Comparison

Sunbeam Editor vs Grain Studio

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

Head to head
About

Sunbeam Editor

Features
Read full description

Create photos the world should see. Sunbeam is a mobile photo editor built to be intuitive, tactile, and private. — POWERFUL TOOLS IN THUMB'S REACH A fleet of tactile sliders lets you make refinements without needing to shift around or burrow into menus. ADVANCED CAPABILITIES Color grade, mix individual colors, apply film-like effects like grain and halation, adjust tone, and more. REFOCUS A powerful on-device depth model allows you to tap a subject and adjust focus and bokeh intensity on the fly for any photo in your library. MAKE IT YOUR OWN Save your own edits or import cinema-grade 3D LUTs as customizable presets. PRESET CAROUSEL Find the right look by browsing presets that apply in real time as you scroll, and freely dial in the intensity once you've found the right one. BATCH EDITS MADE EASY Effortlessly apply presets across your library for quicker edits. SMART MASKS Automatically select a subject or region to make local adjustments. PUT YOUR BEST PHOTO FORWARD Toggle between edited and original views. Undo up to 50 times, or completely revert changes non-destructively at any time. Explore parallel edits with separate versions of a photo. EXPORT CONTROL Independently manage the format, scale, and included metadata of each export in a batch, or apply all settings globally. CLICKS, TICKS, THUMPS, AND POPS Sunbeam takes cues from the physicality of hardware. These small details make the editing process feel deliberate and close at hand. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Editing and rendering happen on your device. Sunbeam requires no account and uses no analytics, advertising, or tracking. Your photos are never uploaded to any servers operated by Sunbeam. GO INFINITE Sunbeam's core editing tools are entirely free to use. An optional one-time Sunbeam Infinite purchase unlocks unlimited saved presets and 3D LUT imports, alternate versions, complete undo history, and full export controls.

About

Grain Studio

Capture photos and videos with a vintage film camera aesthetic. Collaborate with friends on shared rolls, develop existing library content with a film look, and post images without cropping. Your first roll is free, with a one-time purchase to unlock all features.

Highlights
  • Shoot with 120, 35mm, or Flash film types
  • Record clips, Live Photos, and Lock Screen camera shots
  • Collaborate on shared rolls with friends
  • Develop existing library photos with film grain
  • Post photos optimized for Instagram and RedNote
  • One-time purchase for full access
Features
Read full description

Your first roll is free. After that you pay once and it’s yours. A film camera for your iPhone, on your own or with friends. Load a roll, watch it develop, and post it as one carousel. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Shoot a roll: 120, 35 mm or the Flash roll for nights out, plus clips, Live Photos and a camera on your Lock Screen. • Shoot together: start a shared roll for a night out or a trip, and friends join with one code or link. Everyone needs an iPhone or iPad, Grain Studio and iCloud; joining is free. Up to 20 people share its 12 or 36 frames, and nobody sees one until it develops for everyone at once. Nothing goes public unless you post it. Photos only, one shared roll at a time. It uses a little of the host’s iCloud storage until 30 days after it develops. • Develop what you already have: pick photos and clips from your library, choose a look, and get film grain and a soft glow. • Post it as it looks: each photo is made at the exact size Instagram and RedNote use, so nothing gets cropped or blurred. WHY IT STILL LOOKS LIKE FILM AFTER YOU POST Grain Studio adds grain measured from real film at the final post size, so it survives Instagram. HDR highlights stay bright. TRY IT, THEN PAY ONCE You buy one film camera all year, every year: no fee per event, and nobody but Apple holding your photos. Your first roll, 6 photos and 1 clip are free at full quality. Then try everything free for 7 days and unlock it with one purchase. No subscription, no account, and no charge when the trial ends. It covers iPhone, iPad and Mac. YOUR PHOTOS STAY YOURS Nothing is uploaded to us and there are no analytics. A shared roll goes through your own iCloud, only to the people on it. Your originals are never changed.

Screenshots

Sunbeam Editor4 screens
Grain Studio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Grain Studio at daily against Sunbeam Editor's every 9 days. Grain Studio also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.2). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Sunbeam Editor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Grain Studio sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sunbeam Editor ships an update every 9 days, Grain Studio daily. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Sunbeam Editor versus Grain Studio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSunbeam EditorGrain Studio
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS26.218.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size65 MB48 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKevin MankaSantiago Munoz

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Sunbeam Editor

One-time1
  • Sunbeam Infinite$4.99
2 purchases

Grain Studio

One-time2
  • 7-Day TrialFree
  • Grain Studio Lifetime Unlock$19.99

Questions

Is Sunbeam Editor free?
Sunbeam Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Grain Studio free?
Grain Studio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Sunbeam Editor or Grain Studio have ads?
Neither Sunbeam Editor nor Grain Studio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sunbeam Editor or Grain Studio?
Sunbeam Editor ships an update every 9 days, and Grain Studio daily. Most recently, Sunbeam Editor was updated on November 5, 2026 and Grain Studio on November 6, 2026.

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