Comparison

Blur Image Background vs Phocus

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Blur Image Background

Easily create stunning blurred backgrounds for your photos. Select an image, adjust blur intensity with a customizable brush, and even erase effects. Save and share your edited images instantly.

Highlights
  • Automatic background blur
  • Adjustable brush size
  • Erase blur effect
  • Save edited photos
  • Share via social media
  • Camera option
Features
Read full description

Auto blur background app to create beautiful blur backgrounds to your photos quickly and easily. This photo background blur app enables us to select a photo and give it a blurry look. Choose a photo that you like from the phone or take a snap using the camera option, add a blur effect to the image background by adjusting the brush size. Also erase the blur effect on the photo wherever you want. After adding the blur effect the photo can be saved to the phone. Also share the blurred photo with your dear ones through social media platforms. Do you want to give your photo a blur effect? Then this photo blur app is the one you must be looking for. Key features 1. Camera option to take a photo. 2. The photo to be blurred can be selected from the phone. 3. Blur option to blur the selected photo. 4. The size of the blur brush can be adjusted. 5. The blur effect given to the image can be erased. 6. Save the blurred photo to the phone. 7. Share the blurred image through different social media platforms. Subscription Terms - Subscribe to get unlimited video collage app access to all features. - Upon confirmation of purchase, the payment will be charged to the iTunes account. - Until you turn off the auto-renew at least 24 hours before the end of the current. period it will be automatically renewed. - If you decide to turn off auto-renewal, you can turn it off maybe by going to account settings after purchase. -The renewal amount will be charged from the account within 24 hours before the end of the current period. -As per the policy, cancellation of the current subscription is not allowed during the active subscription period. Once purchased, refunds will not be returned for any unused portion of the subscription period. Terms of use - https://www.outthinkingindia.com/terms-of-use/ Privacy policy - https://www.outthinkingindia.com/privacy-policy/

About

Phocus

This advanced camera app offers DSLR-like portrait effects with live bokeh previews and extensive editing tools. It allows users to adjust focus, depth, and apply various lens styles to photos, even those not taken in portrait mode. Features include manual controls, RAW capture, and AI-powered suggestions.

Highlights
  • Live bokeh preview with 8 lens characters
  • AI depth editing for any photo
  • Manual camera controls (ISO, shutter, white balance)
  • RAW and ProRAW capture
  • 3D Relight and Scene Preview
  • Portrait video blur
  • Depth map and matte export
Features
Read full description

Featured by Apple in “Powered by Apple Intelligence” and “Great Apps Updated for iOS 27” around the world, and in “Best New Apps and Updates” in the US and Canada. Phocus is a portrait camera and depth editor for iPhone, iPad, and iPhone Duo. See each lens's bokeh live before you shoot, or bring any photo from your library, even one taken without Portrait mode, and reshape its focus and depth with tools that understand distance, not just outlines. SHOOT - Eight lens characters, from clean and modern to swirly vintage and black and white, each with its own bokeh rendered live in the viewfinder - The blur you see is the blur you get, in the photo and the editor - Live AI depth for real-time blur even where the camera can't measure depth on its own - Live aperture and focus control - Manual ISO, shutter speed, white balance, exposure, and focus - Histogram, zebra, focus peaking, level, and timer - RAW and ProRAW capture - Import your own .cube LUTs, or choose from Daily, Film Looks, Vintage, Signature, and Mono - Lens and color look suggestions with Apple Intelligence, generated on device - Siri, Shortcuts, Lock Screen, and Control Center to open the camera you need EDIT - Change aperture, focus, blur falloff, and bokeh shape after the shot - Edit any photo in your library: AI depth adds realistic blur even to photos taken without Portrait mode - Edit the depth map directly: every color is a distance, so you can pick a depth and brush it over any area - Select a subject with a tap on iOS 27, then refine it with Brush, Erase, and Hardness - Masks in Portrait, Depth, and Select modes - Curves, adjustments, tone, and film grain - 3D Relight and 3D Scene Preview for depth-aware lighting - Copy a photo's look onto other photos, with undo and redo for every change - Save as Portrait keeps the depth with your photo - Export depth maps and portrait mattes - Portrait video blur - Built-in tutorials and Mask Help MADE FOR EVERY SCREEN Phocus adapts to iPhone, iPad, and iPhone Duo. Open your Duo for more room to shoot and edit, or partially fold it with the preview and controls on either side of the fold. "Looking for an app that not only adds the Portrait mode effect to your photos but does a bit more? Then Phocus is the one you're looking for." — iMore "The app is a fine example of technical and artistic craftsmanship." — iGeeksBlog PHOCUS PRO Unlock every lens, look, and tool with Phocus Pro. Subscriptions are billed weekly, monthly or annually at the rate selected depending on the subscription plan. Terms of use: https://rayinformatics.com/terms Privacy policy: https://rayinformatics.com/privacy Contact: https://rayinformatics.com/contact

Screenshots

Blur Image Background4 screens
Phocus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Phocus at 4.6 against Blur Image Background's 3.7. Phocus also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 11 days vs every 6 months). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Blur Image Background sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Phocus sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Phocus holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Phocus has 6.8K ratings behind it against 145, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 52% of Blur Image Background's written reviews are positive against 50% of Phocus's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Blur Image Background ships an update every 6 months, Phocus every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Blur Image Background versus Phocus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBlur Image BackgroundPhocus
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (145 ratings)4.6 (6.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews52.0% of reviews — better49.5% of reviews
Number of ratings1456.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 11 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size169 MB322 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerout thinking limitedRAY INFORMATICS YAZILIM TEKNOLOJI MEDYA DANISMANLIK VE EGITIM TICARET LIMITED SIRKETI

Customer experience

Blur Image Background

All ratings145 ratings
Positive63.4%
Neutral6.9%
Negative29.7%
Written reviews173 reviews
Positive52.0%
Neutral9.8%
Negative38.2%

Phocus

All ratings6,839 ratings
Positive88.8%
Neutral4.8%
Negative6.4%
Written reviews501 reviews
Positive49.5%
Neutral5.2%
Negative45.3%

User reviews

Blur Image Background

From 145 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💯 Excellent blur quality
  • 🔍 Precise blur control
  • 🔨 Useful for photo editing
  • 🎨 Customizable blur intensity

Room to improve

  • 🚫 Frequent ads disrupt usage
  • 💾 Difficulty saving edited photos
  • 🔍 Imprecise manual blur tool
  • 🔴 Entire image gets blurred instead of just background

Phocus

From 6.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Good app
  • 👍 Best tool camera app
  • 👍 Easy editing, works great
  • 👍 Makes your phone current

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Hilariously terrible effects
  • 🔒 Can't limit access to personal stuff
  • 🐛 Awful, blurs everything
  • 🐛 Crashes too much
  • 🐛 Doesn't render, gets stuck

Bugs and requests

Blur Image Background

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes on launch for some users
  • Saved photos not retaining blur effect
  • Ads cover up editing controls

Requested features

3 requests
  • Automatic background blur option
  • More blur filter styles (e.g. bokeh, pixelated)
  • Ability to save edited photos without ads

Phocus

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Can't save pictures
  • Photos don't download
  • Unable to save picture
  • Camera crashes when clicking portrait
  • App dies if you don't upgrade

Requested features

4 requests
  • Change bokeh shapes/effects
  • Add manual brush to control bokeh
  • Make it a photo extension in Photos app
  • Add more shadows and directional lighting

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Blur Image Background

Subscriptions3
  • Premium Features$2.997 Days
  • Premium Features$5.991 Month
  • Premium Features3 Days trial$29.991 Year
5 purchases

Phocus

Subscriptions4
  • Phocus AI Weekly2 variants$3.997 Days
  • Phocus AI Monthly2 variants$7.991 Month
  • Phocus AI Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Phocus AI Yearly$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Phocus AI Unlimited Access$49.99

Questions

Is Blur Image Background free?
Blur Image Background is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Phocus free?
Phocus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Blur Image Background or Phocus?
Phocus is rated higher. Blur Image Background averages 3.7 out of 5 from 145 ratings, while Phocus averages 4.6 from 6.8K ratings.
Do Blur Image Background or Phocus have ads?
Blur Image Background shows ads; Phocus does not.
Which is updated more often, Blur Image Background or Phocus?
Blur Image Background ships an update every 6 months, and Phocus every 11 days. Most recently, Blur Image Background was updated on November 6, 2026 and Phocus on November 12, 2026.

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