Comparison

PastCam vs Y2K Digicam

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

Head to head
About

PastCam

Transform your photos and videos with authentic 2000s-era camera effects. This app uses real codecs for a genuine retro look, offering unique color, texture, and resolution for each camera profile. Convert existing media or capture new memories with an optional date stamp.

Highlights
  • Authentic 2000s camera codecs
  • Unique color, texture, and resolution per profile
  • Real H.263/MPEG-4 video encoding
  • Real AMR-NB audio encoding
  • Front and rear camera support
  • Optional date stamps
  • On-device processing
Read full description

New memories. That old feeling. Turn everyday moments into photos and videos that feel like they belong in your old phone. PastCam brings back the picture, motion and sound of the 2000s with three distinctive retro cameras. A PastCam Pro subscription is required to take photos, record videos and use the Converter. FIND YOUR ERA V3 FLIP — crunchy pixels, blocky video and lo-fi flip-phone sound. GS TOUCH — the color and motion of the early touchscreen years. Q-BOLD — the distinctive mobile-camera character of the late 2000s. REAL CODECS. NOT JUST ANOTHER FILTER APP. PastCam does more than put a retro filter over your footage. V3 FLIP uses real H.263 video processing; Q-BOLD uses MPEG-4 Part 2. Both pair their video with AMR-NB sound when audio is present. GS TOUCH uses H.264 video and AAC audio. Each profile combines its codec with its own resolution, color, texture and motion. SHOOT NOW. REWIND LATER. Capture with the front or rear camera, or give an existing photo or video the PastCam treatment. Your original stays untouched. Compare the result, create a Before / After reel, then save or share your memories. YOUR PASTCAM PRO • All three retro cameras • Unlimited photo and video creation • Photo and video Converter • Before / After reels • Watermark-free exports • Optional date stamps Photo and video processing happens on your device. Your PastCam Gallery is stored locally. SUBSCRIPTION & FREE TRIAL PastCam Pro is available as an auto-renewable weekly subscription. Eligible users can receive a 3-day free trial where offered. After the trial, your subscription renews weekly at the price shown before purchase unless canceled. If you are not eligible for a trial, payment begins when you subscribe. Manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings. Existing active PastCam Pro subscriptions remain supported and can be restored. Memories already saved in your local PastCam Gallery remain available to view, save and share without an active subscription. Privacy Policy: https://pastcams.com/privacy/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Y2K Digicam

Features
Read full description

The 2000s digital camera, rebuilt for your phone. Blown flash, CCD color, a date stamp burned into the corner — the look of a point-and-shoot from 2003, live in the viewfinder before you press the shutter. No editing step. No filter picker afterwards. You pick a camera and you shoot. 27 CAMERAS, ONE TAP • Y2K digicam — CCD sensors, hard flash, early-2000s compact color • 35mm film — grain, halation, gold and slide stocks, half-frame doubles • Toy — disposable, fisheye, cross-process, instant square prints • Tape & movie — VHS warp, Super 8 flicker, 16mm, camcorder timestamps WHY IT LOOKS REAL Each camera is a whole pipeline, not one filter dropped on top. Color response is sampled per stock. Grain sits under the image the way emulsion does, not over it like a texture. Highlights bloom into halation, the lens vignettes and bends, chromatic aberration creeps in at the edges, and light leaks land differently on every frame — so no two shots wear the same one. A DARKROOM, NOT A FILTER HISTORY Your untouched negative is stored next to the developed frame. Change your mind next week and re-develop the same shot on a different camera — full quality, nothing overwritten, as many times as you like. The roll is yours and it stays reachable. PHOTO AND VIDEO Video is filtered while it records, audio and all, not processed afterwards. Tape distortion, dropped frames and camcorder date stamps are baked into the take. ALSO IN THE BOX • Import from your photo library and develop old shots on any camera • Pinch to zoom, tap to focus, flash and torch, front camera • Half frame shoots two exposures to one frame, like the real thing • Save to Photos at full resolution • Works entirely offline. No account, no sign-up, no ads, no data collected PRICE Seven days of everything, free — every camera, photo and video, no card up front. After the trial one payment of $9.99 unlocks the whole library forever. No subscription, no per-camera purchases, no ads, ever. There is no free tier: when the trial ends the camera stops until you unlock it. Photos you already took stay in your roll either way. Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

PastCam4 screens
Y2K Digicam4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PastCam at none against Y2K Digicam's 1. On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

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

Both are free to download. Y2K Digicam sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. PastCam asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PastCam ships an update every 3 days, Y2K Digicam every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 7 level
PastCam versus Y2K Digicam: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPastCamY2K Digicam
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Update frequencyEvery 3 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size96 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMichil KhabarovDhruwang Jariwala

In-app purchases

None

PastCam

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Y2K Digicam

One-time1
  • Lifetime Unlock$4.99

Questions

Is PastCam free?
PastCam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Y2K Digicam free?
Y2K Digicam is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PastCam or Y2K Digicam have ads?
Neither PastCam nor Y2K Digicam shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PastCam or Y2K Digicam?
PastCam ships an update every 3 days, and Y2K Digicam every 2 days. Most recently, PastCam was updated on October 9, 2026 and Y2K Digicam on October 29, 2026.

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