Comparison

Video Effects Camera vs Glitchforge

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

Head to head
About

Video Effects Camera

Features
Read full description

Turn movement into light. Pulse is a video-only effects camera that transforms motion into live echoes, trails, clones, flashes, and tunnels. See every effect while you shoot, then trim, save, or share the result in seconds. NEW IN PULSE 1.2 - Mercury turns skin into liquid metal that reflects the room - Opal lays soap-film color across the picture in pastel bands - Star Flare throws a long anamorphic streak off every highlight - Etched puts the lights out and keeps only the outlines, cut into dark glass - Projection finds you with a cold projector and dims everything else 25 LIVE EFFECTS - Light Echo and Motion Trail leave movement hanging in the frame - Rainbow Trail paints movement with rainbow light, and Time Stack leaves a row of afterimages - Neon Clone and Shadow Double split you into bold afterimages - Prism Delay and RGB Whip pull color channels through time - Neon Trace draws glowing outlines that slowly fade - Beat Strobe, Freeze Flash, Scan Pulse, and Solar Burn add rhythmic impact - Datamosh and VHS Rewind break the frame into glitch blocks and tape wobble - Feedback Tunnel, Kaleido Beat, Vortex Trail, Liquid Echo, and Slit Drift reshape the live frame - Mercury, Opal, Star Flare, Etched, and Projection work the surface itself STUDIO LIGHT AND DUAL CAM - Studio Light turns the edge of your screen into a neon light that lights your face in the dark. Six colors, three power levels, and the camera preview stays full screen. - Dual Cam records with the front and back cameras at once, picture-in-picture or split screen, with your effect on both. BUILT FOR VIDEO - Swipe left or right on the camera preview to change effects - Open the Effect Deck to see all 25 looks at once - Adjust effect intensity with one direct signal control - Switch between front and rear cameras, or use both at once with Dual Cam - The controls fold away while you record, so the frame stays clear - Record clips with sound, or silent clips when microphone access is off FINISH AND SHARE - Trim a recording to the moment you want - Preview at 0.5x, 1x, or 2x speed - Save to Photos or use the standard iOS share sheet - Send a video directly to Instagram Stories when Instagram is installed PULSE PRO Studio Light and Dual Cam are included for everyone. Light Echo, Motion Trail, and Beat Strobe are free to export. Everyone can preview, tune, record, and edit all 25 effects; exporting a clip made with any of the other 22 effects requires Pulse Pro. Free recordings can be up to 8 seconds and exported videos include a Pulse watermark. Pulse Pro unlocks export for 22 Pro effects, extends recordings to 15 seconds, and removes the Pulse watermark from exports. Choose an auto-renewing monthly or yearly subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Available plans and prices are shown before purchase. Your Apple Account is charged at confirmation. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account subscription settings. YOUR VIDEO STAYS ON YOUR IPHONE Pulse processes camera frames, audio, effects, edits, and exports on your device. Pulse does not upload your camera feed or recorded clips. No account is required. Privacy Policy: https://pentarab.com/pulse/privacy Terms of Service: https://pentarab.com/pulse/terms Support: https://pentarab.com/pulse/support

About

Glitchforge

Features
Read full description

Glitchforge is a video glitch studio that runs on your iPhone. Load a clip, stack effects, and watch your videos get messed up. Most glitch apps just paint effects on top of the picture. We edit the compressed video itself, in its own domain: the motion vectors, coefficients, and quantizers inside the H.264, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4 streams. Datamosh: motion comes unstuck from the picture, so one shot melts into the next and frames bleed together. Scrambled coefficients: blocks tear and smear. Warped blocks + posterization: the compression math is the effect. VHS + analog: tracking noise, color bleed, worn tape Pixel sort: pixels dragged into long streaks of color. Load a clip. Build a chain and reorder it if you need to. Tune each effect's settings and watch the picture change in unexpected ways. Scrub to any frame and save it, or export the whole clip. There is no account and no server. Your footage is processed on the phone and stays there. It works with no connection, anywhere you are ready to make art.

Screenshots

Video Effects Camera4 screens
Glitchforge4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Glitchforge at none against Video Effects Camera's 3. Glitchforge also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Video Effects Camera sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Glitchforge asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Video Effects Camera ships an update every 5 days, Glitchforge every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Video Effects Camera versus Glitchforge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVideo Effects CameraGlitchforge
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 days โ€” betterEvery 8 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS26.017.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size13 MB150 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPentarabGreen Rose Systems, LLC

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Video Effects Camera

Subscriptions2
  • Pulse Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Pulse Pro Yearly$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pulse Pro$24.99
None

Glitchforge

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Video Effects Camera free?
Video Effects Camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Glitchforge free?
Glitchforge is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Video Effects Camera or Glitchforge have ads?
Neither Video Effects Camera nor Glitchforge shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Video Effects Camera or Glitchforge?
Video Effects Camera ships an update every 5 days, and Glitchforge every 8 days. Most recently, Video Effects Camera was updated on November 6, 2026 and Glitchforge on October 25, 2026.

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