The best photography apps on iOS and Android

The default camera apps on your phone can do a lot, but they still don't have many advanced tools for creative photography. Here are the best camera phone apps for Android and iOS.

1. Snapseed

Free on iOS and Android

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Google-owned Snapseed offers a wide range of exposure and color tools for making edits to your images, but there are also a variety of filter options, from vintage styles to a modern, punchy HDR look. You can layer effects to create some interesting edits to your images. And the best part is that it's completely free.

2. Adobe Lightroom

Available on iOS and Android, some features free or $5/month for full access

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Adobe Lightroom remains an industry standard for professional photographers, and the mobile version is no different. You won't find stickers, animations, or any emoji here, but you will have granular control over your images and the same set of tools you'll find in Lightroom on your computer. It's the most used app for editing photos on iPhone and iPad, especially since photos sync to the cloud, allowing you to start on one device and continue on another.

3. Adobe Photoshop Express

Free on iOS and Android

Photoshop Express has many of the same features you'll find in Lightroom, including exposure, contrast, and color editing options, but removes some of the pro tools and cloud syncing features, and most importantly, eliminates the subscription fee.

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This is a great tool for editing images to bring out the best in them, but you'll also find a decent selection of filters and overlay textures, as well as tools for creating fun collages.

Adobe Photoshop Express doesn't spark the same creative bursts as the other options on this list, but it's a solid editing app at a price that's hard to argue with.

4. Prisma

Available for iOS and Android, $8/month or $30/year

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Prisma doesn't deal in sophisticated filters and basic photo editing. Instead, its quick filters will turn your photos into "cool" artistic creations. The results are stunning, and many of the filters are inspired by artists like Salvador Dali and Picasso. The filters are powerful, and while you can tweak them, not all of them will work with every image. Some are better suited to portraits, while others work best with landscapes.

But it's fun to experiment, you'll find a really creative photo.

5. Bazaart

Available on iOS and Android

Bazaart's collage and montage tools let you combine multiple elements—from photos, to text, to graphics—and layer them all to create a finished work of art. It has tools that let you instantly erase the background behind your portrait subject to place a new one, or layer multiple effects. It also has tons of templates to create stunning collages for Instagram Stories.

There are so many ways you can try and combine different images together that the only limit will be how creative you are. Check out Bazaart's Instagram page for inspiration.

6. Photofox

Android Only

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Like Bazaart, Photofox has powerful tools for removing objects from backgrounds, allowing you to combine new backgrounds or apply cool effects. Many users particularly like Photofox's Dispersion effect, which makes your subject look like it's breaking into particles, as well as its horizontal stripes and double exposure effects, which overlay two images.

As with Bazaart, there are endless possibilities for what you can do by layering and combining different types of images, then applying various effects to each.

7. VSCO

Available on iOS and Android, free with limited functionality or $20/year with 7-day free trial

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Rather than offering stickers and animated GIFs for Snapchat enthusiasts, VSCO is all about more artistic film filters. The app has a ton of presets available, including looks designed to emulate vintage film rolls from Fujifilm, Kodak, and Ilford. VSCO also has a wide selection of black-and-white filters, making it a great option to experiment with if you love your photos in muted monochrome.

8. PicsArt

Available on iOS and Android, free with limited functionality or $48/year for full access

PicsArt has a wide range of editing tools available to you, from basic adjustments like exposure and contrast, to cinematic color grading and dramatic filters that turn your photos into paintings-like works of art. There are plenty of options for both color tones and face shapes in selfies.

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PicsArt also has an Instagram-style social sharing element, if you're interested in that, but some people are primarily interested in the editing options.

Lesley Montoya

Update 09 December 2024