.io/phocal-privacy-policy/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Boxpop at every 3 days against Phocal's weekly. On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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
Both are free to download. Boxpop sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and Phocal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.00 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Boxpop against 5.0 for Phocal. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.
Boxpop ships an update every 3 days, Phocal weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Boxpop | Phocal |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 260 MB | 104 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 泽龙 赵 | 兆康 张 |
Customer experience
Boxpop
Phocal
In-app purchases
Boxpop
- VIP周度会员7 Days trial$0.997 Days
- VIP月度会员$0.991 Month
- 年度会员7 Days trial$4.991 Year
- 永久会员$14.99
Phocal
- Monthly Membership$2.001 Month
- Yearly Membership$8.001 Year
- 终身会员(永久)$12.00
