Comparison

Retrospecs vs ConsoleCam

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

ConsoleCam

Transform your photos into retro game aesthetics from classic consoles and computers. Apply hundreds of vintage styles, including pixelated effects and frames, to your images. Save and share your creations easily.

Highlights
  • Retro game photo filters
  • Over 90 vintage console styles
  • Pixelated effects
  • Retro TV/console frames
  • Random effect generator
  • Share to social media
Features
Read full description

Give your photos a retro game look with ConsoleCam from OWC! Do you ever pine for the nostalgic aesthetics from your old Apple IIe, Nintendo Gameboy, or Sega Genesis? Want to see the world as if pixellated through your Commodore 64 or Atari 2600? ConsoleCam lets you see your photos as they would look on over 90 vintage consoles and computers with hundreds of variations. See what your puppy would look like on a ColecoVision, or your friend's face on a Macintosh 128k, then easily share or save the results. ConsoleCam faithfully converts your pictures into retro images accurate for the selected console. We've ransacked technical manuals, ROM images, and our childhoods to find the technical capabilities and quirks of each system. Not sure which console to use? ConsoleCam automatically picks a starting console and makes it quick and easy to try something different. All consoles are included for free! No in-app purchases required. --How it works-- * Use pictures from your camera roll or take new shots * Choose a specific console style (like Sega Master System) to apply to your photo, or choose from generic pixelated effects in a variety of styles and colors. * Random button allows you to quickly try different console effects on the same photo. You can also switch consoles chronologically or alphabetically. * Add a retro style TV or console frame, if you wish. * Easily email or print creations, or share them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more. * Rescale and move lets you control which part of your photo is used. --Over 90 consoles from the following manufacturers-- * BBC Micro * CPC * APF Electronics * Apple * Atari * Bally * Casio * Coleco * Commodore * Emerson Radio Corp. * Epoch * Fairchild Semiconductor * IBM * Intelligent Systems * Magnavox * Mattel * Nintendo * Philips * Radio Shack * Sega * Sinclair Research * Sony * Tandy * Texas Instruments * Thomson SA

Screenshots

Retrospecs4 screens
ConsoleCam4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ConsoleCam at none against Retrospecs's 5. ConsoleCam also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Retrospecs's advantage is ratings volume (364 vs 10). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Retrospecs sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. ConsoleCam asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ConsoleCam 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 10, 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 ConsoleCam's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Retrospecs ships an update every 2 months, ConsoleCam every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Retrospecs versus ConsoleCam: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetrospecsConsoleCam
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (364 ratings)5.0 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews94.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings364 — better10
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.010.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJohn ParkerOWC

Customer experience

Retrospecs

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

ConsoleCam

All ratings10 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

ConsoleCam

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Retrospecs

One-time5
  • Small tip$0.99
  • Medium tip$1.99
  • Unlock everything$1.99
Show 2 more
  • Big tip$4.99
  • The king of tips$9.99
None

ConsoleCam

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Retrospecs free?
Retrospecs is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ConsoleCam free?
ConsoleCam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Retrospecs or ConsoleCam?
ConsoleCam is rated higher. Retrospecs averages 4.8 out of 5 from 364 ratings, while ConsoleCam averages 5.0 from 10 ratings.
Do Retrospecs or ConsoleCam have ads?
Neither Retrospecs nor ConsoleCam shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Retrospecs or ConsoleCam?
Retrospecs ships an update every 2 months, and ConsoleCam every 4 days. Most recently, Retrospecs was updated on October 5, 2026 and ConsoleCam on September 21, 2026.

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