Photo editing apps have recently become quite popular thanks to the rise of social media. Nowadays, everyone likes to post their pictures on their Instagram stories or Twitter, and for all valid reasons.
Even professional photographers have started to post some of their images on sites like Instagram (even though their pictures are compressed way too much) and make people aware of their work and who they are.
With the rise of sharing images online, various companies have put out their photo editing apps on popular stores, and people often get confused as to which ones to download.
Well, in this article, I have listed down twelve of the best photo editing apps that you can download on your phone and enjoy the benefits of photo editing!
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Contents
3 Best Photo Editing Apps for Instagram Images
With all that said, let’s start off the list by discussing various different apps that you would want to use for editing your images when you upload them on Instagram.
1. Instagram
Yeah, Instagram is one of the apps that you can use to edit your photos, to upload on Instagram.
When you decide to post any image on Instagram, you would see a bunch of different options and filters to choose from for your images. Simply click on them, and you can toggle the settings to get the perfect balance for your image.
Price – Instagram and all of its features are absolutely free to use.
Best for – Uploading images on Instagram
Platforms – Instagram is available on both Android and IOS devices.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅Free of cost ✅In-built photo editing ✅Easy to use | ❌Limited editing features |
Key features of Instagram
- Good collection of filters
- Addition of music to image posts
- Easy to use
- In-built editing features
Who is the right user for Instagram?
If you are a person who is active on Instagram and post content on it regularly, then the editing features available in the app would be beneficial for you as you wouldn’t require a third-party app to edit your images.
This is only applicable if you are not a professional photographer on Instagram because then the editing features wouldn’t be suitable enough for you.
Why we picked it? Overall rating & review
It is one of the most convenient image editing apps you can find if you are not looking for some additional effects or a third-party app to edit your images.
The features and functions available on it are reasonably good, and most people would be quite satisfied with the overall product.
I would be rating Instagram, as a photo editing app, 3.5/5 stars.
2. Instasize
Now, Instasize is not another photo editing app from Instagram. It is a third-party app that allows users to edit their photos to make them look really good for uploading on Instagram.
Price – Instasize is free to use. However, it does have a paid plan as well, and it costs around $4.99/month
Best for – Instasize is best for people who upload images on not just Instagram but other social media platforms as well.
Platforms – Instasize is available both on Android and IOS devices.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅A lot of features and effects ✅Easily share via the app itself ✅Good performance | ❌Redundant messages regarding the pro plan. |
Key features of Instasize
- Great tools for editing images
- Easy UI
- Available on both devices
Who is the right user for Instasize?
Anybody can use Instasize for editing their images, as long as they are okay with using another app for editing their images and then uploading them on social media pages.
Why we picked it? Overall rating & review
Instasize is the photo editing app that I use whenever I have to upload any image on my account, and I have grown to love it over the past few years.
It has a great list of features and effects available on the free plan that makes it easy for anyone to edit their images and upload them straight to Instagram.
I would be rating Instasize 4/5 stars.
3. Canva
Canva is also a really powerful photo editing app that you can try out for editing your images and making them insta-worthy.
Price – Canva is free to use for mobile devices. But if you want to pay for its services, then you have to shell out either $12/month or $119.9/year.
Best for – Designing photos and videos
Platforms – Canva is available on both Android and IOS devices
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅Powerful editing app ✅Great designing tools ✅Simple UI | ❌Too many tools can be a little overwhelming for beginners |
Key features of Canva
- One-tap auto-enhance tools
- Great effects
- Powerful application
- Ability to edit videos too
Who’s the right user for Canva?
Canva is a very popular site that many people have used for making different types of collages and posters for themselves, and the same set of tools is also available on its app as well.
So, if you are someone who is into editing images and designing them, then this is best suited for you.
Why we picked it? Overall rating & review
Canva is a site that many people have used, and it has been appreciated by a lot of people for its tools that are offered for free. All those tools are now also available on the app itself for you to try.
I would be rating Canva 4/5 stars.
Also read: Best free Canva Alternatives for editing like a pro
3 Best editing apps for WhatsApp Photos
There are a lot of people who like to share various photos on WhatsApp or upload them on its stories, so for them, here’s a list of photo editing apps that you can try out.
1. WhatsApp
Just like Instagram, WhatsApp also allows you to edit your photos to some extent when you want to share the images on its platform.
Price – WhatsApp is free of cost.
Best for – This is best for people who don’t require too many edits for their images and would like to share them instantly on WhatsApp.
Platforms – WhatsApp is available on Android and IOS devices
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅In-built photo editing features ✅Simple to use | ❌Basic editing tools ❌Compresses the image quality |
Key features of WhatsApp
- Useful to edit pictures on the go
- Easy editing tools
- Option for editing available before sending each and every pic
Who is the right user for WhatsApp?
WhatsApp is not a photo editing app, it is an app that does many things, and photo editing is just one of the things that it does.
If you are someone who shares a lot of images on WhatsApp, then this might be a good option for you.
Why we picked it? Overall rating & review
It is a very simple and convenient way for basic editing of your images such as adding stickers, colours, text, etc.
Many people find it useful before sending images to another person, and I am sure you must have used it once when you send images on WhatsApp.
I would be rating WhatsApp as a photo editor, 3/5 stars.
2. Gallery
The gallery of your phone also allows you to edit your images as per your liking, and different companies offer different functionalities and effects for editing the images.
Price – Galler apps are always free, regardless of which brand’s phone you choose to buy.
Best for – For instantly editing your images
Platforms – Gallery apps are available on all platforms, Android, IOS, and more!
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅Pretty convenient to use ✅A lot of tools, depending upon the brand of your smartphone ✅Simplistic UI | ❌Features and effects can vary from phone to phone |
Key features of Gallery
- Easy enough for anyone to use
- In-built editing app
- Check before and after effects on the image
Whose the right user for Gallery?
If you are someone who likes to scroll through your gallery before sharing your images or videos on different social media sites, then this is the app that you are looking for.
Why we picked it? Overall rating & review
Not a lot of people use the different features and effects which are available in the gallery app of the phones itself.
These features match pretty well with other third-party photo editing apps, and you can find it all in the app in which you view all of your images and share them directly from the app itself.
The features list does vary from phone to phone, but it is still a useful feature, especially if you are just using it for sending images on WhatsApp. I would be rating it 3.5/5 stars.
3. Snapseed
Snapseed is also a popular option that you can use for editing your images, not just for WhatsApp purposes, but for a whole lot more.
Price – Snapseed is an application that is fully free and doesn’t require any additional fees.
Best for – Making your images look better in every shape or form.
Platforms – Snapspeed is available on both IOS and Android devices
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅Powerful photo editing software ✅Different types of tools available ✅Simple UI | ❌Number of different tools can confuse beginners. |
Key features of Snapseed
- Various tuning effects
- Light app
- RAW photo editing
- Undo and re-edit functionality
Who is the right user for Snapseed?
Snapseed is a powerful image editing software, and if you are someone who likes to have a good creative control over your images, then this might be the right app for you to download.
Why we picked it? Overall rating & review
Snapseed is a bit overqualified for being used as an image editor just for WhatsApp. You can use it for many different purposes, and you will be quite satisfied with all of its features.
Since it is owned by Google, it is nice to see that the application is available on IOS too, so that both the side audience are able to enjoy its set of features.
I would be rating Snapseed 4/5 stars.
3 Best Photo Editing Apps for iPhone users
Now let’s discuss the main platforms where you would be using these apps for editing your images, i.e. iPhones and Android devices. Let’s begin with the world of IOS.
1. VSCO
VSCO is considered to be one of the best editing apps that you can use for iPhones. It has a really great selection of filters that are not too over the top but, at the same time, produce effects for your images that make them shine and stand apart from the rest.
Price – VSCO can be used for free, but if you want to avail yourself of its full sets of features, then you would have to pay either $7.99/month or $29.99/year.
Best for – VSCO is best for making your images a lot more elegant with tons of different features.
Platforms – VSCO is available on both Android and IOS devices.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅Tons of different filters ✅Great set of tools ✅Simplistic UI | ❌Expensive paid plans |
Key features of VSCO
- Available on both types of devices
- Easy UI
- Different sets of filters
- Toggle between the strength of the filters
Who is the right user for VSCO?
VSCO’s main attraction point is the different filters that it has to show off; they are all great in making your images stand out, and they are not too overpowering as well.
Why we picked it? Overall rating & review
As I mentioned above, VSCO is considered to be one of the best photo editing apps that you can try out right now and see for yourself its various filters and functionalities.
It would prompt you occasionally to subscribe to its plans as it only offers a limited number of filters in its free plan, and its paid plan can be somewhat expensive for a photo editing app.
I would be rating it 3.5/5 stars.
2. TouchRetouch
TouchRetouch explains very well with its name what it actually does. It is not a full-on editing app, but it does help in retouching your images to make them better if there are some spots or unnecessary details you want to delete from your image.
Price – TouchRetouch is not available for free; you have to pay around $3.99/month to access its features.
Best for – It is best for actually editing out certain objects from your image, to make them look better.
Platforms – It is available on both Android and IOS devices.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅Great AI tools for omitting certain objects ✅Simple UI ✅Easy to use | ❌Not a free app ❌Doesn’t have other editing features like filters, effects, etc. |
Key features of TouchRetouch
- Edit out different objects from images
- Removes wrinkles from portrait images
- Simplistic UI
Who is the right user for TouchRetouch?
TouchRetouch is a great application for those people who have some things in their images that they want to remove to make that image picture-perfect. And if you have images like such, then you can certainly use this app.
Why we picked it? Overall rating & review
Editing images doesn’t always mean that you have to add filters and effects to your images; this is actually what ‘editing images’ means, and this app is able to use its AI technologies to make your images look really good.
These are the types of effects you would pay a good amount of money for photo editing softwares to do, and it does it for you just for $3.99/month.
I would rate TouchRetouch 4/5 stars.
3. Carbon
Carbon allows its users to convert their images into aesthetic monochrome images. Carbon offers a wide range of filters in black and white to make your images look stunning.
Price – Carbon can be used for free, but to gain access to all of its features, you would have to pay $19.99/year. Although it should be noted that you can also get a three-day free trial.
Best for – Carbon is best for making your images aesthetically pleasing by turning them black and white and playing around with many more effects.
Platforms – Carbon is available only on IOS devices.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅Stunning effects ✅Texture adjustments ✅Subtle filters | ❌Not available for Android devices ❌Limited options on the free version |
Key features of Carbon
- Easy enough to use
- Great sets of tools
- Multiple monochrome settings
Whose the right user for Carbon?
If you like your images to be in black and white or have your Instagram page that posts aesthetic black and white images, then this app is just perfect for you.
Why we picked it? Overall rating & review
Carbon is an exclusive IOS-only app right now in this list, and it offers a good list of features and filters to make your images look beautiful.
Hopefully, in the future, you can find this app on Android devices as well, but for now, it is only available on IOS devices. I would be rating Carbon 3.5/5 stars.
3 Best Photo Editing Apps for Android
After discussing about iPhone apps, let’s jump on some Android apps that you can download to edit on your smartphones.
1. Adobe Lightroom
Adobe Lightroom is Adobe’s entry into the world of mobile editing, and what an entry they have made. Adobe Lightroom brings all the best features you can find on its software onto the app itself.
Price – Most of the features that are available on the Lightroom app can be used for free, but to avail of its more premium features, you would have to pay $9.99/month
Best for – Adobe Lightroom is best for having the most premium looking filters and settings for your images.
Platforms – Lightroom is available on both IOS and Android devices.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅Great set of tools ✅Simple UI ✅Adobe community | ❌Expensive app ❌Too many features can overwhelm beginners |
Key features of Adobe Lightroom
- One-tap tools for quick edits
- Healing tools
- Tons of different features and effects
Who is the right user for Adobe Lightroom?
Adobe Lightroom is best suited for intermediate to professional photographers. There are many different effects and settings available on the app that would make a beginner feel a little overwhelmed by the effects.
Why we picked it? Overall rating & review
Adobe Lightroom is supposed to be one of the best photo editing apps you can download, regardless if it is for an Android device or an IOS device.
It has tons of different features available to use for free, but its premium mode does offer a lot more and gives you the most out of its services.
I would be rating Adobe Lightroom 4/5 stars.
2. Afterlight
Afterlight is also a great photo editing tool that you can use for all of your images. It offers comprehensive tools to edit the images as per your liking and make the best out of the images.
Price – You can use Afterlight for free, but to access some of its more advanced features, you would have to pay $2.99/month
Best for – Afterlight is best for overall editing your images; it has tons of features and some advanced features that professional photographers would like.
Platforms – Afterlight is available on both IOS and Android devices.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅Great tools for editing images ✅Simplistic UI ✅Layer tools ✅Fairly affordable pricing plan | ❌Limited advanced tools |
Key features of Afterlight
- Simple UI
- Great editing tools
- Affordable pricing plans
Who’s the right user for Afterlight?
Afterlight can be used by everyone to edit their images. It has a great set of tools on display that would allow you to make aesthetically pleasing images.
Why we picked it? Overall rating & review
Afterlight has multiple different tools to offer, such as graphs for color correction and more, and many people would find it fairly easy to use as well, even though it can look a bit complicated.
There are a great range of features and effects that are available on its app, and if you want to try out its pro plan, you can go for it as well since it’s fairly affordable compared to other paid apps.
I would be rating Afterlight 3.5/5 stars.
3. Lens Distortions (LD)
Lens Distortions allow you to add certain light and weather effects to your images that no other photo editing app is able to do. The effects add to the overall look of the image.
Price – Lens Distortion is available for free, and you can even get its Ultimate plan for just $0.99/month.
Best for – Lens Distortion is best used for adding additional effects or looks on top of your image. There are a number of effects you can see for yourself.
Platforms – Lens Distortions is available on both IOS and Android devices.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅Great filters ✅Low subscription price | ❌Not a lot of editing elements other than effects on top of the images. |
Key features of Lens Distortion
- Cheap subscription fee
- Different sets of effects
- Simple UI
Who is the right user for Lens Distortion?
Lens Distortion is best for people who like to add certain elements and effects on top of their images. I am not talking about filters or stickers over here; you have to see the app itself to know what I am talking about.
Why we picked it? Overall rating & review
Lens Distortion is a great image editing app to have to make your images stand out from the rest and have a different tone to them, compared to what other photo editing apps have to offer.
It is a different take on what a photo editing app can be, and I appreciate it for what it is. I would be rating Lens Distortions 3.5/5 stars.
FAQs
Let’s discuss some of the frequently asked questions related to photo editing apps.
Which app is the best for editing pictures?
This is a very subjective question because there are multiple different photo editing apps available now that cater to different groups of people. So the type of image editing app that you might find the best may not be true for someone else.
That being said, there are multiple different apps for different categories that can be considered as the best for editing pictures.
If you are a semi-professional or a professional photographer, then you might find Adobe Lightroom to be an attractive app as it involves many different effects and they are all quite good.
But, if you are looking for an app for everyday use, then you would Instasize can also work well for you, as it has tons of different filters to offer.
What photo editing app is the best and free?
Again, the definition of best can be very subjective and it depends from person to person. However, there are many different free apps available right now that can be pretty useful for a lot of people.
I am personally a big fan of Instasize as I use it for editing my images when I want to upload images on Instagram or some other social media site.
It does have a paid plan, but I never found a need to pay for the app to use it. It has many different filters and canvases available, which is suitable enough for me.
But this is my suggestion. You can select from the above-mentioned twelve apps and see which works best for you.
What features should I look for in photo editing apps/software/platforms?
A good photo editing app should definitely have a good UI, first and foremost.
Because the screen of our smartphones is still quite small when compared to a laptop or a tablet, it is very important to have a clean and simple UI that works well with the size of the phone’s screen.
The next feature that you should look out for is the number of audio edits that you are able to perform on the app, whether it is decreasing the volume or trimming it and merging different types of audio.
Then you should also look for the different features and effects that are avaialble on the app for you to access and apply to your photos.
Which is the no.1 photo editing app to download?
This is the most subjective question of all the asked questions because there is simply no photo editing app that can be considered as the number one photo editing app to download.
All the editing apps that are available are all fairly good in their own department, and you can choose from the above-mentioned twelve apps to see which one is the best and number one editing app for you.
You can choose them based on the various sub-topics, such as Instagram, WhatsApp, Android and iPhone, and download them all as they are free apps and see which one you like the most.
Should I pay for a photo editing app to get better results?
Most of the photo editing apps that are available these days are all free to download and have free features to use, so that is not an issue. And this question is much more impactful and important for photo editing softwares.
Because a lot of professional photographers and photo editors like to edit their images on a particular computing device because you have access to a bigger screen and have more controls than you have on a mobile device.
So, if you are someone who occasionally uses photo editing apps for your images, then I wouldn’t recommend paying for the app to get better results.
But, if you are a professional photographer and editor, then it makes sense for you to pay some extra bucks to get all the features that you would need for editing your images, as it is your profession and not a side hobby.
How to choose the right and best photo editing App
There are many different ways one can choose to download a photo editing app based on their level of expertise and how serious they are about uploading their images online.
If you are a professional photographer, then you would probably want to use the best in the business apps for your images to make them stand out from the rest of the crowd.
But, if you are someone who doesn’t post regularly on social media and occasionally posts one or two pictures, then chances are you wouldn’t want a heavy photo editing app for yourself, and you would be satisfied with some basic features like filters, tweaking brightness and more.
How did we test the Best photo editing Apps on our list?
I am not heavily inclined towards photography, but I still know a little about it, and I can apply my knowledge to certain photo editing apps to make my photos look pretty nice. So, over the years, I have tried out many different photo editing apps and stuck to some of them.
That being said, I do not post a lot of images, and when I do, 9/10 times, they are not the type of photos you would expect from a person who knows a thing or two about photography.
So, for the editing apps that I have listed for this article, some of them I have tried myself, and for others, I have read various reviews regarding them and only chosen the ones that are the best in the business.
When do You Need a photo editing App?
There are many different times you would require a photo editing app for yourself, but most people need such types of apps when they are about to upload their content on the internet.
But that’s not the only time and place you would need a photo editing app, there are many photographers who send their images to different publications or news outlets, and even then, they would require a photo editing app to make quick adjustments to their images.
As I said, there are many different times you would need to use a photo editing app, and it depends on your use case.
Conclusion
Well, there you have it. Twelve of the best photo editing apps that you can download right now for various different use cases, whether it be for uploading images on Instagram or WhatsApp or using it on your Android or IOS device.
There are multiple different apps that are available these days, and I am sure that I must have missed out on some of them as these are the ones that I found to be working the best and are also rated the best.
Do you agree with my list? Or do you prefer to use some other photo editing software for editing your images, both free and paid? Do let us know about all of them in the comments down below.
