Comparison

Retrospecs vs GR VibeShot

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

GR VibeShot

Features
Read full description

Turn your Apple Watch and iPhone into a pro remote for the Ricoh GR. Set the camera down, step into the frame, and fire from your wrist — perfect for self-portraits, low angles, and long exposures. • Live View: see the camera's feed on your phone for any angle • Full remote control: ISO, aperture, shutter, EV, white balance, metering, image control • Shutter from watch or phone, with burst • Interval shooting for time-lapse and light trails • Photo sync: pull full-res shots into your album • English & Chinese, follows the system or set manually Works with Ricoh GR III, GR IIIx, GR III HDF and GR IIIx HDF (incl. Street / Urban / Diary special editions — same hardware); the GR IV series (GR IV, GR IV HDF, GR IV Monochrome) is supported too. The original GR and GR II have no Bluetooth and are not supported. 3-day free trial of everything for new users. After that: Free: Live View + full manual control — compose remotely anytime. GR VibeShot PRO (subscription or lifetime): remote shutter · burst · interval · photo sync. This is a third-party app and is not affiliated with or endorsed by RICOH/PENTAX. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Retrospecs4 screens
GR VibeShot4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Retrospecs at 14.0 against GR VibeShot's 16.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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 and GR VibeShot sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Retrospecs versus GR VibeShot: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetrospecsGR VibeShot
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (367 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews94.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings367 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJohn ParkerHao Wu

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

GR VibeShot

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
3 purchases

GR VibeShot

Subscriptions2
  • PRO Monthly$9.991 Month
  • PRO Yearly$99.991 Year
One-time1
  • PRO Lifetime Unlock$166.99

Questions

Is Retrospecs free?
Retrospecs is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GR VibeShot free?
GR VibeShot is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Retrospecs or GR VibeShot have ads?
Neither Retrospecs nor GR VibeShot shows ads.

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