# Blackie vs HDR Portrait

The clearest difference is rating: HDR Portrait at 5.0 against Blackie's 3.1. HDR Portrait also leads on review sentiment (95% vs 58%) and price ($2.99 vs $3.99). Blackie's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (monthly vs every 11 months). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Blackie costs $3.99 and HDR Portrait $2.99 up front. HDR Portrait sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month. Blackie asks for nothing beyond the download.

HDR Portrait holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Blackie has 44 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of Blackie's written reviews are positive against 95% of HDR Portrait's.

Blackie ships an update monthly, HDR Portrait every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Blackie | HDR Portrait |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | **$2.99** |
| Rating | [3.1 (44 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blackie/id904557761/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hdr-portrait/id1509485271/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **44** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 58.5% of reviews | **95.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 11 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#99** | — |
| Size | 26 MB | 43 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Brutality Arts](https://appshunter.io/developer/596941590) | [Maxim Chernousov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1129911489) |

## What reviewers say

### Blackie

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blackie/id904557761)

**Currently charting:** #99 Top Paid · Photo & Video (US App Store)

This app is designed for black and white photography enthusiasts, offering a minimal interface and powerful tools for both beginners and professionals. It provides real-time effect previews, manual camera controls, and extensive editing options to achieve stunning monochrome images.

**Highlights:** Real-time effect previews, Manual camera controls, Extensive editing mods, Customizable presets, Minimalist design, Fast camera access

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ Excellent B&W quality
- 🎨 Great filters and effects
- ⚙️ Powerful controls
- 📸 Good for street photography
- 💡 Customizable options

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🚫 App not usable (on some devices)
- 📉 Poor usability (for some)
- 🐞 Bugs and glitches
- 🫙 Difficult to save photos

**Reported bugs**

- Severe crashes
- Photos not saving
- Editing not saving
- Upper side of pictures cut off
- Double assignments in UI (e.g., histogram)

**Requested features**

- Customizable default comment in metadata
- Home screen shortcut icon
- Masking function
- Retouch/correction function
- Support for 48MP max grid


### HDR Portrait

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hdr-portrait/id1509485271)

Transform your photos into artistic portraits with AI-powered HDR effects. This app intelligently detects faces, applies expressive HDR to them, and enhances backgrounds with artistic blurs and bokeh. It works on various devices, utilizing advanced sensors when available for superior results.

**Highlights:** AI face detection, Expressive HDR portrait effects, Artistic background effects, Customizable blurs and bokeh, Utilizes dual cameras and TrueDepth sensors, Pre-set combinations for quick editing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| HDR Portrait premium features | $0.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Blackie free?

Blackie costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is HDR Portrait free?

HDR Portrait costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Blackie or HDR Portrait?

HDR Portrait is rated higher. Blackie averages 3.1 out of 5 from 44 ratings, while HDR Portrait averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Blackie or HDR Portrait have ads?

Neither Blackie nor HDR Portrait shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Blackie or HDR Portrait?

Blackie ships an update monthly, and HDR Portrait every 11 months. Most recently, Blackie was updated on October 26, 2026 and HDR Portrait on October 22, 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.*