Comparison

Video Effects Camera vs Time Flow Sketch

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

Head to head
About

Video Effects Camera

Features
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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

Time Flow Sketch

Features
Read full description

A sketching app for reshaping the way time flows inside a video. You draw the shape of that flow as a black-and-white gradient over the clip you loaded. The brightness you paint becomes a moment in the clip, or a playback speed, so different parts of the image start running on their own time. Only where your finger traced runs ahead. Another part plays backwards. One area stays frozen while everything around it keeps moving. You can even draw time that twists β€” forward and backward unfolding at once. Take the single, even flow of time in a video, pull it apart, and put it back together. Reflections shifting on water, drifting clouds, the movement of familiar things and creatures: there may be something new waiting in the everyday scenery you thought you knew. β–  Main features [Making a map] β€’ Draw β€” trace with a finger to draw the flow of time. Five brush tones, a bleed brush, and a smudge tool β€’ Gradients and presets β€” start from a regular pattern β€’ From motion β€” build the shape of time automatically from the movement in the clip β€’ Cut & slide β€” split the map along a line and slide the pieces to make time slip [How the map is applied] β€’ Apply mode β€” Vertical / Horizontal slit works band by band, Surface works pixel by pixel β€’ Time map β€” brightness sets which moment of the clip is shown; black is the start, white is the end β€’ Rate map β€” brightness sets the playback speed, from reverse to fast forward β€’ Space map β€” brightness sets where on screen the picture is taken from [Checking what you made] β€’ 3D plot β€” see the shape of time as a solid β€’ Time graph β€” see time, rate and space as line charts [Live camera] β€’ Time-shape the camera image as you film β€” it keeps the last few seconds, so the map you draw can show the past or freeze parts of the picture β€’ Tap β€œStop & capture” to turn it into a clip you can edit and export [Sound and export] β€’ Sound β€” the audio goes through the same time processing as the picture β€’ Export β€” save the result to your photo library as a video All video processing happens on your device, and nothing you make is sent anywhere.

Screenshots

Video Effects Camera4 screens
Time Flow Sketch4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Time Flow Sketch at none against Video Effects Camera's 3. Time Flow Sketch also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 5 days) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Video Effects Camera ships an update every 5 days, Time Flow Sketch daily. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences Β· 2 level
Video Effects Camera versus Time Flow Sketch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVideo Effects CameraTime Flow Sketch
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysDaily β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo β€” better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Mac β€” better
Requires iOS26.016.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size13 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPentarabRyu Furusawa

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

Time Flow Sketch

No in-app purchases

Questions

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

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