Comparison

LAB* vs Chroma 98

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

Head to head
About

LAB*

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# LAB* — App Store Listing --- ## App Name LAB* RAW Photo Editor & Darkroom LAB* is a professional RAW photo editor for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Silicon Mac — built for photographers who care about quality, privacy, and speed, without subscriptions or paywalls. Edit RAW, ProRAW, and standard photos directly from your camera roll, SD card, USB drive, or cloud storage. Every edit happens entirely on your device. Nothing is ever uploaded, tracked, or shared. **RUNS ON ALL YOUR APPLE DEVICES** • iPhone — edit on the go • iPad — full-screen editing with touch precision • Mac with M1, M2, M3, or M4 chip — same app, same power, on your desktop **POWERFUL EDITING TOOLS** • Exposure, Brightness, Contrast, Clarity • Highlights & Shadows with split toning — push warm or cool color into your tones independently • Whites, Blacks, Saturation, Vibrance, Warmth, Tint • Bloom, Halation, Fade, Grain, Vignette, Sharpness, Noise Reduction • Master tone curve + per-channel RGB curves • HSL color grading — adjust Hue, Saturation, and Luminance for 8 individual color ranges (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Cyan, Blue, Purple, Magenta) **MASKING & LOCAL ADJUSTMENTS** • Radial masks — circular spotlight adjustments • Linear masks — graduated filter for skies and horizons • Luminance masks — target shadows, midtones, or highlights • Color masks — select and adjust specific colors • Subject & Background masks — AI-powered person detection • Depth masks — near/far selection using Portrait mode depth data • Stack multiple masks on one photo **CROP & GEOMETRY** • Free-form crop with all 4 corner handles • Fixed aspect ratios: 1:1, 4:3, 16:9 • Straighten with auto-zoom (no black corners ever) • Rotate 90° left or right • Vertical and horizontal keystone correction **LOOKS & COMMUNITY PRESETS** • Built-in looks: Vivid, Classic Warm, Cool Blue, B&W, Vintage Fade, Moody • Save your own custom presets • Share presets as .labpreset files via AirDrop or iMessage • Import presets from friends — tap to install instantly **WORKFLOW** • Open RAW files directly from SD cards and USB drives — no import needed • Before/after split view with draggable divider • Hold to compare original • Pinch to zoom and pan • Full undo/redo history • Batch edit — apply a preset to multiple photos at once • Export as HEIC or JPEG with quality and resize controls • Share directly via AirDrop, iMessage, Instagram, and more **100% PRIVATE** No account required. No analytics. No ads. No data collected — on any device. Everything stays on your device, always. Built with love for photographers, by a photographer. --- ## Category Primary: Photo & Video Secondary: Utilities ## Age Rating 4+ ## Pricing Free ## Privacy Policy URL https://spurious-delphinium-b23.notion.site/LAB-Privacy-Policy-3be54f36504a8096ba69e56523206c30 ## What's New (first release) Welcome to LAB* — a free, privacy-first RAW photo editor for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Silicon Mac. Edit RAW files straight from your SD card, use professional tools including masks, curves, and HSL, then share your presets with the community.

About

Chroma 98

Features
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Chroma 98 brings the timeless beauty, soul, and aesthetic of 90s 35mm analog film photography directly to your iPhone. Transform your digital shots into authentic analog masterworks with carefully calibrated film emulations, optical organic grain, halation bleed, vintage light leaks, and privacy-first on-device AI retouching. KEY FEATURES: ā—† ICONIC 35MM FILM EMULATIONS Experience true-to-life film emulations inspired by classic analog film tones: warm portrait palettes, rich daylight slide film colors, atmospheric tungsten night aesthetics, deep monochrome contrasts, instant prints, and nostalgic disposable camera vibes. ā—† PROFESSIONAL ANALOG FX SUITE • Organic Grain: Multi-scale silver halide crystal emulation. • Halation & Glow: Warm optical edge bloom characteristic of classic film stocks. • Vintage Light Leaks: Authentic optical flaring and nostalgic light flares. • Star Filter & Double Exposure: Expand your creative vision. • 35mm Film Borders & Customizable Date Stamps. ā—† 100% ON-DEVICE AI RETOUCH (PRIVACY-FIRST) • Smart Blemish & Object Removal (AI Inpainting). • Natural Skin Smoothing with texture retention. • Zero Cloud Uploads: All AI and photo processing runs 100% locally on your device using Apple Neural Engine & Metal GPU. ā—† UNLIMITED LAYERED EDITING & CUSTOM .C98 RECIPES Stack multiple filters, fine-tune individual adjustments, save your signature look as a .c98 recipe, and back up your presets seamlessly. -------------------------------------------------- SUBSCRIPTION TERMS (Apple Auto-Renewable Subscriptions): • Chroma98 offers a free standard tier along with Pro subscription options (Annual with 7-Day Free Trial, Monthly, and Lifetime Founder). • Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. • Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. • Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. • You can manage and cancel your subscriptions anytime in your iOS Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions. • Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when purchasing a subscription. Privacy Policy: https://sites.google.com/view/chroma98/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Support & Contact: https://sites.google.com/view/chroma98/support

Screenshots

LAB*4 screens
Chroma 984 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: LAB* at none against Chroma 98's 4. Chroma 98's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 weeks) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.5). On price, 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. Chroma 98 sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. LAB* asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LAB* ships an update every 2 weeks, Chroma 98 every 3 days. Both last shipped on November 10, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences Ā· 3 level
LAB* versus Chroma 98: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLAB*Chroma 98
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.516.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB354 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperSchilliro MassimilianoYavuz Erol

In-app purchases

None

LAB*

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Chroma 98

Subscriptions3
  • Chroma98 Pro (Weekly)$1.997 Days
  • Chroma98 Pro (Monthly)$4.991 Month
  • Chroma98 Pro (Annual)7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Founder Lifetime Access$39.99

Questions

Is LAB* free?
LAB* is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chroma 98 free?
Chroma 98 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do LAB* or Chroma 98 have ads?
Neither LAB* nor Chroma 98 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, LAB* or Chroma 98?
LAB* ships an update every 2 weeks, and Chroma 98 every 3 days. Most recently, LAB* was updated on November 10, 2026 and Chroma 98 on November 10, 2026.

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