# Blear vs PIXEL86

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Blear at none against PIXEL86's 2. Blear also leads on ads (none vs shown). PIXEL86's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 87%). On price, rating, ratings volume and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PIXEL86 sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Blear asks for nothing beyond the download.

Blear holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 77 and 42 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 87% of Blear's written reviews are positive against 100% of PIXEL86's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Blear ships an update every 3 months, PIXEL86 every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Blear | PIXEL86 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (77 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blear/id994182280/reviews)** | [4.6 (42 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel86-retro-media-editor/id1641007991/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **77** | 42 |
| Positive reviews | 86.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 13 MB | 87 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **18.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sindre Sorhus](https://appshunter.io/developer/328077650) | [Peter Tretyakov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1072835768) |

## What reviewers say

### Blear

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blear/id994182280)

Create unique blurry wallpapers from your own photos or pre-loaded images. Easily adjust blurriness and crop to personalize your device's home and lock screens. Share your creations directly from the app.

**Highlights:** Transform photos into blurry wallpapers, Adjust crop and blurriness, Use pre-loaded images, Action Extension for quick editing, Save and set as wallpaper

**In-app purchases:** none


### PIXEL86

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel86-retro-media-editor/id1641007991)

Transform photos and videos with vintage pixel art aesthetics. Apply true black-and-white dithering, custom color palettes, and unique dithering styles to create retro media. Supports video editing and sharing your creations.

**Highlights:** True B/W dithering, Video editing support, Customizable color palettes, Three dithering styles (Natural, Pattern, Flat), Vintage-inspired aesthetics, Social media sharing

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| License Discount | $9.99 | one-time |
| Perpetual License | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Blear free?

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

### Is PIXEL86 free?

PIXEL86 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Blear or PIXEL86?

Blear is rated higher. Blear averages 4.8 out of 5 from 77 ratings, while PIXEL86 averages 4.6 from 42 ratings.

### Do Blear or PIXEL86 have ads?

PIXEL86 shows ads; Blear does not.

### Which is updated more often, Blear or PIXEL86?

Blear ships an update every 3 months, and PIXEL86 every 5 days. Most recently, Blear was updated on November 1, 2026 and PIXEL86 on November 3, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*