Retrospecs vs Pixel Art Camera
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Pixel Art Camera
Transform your photos and videos into pixel art in real-time with a variety of unique styles and creative effects. Save your creations as videos, Live Photos, or GIFs.
- Convert photos to pixel art
- Record videos in pixel art style
- Load videos from camera roll
- 30+ unique styles
- 10+ creative effects
- Save as video, Live Photo, or GIF
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Pixel art yourself! Real-time Pixel Art Camera: Turn everything into pixel art! ● Convert any photo to pixel art ● Record videos in pixel art style directly from the camera ● Load videos from the Camera Roll and turn them into retro pixel art ● 30+ Unique Styles ● 10+ Creative Effects ● Save your art as a Video, as a Live Photo or as a GIF Turn your favorite moments into amazing pixel art using different styles and patterns. ------------------------------- PRO Subscription ------------------------------- Subscriptions are billed monthly or annually depending on the selected subscription plan. Subscriptions will automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. The subscription fee is charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase. If you subscribe before a free trial ends, the remainder of the trial period will be forfeited. You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal by going to your account settings in the App Store. Privacy Policy: https://net-sigma.com/privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://net-sigma.com/terms-of-use
Screenshots
Verdict
Retrospecs and Pixel Art Camera both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 94% of Retrospecs's written reviews are positive against 66% of Pixel Art Camera's. Pixel Art Camera's advantage is ratings volume (1.2K vs 364). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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
Both are free to download. Retrospecs sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Pixel Art Camera sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Retrospecs holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 364 and 1.2K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 94% of Retrospecs's written reviews are positive against 66% of Pixel Art Camera's.
Retrospecs ships an update every 2 months, Pixel Art Camera every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Retrospecs | Pixel Art Camera |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (364 ratings) — better | 4.6 (1.2K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 94.3% of reviews — better | 66.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 364 | 1.2K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 27 MB | 20 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | John Parker | NET Sigma |
Customer experience
Retrospecs
Pixel Art Camera
User reviews
Retrospecs
From 364 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Versatile and customizable
- 👍 Authentic retro filters
- 👍 Extensive system emulations
- 👍 Powerful editing capabilities
- 👍 Nostalgia-inducing effects
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🔍 Limited image resolution
- 📏 Aspect ratio issues with some filters
- 🙈 Aggressive upgrade prompts in free version
Pixel Art Camera
From 1.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent filters and effects
- 👍 Fun and creative app
- 💡 Great for pixel art and retro aesthetics
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Worth the price for Pro version
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs after updates
- 💰 Paywall for full features
- 📢 Intrusive ads
- 🔍 Difficult to select photos from library
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
Pixel Art Camera
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes when trying to load photos
- Video export issues, cutting off footage
- Inability to save images with transparent backgrounds
Requested features
5 requests- More customization options for filters and effects
- Ability to revert to original colors
- Adjustable pixel size
- Support for video editing and GIFs
- Recently used or favorite filters list
In-app purchases
Retrospecs
- Small tip$0.99
- Medium tip$1.99
- Unlock everything$1.99
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- Big tip$4.99
- The king of tips$9.99
Pixel Art Camera
- Pixel Art Camera PRO$4.991 Month
- Pixel Art Camera PRO3 Days trial$9.991 Year
- Pixel Art Camera Pro$19.99
