Comparison

Retrospecs vs PXL2000

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

Head to head
About

Retrospecs

Transform your photos and videos into retro pixel art. Emulate the look of classic computers and consoles from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Customize your output with various graphics engines, color palettes, and fonts.

Highlights
  • Pixelate images and video clips
  • Emulate 40+ classic computer/console systems
  • Create custom graphics modes
  • Variety of color palettes and fonts
  • Supports Commodore 64, IBM PC, ZX Spectrum, Amiga, and more
Features
Read full description

A retro computing / pixel art camera app. Retrospecs lets you convert images and video clips so they appear as they would on a wide variety of home computers and consoles from the 70's, 80's and 90's. Simply take a picture (or select one from your photo library) and you can display it as it would appear on over forty systems including the Commodore 64, IBM PC (DOS, CGA, EGA and VGA), Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, Sega Mega Drive, Nintendo Game Boy and even the original 1984 model Apple Macintosh. If that's not enough you can also create your own custom modes based around four different graphics engines and a wide variety of color palettes and character fonts. (The free version only contains a limited number of systems/dither modes and the custom editors, video clip processing and animation options aren't available.) All trademarks are acknowledged as the property of their respective owners.

About

PXL2000

Recreate the lo-fi aesthetic of 1980s toy video cameras. Achieve a deliberately "bad" video quality with a retro glitch filter. Perfect for those who want a vintage, grainy look for their footage.

Highlights
  • Retro 80s Pixelvision look
  • Toy camera aesthetic
  • Glitch filter effect
  • Low video quality simulation
  • Shareable retro videos
Features
Read full description

When the camera on your rad new iPhone is just too good, desperate measures must be taken! Do it the wrong way with the retro 80s Pixelvision PXL2000 look. That's right, when you're sick of the super "high-quality" VHS camcorder glitch filter look, it's time to take things to the next level of awful video quality. Think: toy camera. Because that's what it is. Good luck even figuring out what you just shot! But hey, that's part of the fun, right? RIGHT?!?! Be one of those old dudes or dudettes that gets excited when they see some old piece of vintage video camcorder gear. Share you videos on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Tell your friends you've gone retro. See if they stick around. Probably not. This app is awesome, so don't believe the haters. What do they know? Hey, they're probably still shooting video in 4K. What a bunch of dorks. Follow Rarevision: http://instagram.com/rarevision http://twitter.com/rarevision http://facebook.com/rarevisionfans Copyright © 2019 Rarevision LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Screenshots

Retrospecs4 screens
PXL20002 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Retrospecs at Free against PXL2000's $1.99. Retrospecs also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 8 months) and review sentiment (94% vs 72%). PXL2000's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and chart position (#198 vs unranked). On ads and device support 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

Retrospecs is free to download; PXL2000 costs $1.99 up front. Retrospecs sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. PXL2000 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Retrospecs holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Retrospecs has 367 ratings behind it against 55, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 94% of Retrospecs's written reviews are positive against 72% of PXL2000's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Retrospecs ships an update every 2 months, PXL2000 every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Retrospecs versus PXL2000: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetrospecsPXL2000
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.8 (367 ratings) — better4.6 (55 ratings)
Positive reviews94.3% of reviews — better72.1% of reviews
Number of ratings367 — better55
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank—#198 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJohn ParkerRarevision

Customer experience

Retrospecs

All ratings364 ratings
Positive95.6%
Neutral1.6%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews140 reviews
Positive94.3%
Neutral1.4%
Negative4.3%

PXL2000

All ratings55 ratings
Positive89.1%
Neutral5.5%
Negative5.5%
Written reviews43 reviews
Positive72.1%
Neutral9.3%
Negative18.6%

Bugs and requests

Retrospecs

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Animation option not working properly
  • Video import and saving issues
  • Occasional image loading failures

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more retro systems (e.g. NES, TI-99/4A)
  • Improve video encoding capabilities
  • Allow adjusting dithering levels
  • Add support for transparent PNGs
  • Implement batch processing and export options

PXL2000

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Retrospecs

One-time6
  • Small tip$0.99
  • Medium tip$1.99
  • Unlock everything$1.99
Show 3 more
  • Big tip$4.99
  • The king of tips$9.99
  • Tipapottamus Prime$24.99
None

PXL2000

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Retrospecs free?
Retrospecs is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PXL2000 free?
PXL2000 costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Retrospecs or PXL2000?
Retrospecs is rated higher. Retrospecs averages 4.8 out of 5 from 367 ratings, while PXL2000 averages 4.6 from 55 ratings.
Do Retrospecs or PXL2000 have ads?
Neither Retrospecs nor PXL2000 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Retrospecs or PXL2000?
Retrospecs ships an update every 2 months, and PXL2000 every 8 months. Most recently, Retrospecs was updated on November 1, 2026 and PXL2000 on November 6, 2026.

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