Retrospecs vs 8B 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.
8B Camera
Transform your photos into classic 8-bit styled images with unique color palettes and dithering effects. Import existing pictures or capture new ones through the retro lens, then save and share your creations.
- 8-bit photo styling
- Classic 4-color palettes
- Dithering effects
- Import existing photos
- Save and share images
- Retro aesthetic
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Take your own 8 bit styled photos! - Look at the world around you through the lens of a classic 8 bit machine. - Lovely 4 colors with lots of dithering for your viewing pleasure.- 4 different color palettes to suit your favourite GB style. - Import your own photos and see them through the 8 bit filter. - Save them afterwards and share them with the world! - Rock it out like it is 1996. And most importantly... have fun!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: 8B Camera at none against Retrospecs's 5. 8B Camera also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 14.0). Retrospecs's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 15 months) and ratings volume (364 vs 5). On price, review sentiment, 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
Both are free to download. Retrospecs sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. 8B Camera asks for nothing beyond the download.
8B Camera holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Retrospecs has 364 ratings behind it against 5, 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 100% of 8B Camera's.
Retrospecs ships an update every 2 months, 8B Camera every 15 months. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Retrospecs | 8B Camera |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (364 ratings) | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 94.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 364 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 15 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 8.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 27 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | John Parker | Sergio Barrio |
Customer experience
Retrospecs
8B Camera
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
8B Camera
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
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
8B Camera
No in-app purchases
