Best Photo Editing Apps For Beginners

250+ iOS apps curated and reviewed

4.8 avg rating
19 free apps
Updated September 2026

Looking for free photo editing apps for beginners? 19 of our 250+ tracked titles are free to download — no subscription, no trial. The rest are premium picks worth paying for.

Compare top Photo Editing Apps For Beginners (September 2026)

#AppPriceRatingAdsIn-App PurchasesUpdated
1Lightroom: AI Photo EditorLightroom: AI Photo EditorFree4.8★ (337K)NoYesSep 2026
2Photoshop Express Photo EditorPhotoshop Express Photo EditorFree4.7★ (741K)NoYesSep 2026
3Photo Editor-Photo Editor-Free4.6★ (299K)YesYesSep 2026
4Snapseed: Photo EditorSnapseed: Photo EditorFree4.9★ (25K)NoNoSep 2026
5Photo EditorPhoto EditorFree4.6★ (43K)YesYesSep 2026
6PicGenius: AI Photo EnhancerPicGenius: AI Photo EnhancerFreeNoYesJul 2026
7ImageIQ - AI Image EditingImageIQ - AI Image EditingFreeNoYesJul 2026
8Photo EditоrPhoto EditоrFree4.7★ (17K)YesYesSep 2026

Top Picks for Photo Editing Apps For Beginners

Lightroom: AI Photo Editor#1

Lightroom: AI Photo Editor by Adobe Inc.

Edit & Enhance Photos & Video
Editor's Choice
📷 Photo & Video
4.8😊(337K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
#11in Photo & Video
Lightroom: AI Photo Editor screenshot 1
Lightroom: AI Photo Editor screenshot 2
Lightroom: AI Photo Editor screenshot 3
Lightroom: AI Photo Editor screenshot 4
Lightroom: AI Photo Editor screenshot 5
Lightroom: AI Photo Editor screenshot 6

Enhance your photos and videos with powerful AI editing tools. Easily retouch images, remove distractions, blur backgrounds, and apply creative filters to make your moments shine. Perfect for quick edits or detailed enhancements, this app helps you create shareable photos with confidence.

What We Love

  • 👍 Adaptable and user-friendly
  • 🚀 Options available are incredible
  • 🚀 Efficient and effective at enhancing photos
  • 🚀 Powerful editing capabilities
  • 👍 Intuitive interface
  • 🚀 Great for on-the-go editing
  • 👍 Seamless integration across devices

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes frequently
  • 🔋 Overheats device and drains battery
  • 🐛 Sync issues between mobile and desktop versions
  • 🐛 Inability to delete individual images
  • 🐛 Presets and edits not syncing properly
  • 🐛 Buggy camera functionality
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
Photoshop Express Photo Editor#2

Photoshop Express Photo Editor by Adobe Inc.

Video, AI Retouch, Pic Collage
Strong Contender
📷 Photo & Video
4.7😐(741K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
#33in Photo & Video
Photoshop Express Photo Editor screenshot 1
Photoshop Express Photo Editor screenshot 2
Photoshop Express Photo Editor screenshot 3
Photoshop Express Photo Editor screenshot 4
Photoshop Express Photo Editor screenshot 5
Photoshop Express Photo Editor screenshot 6

Easily edit photos and videos with a wide range of tools and presets. Create collages, enhance portraits, and add text or filters. Share your creations instantly to social media.

What We Love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Efficient photo editing
  • 💡 Variety of editing tools
  • 🎨 Impressive photo enhancement capabilities
  • 📱 Convenient mobile app

Room to Improve

  • 🔒 Paywall for basic features
  • 🔒 Aggressive monetization
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🤔 Unintuitive user interface
  • 🔍 Limited functionality compared to desktop Photoshop
Photo Editor-#3

Photo Editor- by Axiem Systems

All-in-one Photo Editor!
Worth Considering
📷 Photo & Video
4.6😐(299K ratings)
FreeAdsIn-App Purchases
Photo Editor- screenshot 1
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Photo Editor- screenshot 6

This app offers a comprehensive suite of tools to edit and enhance your photos. You can apply effects, add stickers, create collages, and even make cosmetic adjustments like whitening smiles and removing blemishes. It also includes drawing tools and filters for creative expression.

What We Love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Powerful editing tools
  • 💡 Great selection of filters and effects
  • ✨ Excellent photo enhancement features
  • 🎨 Versatile creative options

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes during editing
  • 🔒 Concerns about privacy and data usage
  • 💰 Aggressive upselling of paid version
  • 🔍 Limited customization options
  • 📥 Difficulty restoring purchased content

More Photo Editing Apps For Beginners apps to explore

FAQ about Photo Editing Apps For Beginners

What are the best photo editing apps for beginners for iPhone?
Lightroom: AI Photo Editor tops our photo editing apps for beginners ranking as of September 2026, with a 4.8-star average from 337K App Store ratings, and it's free to download.
Yes — 19 of the top photo editing apps for beginners we rank are free to download, including Lightroom: AI Photo Editor and Photoshop Express Photo Editor.
Lightroom: AI Photo Editor has no ads and offers in-app purchases, according to its App Store listing as of September 2026.
We track 250+ photo editing apps for beginners on the iOS App Store as of September 2026, ranked by rating, recency, and analysis of real user reviews.
Adobe Lightroom is a free photo and video editor that uses AI tools to enhance images. It allows users to easily retouch photos, remove distractions, blur backgrounds, adjust lighting, and apply creative filters and presets.
Key features include AI-powered Quick Actions and Adaptive Presets for one-tap enhancements, Generative Remove for object erasure, background blur, precise control over light and color, and the ability to browse and apply community-created presets. It also supports batch editing for consistent results across multiple photos.