# Retrospecs vs Pixel Art Effect

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Retrospecs at 364 against Pixel Art Effect's 103. Pixel Art Effect's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 14.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Retrospecs sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Pixel Art Effect sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Retrospecs against 4.7 for Pixel Art Effect. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 364 and 103 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 94% and 95% positive.

Retrospecs ships an update every 2 months, Pixel Art Effect every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Retrospecs | Pixel Art Effect |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (364 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retrospecs/id887031094/reviews)** | [4.7 (103 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel-art-effect/id1109333860/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **364** | 103 |
| Positive reviews | 94.3% of reviews | **95.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 27 MB | 31 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **9.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [John Parker](https://appshunter.io/developer/887031097) | [Danny Pajevic](https://appshunter.io/developer/990550906) |

## What reviewers say

### Retrospecs

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retrospecs/id887031094)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Medium tip | $1.99 | one-time |
| Unlock everything | $1.99 | one-time |
| Big tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| The king of tips | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Versatile and customizable
- 👍 Authentic retro filters
- 👍 Extensive system emulations
- 👍 Powerful editing capabilities
- 👍 Nostalgia-inducing effects

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🔍 Limited image resolution
- 📏 Aspect ratio issues with some filters
- 🙈 Aggressive upgrade prompts in free version

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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 Effect

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel-art-effect/id1109333860)

Transform your photos into retro or modern pixel art with customizable effects. Adjust pixel size, edge thickness, and choose from various pixel shapes. Add text and crop images into different shapes before or after applying the pixel art effect.

**Highlights:** Convert photos to pixel art, Adjustable pixel amount, Customizable edge thickness, Multiple pixel designs (square, hexagon, triangle, torn), Add text to photos, Crop photos into shapes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive
- 🎨 Great for pixel art creation
- 🖼️ Useful for artists and designers
- 🎮 Perfect for game design (e.g., Animal Crossing, Minecraft)
- ✨ Produces cool pixel effects

**What reviewers complain about**

- ⚠️ Radically alters original colors
- 🤏 Minimum/maximum pixel limits can be restrictive
- 💡 Filters are applied without an option to disable
- 🐛 High contrast and brightness issues
- 🧐 Lacks detailed customization options

**Reported bugs**

- Radically alters original colors
- Minimum/maximum pixel limits
- Contrast goes super high, making pictures too bright
- Filters are applied without an option to disable

**Requested features**

- Allow choosing pixel count for both length and width
- Option to apply or not apply filters
- More detailed customization options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Retrospecs free?

Retrospecs is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Pixel Art Effect free?

Pixel Art Effect is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Retrospecs or Pixel Art Effect?

Retrospecs is rated higher. Retrospecs averages 4.8 out of 5 from 364 ratings, while Pixel Art Effect averages 4.7 from 103 ratings.

### Do Retrospecs or Pixel Art Effect have ads?

Neither Retrospecs nor Pixel Art Effect shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Retrospecs or Pixel Art Effect?

Retrospecs ships an update every 2 months, and Pixel Art Effect every 5 weeks. Most recently, Retrospecs was updated on October 13, 2026 and Pixel Art Effect on September 29, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*