There is no doubt iPhone has exceptional camera lenses that capture stunning and crisp images and videos which is why most vloggers and photographers prefer the iPhone when it comes to smartphones. Capturing the shots is just the first step but what makes them more attractive and eye-catching are the best iPhone Photoshop apps. After clicking the photo, the next obvious process is editing to make it look as good as it can.
Over the years, the Photoshop apps have seen tremendous development from new filters to AI editing in addition to a wealth of features you can utilise to edit photos. There are dozens of Photoshop apps available for iPhone that are powerful, and easy to learn.
No matter if you are a working professional or just a casual editor these excellent Photoshop apps are as powerful as any web app. We curated the best Photoshop apps list including free and paid options that you should try out.
What are the best Photoshop apps for iPhone?
- Snapseed
- Adobe Lightroom Photoshop
- VSCO
- PicsArt
- Pixelmator Photo
- Adobe Photoshop Express
After some extensive testing, we've come to the conclusion that these photo editing apps are the very best ones you can use on an iPhone. Keep on scrolling for a closer look at each one.
Snapseed
Pros
- Easy-to-use interface
- Tons of features
- Completely free
Cons
- Unreliable software updates support
Google’s photo editing app Snapseed offers a wide range of editing features and guess what, yes it's free. It is one of the best free Photo editing apps for iPhone as well as Android devices.
In 2024, Snapseed is still the best free photo editing app that offers all the basic tools including a variety of filters, U points for the adjustment of colour and brightness levels in the image, and advanced features such as masking, curve, and healing and some special effects such as HDR and double exposure.
On the other hand, you’ll get to see all these advanced features are locked in most of the photo editing apps but that’s not the case with Snapseed, it's free for everyone.
Despite its rich features, this editing app isn’t a priority for Google. Google barely released the updates for Snapseed but it is still one of the best choices for photographers. Speaking about cons, you can’t create presets and batch-process images in the Snapseed which is disappointing. If you are a social media person who posts images with a specific preset on social media then Snapseed isn’t photo editing software for you because it doesn’t allow saving presets.
So, if you are looking for a free, powerful, and easy-to-use interface photo editing app then Snapseed stands out as an excellent option with less learning curve.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
Pros
- Best Photoshop app with advanced editing features
- Basic features come under the free plan
Cons
- Need to pay for advanced features
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is one of the best photo editing apps that camera professionals use mostly. It is available for iPhones and Android devices too but there is a catch, it’s not free software meaning you have to pay for advanced features but there is a free plan where you have access to basic features.
Lightroom allows you to create your go-to presets in the free plan along with access to basic features such as colour, contrast, exposure adjustments, crop, curve, and a bunch of effects. There is an auto feature in Lightroom that identifies the images and applies suitable effects to make an image more attractive. If you don’t know about colour balancing and exposure things then just simply hit the auto button. It will do the basic editing for you which is quite accurate.
If you are willing to pay for advanced features, Lightroom has so much to offer you, from masking, blur, and healing to premium presets. Lightroom Premium plan starts at $4.99/ month in which you get access to all premium features plus 100GB of cloud storage.
All in all, Lightroom is not for beginners if you have some knowledge of editing then you can able to use it properly. It has a bit of a high learning curve but you can find a bunch of tutorials on the app which will help you to improve your skills.
VSCO
Pros
- Easy-to-use interface
- 100+ filters
- Social media
Cons
- Quite Pricy
- Limited features for free plan
VSCO is known for its solid filters which give your images an eye-catching look. Just like Lightroom, you also get basic photo editing features and in addition to that, you’ll also get ten presets and 15 filters.
VSCO is a compelling choice for anyone who wants their photos to great aesthetic standards. Its paid version offers 100+ premium filters and dozens of effects such as scratches, film borders, grain patterns, and more.
VSCO charges $7.99/month for its premium which bit pricy but the yearly plan is quite cheap starting at $29.99 per year. Looking at its monthly pricing, it's hard to recommend but if you are willing to pay for its advanced features and premium filters then VSCO is one of the best photo editing apps for iPhone.
PicsArt
Pros
- Advanced features are free to use
- You can create stickers
- Video Editor
Cons
- Too much ads
PicsArt has all the features that you want in one Photoshop app. With the PicsArt, you can edit images as well as videos in a single app. It offers a range of creative features including background removal, blur, colour balance, AI smart tools, retouching tools, different photo filters, and more.
You can even create stickers in the app if you want. If not, PicsArt already has 70+ stickers included in it which you can use freely. Speaking of video editors, PicsArt’s video editor is easy to use and offers plenty of features such as cropping, smart video merger, and filters, and also allows you to add your music.
It's a great choice for iPhone but every coin has two sides. As for pros it is free and has a wide range of creative features but on the other hand, the free version has a lot of ads that may annoy you and make a user experience a bit tricky. You have to pay around $55.99 per year for an ad-free experience, there are weekly and monthly plans also available you can check them out in the app.
Pixelmator Photo
Pros
- Photo Browser
- Supports RAW
- Batch editing
- Advanced color correction options
- Machine Learning enhancements
Cons
- Can save a limited number of photos in the free version
If you are looking for a premium option then Pixelmator Photo is the best choice for an iPhone. Pixelmator Photo is an editing app that uses machine-learning enhancements while editing images and it has a photo browser that is synced with the iPhone’s photos app. It offers over 30 colour adjustments and nine unique preset groups to give your images a cohesive look.
For quick edits, the Pixelmator Photo editing app uses an ML enhance feature for perfect colour balance, and other smart auto-adjustments such as exposure, white balance, and more. Surprisingly, it is powerful and accurate. Additionally, it has a denoise tool enhanced by machine learning that reduces the noise and applies image compression automatically.
There is a free version available that can access all cutting-edge tools while saving a limited number of photos so you have to purchase the Pixelmator Photo premium, starting at $4.99 per month.
Adobe Photoshop Express
Pros
- Free to use
- Retro filters
- Creative Cloud
- Blend modes
- Enhanced color balance
Cons
- A bit of a learning curve
Let’s end this guide with the best free Photoshop app which comes from the house of Adobe- Adobe Photoshop Express. Recently, Adobe blended its Photoshop Fix and Photoshop Mix editing apps into Photoshop Express for iPhone users, making it a great free photo editing software that makes complex edits super simple.
It offers dozens of filters including aesthetic, retro, and selfies, and other professional photo editing tools such as facial features for perfect portrait, spit-tone, blend modes, enhanced vignettes, object erasers, noise remover, blur effects, and more. If you know about photo editing, this software will help you edit your images professionally with all its destructive editing tools.
On that note, Adobe Photoshop Express is one of the best free Photoshop apps for iPhone users that has a bit of a learning curve but it is as powerful and accurate as a desktop photo editor app.
That’s all the best Photoshop apps for iPhone you should try it once and elevates the look of your images. For more articles like this, take a look at our Tech, How To, and Google pages.