# Darkroom vs SharpStacker

The clearest difference is rating: Darkroom at 4.8 against SharpStacker's 1.0. Darkroom also leads on ratings volume (29K vs 1). SharpStacker's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 11). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Darkroom sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. SharpStacker asks for nothing beyond the download.

Darkroom holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Darkroom has 29K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Darkroom ships an update every 11 days, SharpStacker fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Darkroom | SharpStacker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (29K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/darkroom-photo-and-video-editor/id953286746/reviews)** | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sharpstacker/id6783673108/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **29K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 58.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 11 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 282 MB | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.4** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bergen Co.](https://appshunter.io/developer/953286745) | [LUIGI VANNOZZI](https://appshunter.io/developer/6783673110) |

## What reviewers say

### Darkroom

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/darkroom-photo-and-video-editor/id953286746)

This app transforms your mobile device into a professional photo and video editing suite. It offers advanced AI-powered tools, comprehensive editing capabilities for various formats including RAW, and seamless organization features.

**Highlights:** AI-powered depth-based editing, 8K video color grading, Batch photo editing, RAW and ProRAW file support, Collage creation, Hashtag management

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| Discounted Yearly Subscription | $32.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $39.99 | per year |
| Legacy - Landscape Filters | $3.99 | one-time |
| Legacy - Portrait Filters | $3.99 | one-time |
| Legacy - Black & White Filters | $3.99 | one-time |
| Legacy - XPRO | $3.99 | one-time |
| Legacy - All Tools | $7.99 | one-time |
| Legacy - All Premium Filters | $7.99 | one-time |
| Legacy - Unlock Everything | $9.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Everything Forever | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent photo editing capabilities
- 👍 Seamless integration with Apple Photos
- 🎨 Powerful editing tools and filters
- 💡 Ability to copy and paste edits across photos
- 🤖 Smart masks for portrait editing

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- 🔍 Limited editing capabilities compared to desktop software
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🔍 Lack of advanced features like noise reduction and healing tools

**Reported bugs**

- Incorrect white balance and color processing of RAW files
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between RAW and JPEG
- Exported photos not matching the edits seen in the app
- Issues with batch editing and syncing edits across devices

**Requested features**

- Brush tool for selective editing
- Panorama stitching
- Focus stacking
- HDR processing
- More advanced B&W filters


### SharpStacker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sharpstacker/id6783673108)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Darkroom free?

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

### Is SharpStacker free?

SharpStacker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Darkroom or SharpStacker?

Darkroom is rated higher. Darkroom averages 4.8 out of 5 from 29K ratings, while SharpStacker averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Darkroom or SharpStacker have ads?

Neither Darkroom nor SharpStacker shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Darkroom or SharpStacker?

Darkroom ships an update every 11 days, and SharpStacker fortnightly. Most recently, Darkroom was updated on October 27, 2026 and SharpStacker on October 24, 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.*