Blend vs GradientMaker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Blend
Easily merge and layer photos to create unique double exposure effects and stunning collages. This powerful yet simple tool allows for special effects, filters, and frames to enhance your images. Perfect for social media sharing and creating eye-catching content.
- Double exposure editing
- Photo layering
- Special effects
- Filters and frames
- Photo collage maker
- Carousel post design
- Customizable grids
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Blend photos together for amazing results. With Blend you have double exposure editing like never before. Add a cool twist to your photos and create images you could not have imagined! Blend is simple and easy to use, yet powerful. Layer your photos. Combine your photos easily with one click. Use special effects to draw and erase layers. Choose from various filters and frames. Love your blend and share it on Instagram. - Create Unique Photo Collages and Instagram Carousels with Blend Whether you're an influencer, creator, or simply love sharing memories, Blend Photo Collage Maker has everything you need to make your posts stand out. - Endless Collage Templates Designed for Every Aesthetic Explore a wide range of curated templates, from clean and minimalist to bold and creative. Every layout is handcrafted by our design team for premium quality and flexibility, with new templates added regularly to keep your feed fresh. - Smooth, Swipeable Carousel Designs Design eye-catching swipe-through carousel posts that flow perfectly. Blend’s simple tools make it easy to connect your photos into panoramic carousels or scroll-through layouts that tell a story. - Custom Grids and Layouts for a Polished Feed Build cohesive photo grids and multi-post Instagram layouts that tie your content together beautifully. Mix and match grids, carousels, and collage templates for unlimited creative combinations. - Showcase More Photos in Every Post Go beyond Instagram’s limits. Add over 10 photos in one project to express your full story. Perfect for creators who want more room for visuals and ideas. - Flexible Canvas for Complete Creative Control Work your way with Blend’s freeform canvas. Zoom in to perfect details or zoom out for the full view. Design freely and bring your ideas to life without constraints. Subscription pricing and terms: Blend offers three auto-renewing subscription options: $3.99 per week $7.99 per month $39.99 per year These prices are for United States customers. Pricing in other countries may vary and actual charges may be converted to your local currency depending on the country of residence. Your Blend subscription will automatically renew at the end of each term and your credit card will be charged through your iTunes account. You can turn off auto-renew at any time from your iTunes account settings but refunds will not be provided for any unused portion of the term. Read more about our terms and conditions here: Terms of Use: https://architectapps.co/terms-of-use/ Privacy Policy: https://architectapps.co/privacy-policy/
GradientMaker
Create stunning color gradients and blur effects for photos and wallpapers. Customize colors with an advanced picker and import images to apply unique effects. Save creations in wallpaper or full image sizes.
- Customizable color gradients
- Adjustable blur effects
- Import photos for customization
- Wallpaper creation mode
- Random gradient generation
- Dual sizing modes
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GradientMaker - Gradient Blur FX Pro Image Effects and Wallpaper Background Maker Create spectacular color gradients! • Fully customizable color gradient and blur effects • Custom color picker allows endless color combinations • Import photos to customize with color gradients and blur effects • "Dock Mode" creates a gradient background for a great dock color effect when used for device wallpaper • Shuffle mode to load randomized custom gradients • Add gentle blur to soften a photo, or add maximum blur for a unique and colorful iPhone/iPad wallpaper background • Two sizing modes - Wallpaper: Save image/gradient as the size of your iPhone or iPad Image: Save image/gradient as the full size of your imported image.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: GradientMaker at 100% against Blend's 56%. GradientMaker also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and iOS requirement (8.1 vs 16.0). Blend's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 3.7) and ads (none vs shown). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Blend sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days and GradientMaker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Blend holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Blend has 3.6K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 56% of Blend's written reviews are positive against 100% of GradientMaker's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Blend ships an update every 8 days, GradientMaker every 32 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Blend | GradientMaker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (3.6K ratings) — better | 3.7 (9 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 56.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3.6K — better | 9 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days — better | Every 32 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 8.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 174 MB | 27 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Owen Schick | orbosphere |
Customer experience
Blend
GradientMaker
Bugs and requests
Blend
Reported bugs
3 issues- Work area reverts to tiny size
- App crashes during editing
- Screenshot function not working as expected
Requested features
3 requests- More free editing tools and filters
- Ability to resize and reposition layers
- Improved stability and reliability
GradientMaker
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Blend
- Unlock All 1 Week Subscription$7.997 Days
- Unlock 1 Month Subscription3 Days trial$17.991 Month
- Blend Photos 1 Year3 Days trial$39.991 Year
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- Blend Photos 1 Year3 Days trial$44.991 Year
- Remove Watermark$1.99
- Unlock Frames$1.99
- Unlock Filters$1.99
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- Unlock All$4.99
GradientMaker
- Remove Ads$0.99









