These days, it’s totally possible to edit your photos directly on your smartphone. Even professional photographers do so. While the native editing tools available on your iPhone or Android device allow for basic adjustments, third-party apps are much more powerful. But what is the best app for editing photos on iPhone and Android? This post shows you the top photo editing apps – both free and paid!
Can You Edit Photos On iPhone And Android?
Yes, it’s absolutely possible to edit photos on an iPhone or Android device. All recent mobile phones come with basic editing tools that allow you to make simple modifications to your photos.
For example, you can adjust color, brightness, and exposure, rotate, crop and straighten your images, and add photo filters.
However, for more complex editing operations, you will need to download a third-party app from your Apple Store or Google Play.
The good news is that there are lots of apps available for both iPhone and Android. Some need to be purchased, while others are completely free.
On the list below, you find the best photo editing apps for iPhone and Android. Just click on the app’s name, if you want to fast forward to the respective section.
These are the best apps for editing photos on iPhone and Android:
How Do Professionals Edit Photos On iPhone & Android?
The way professionals edit photos on iPhone and Android largely depends on personal preference and the intended purpose.
For example, some professionals work with RAW images, while others use JPEG files. RAW images offer much more room for post-processing, but you’ll need a phone that’s capable of shooting raw.
Since the iPhone 12, Apple phones come with a native raw file format called ProRaw. If you have a previous iPhone, you’ll need a third-party app to capture RAW photos.
Other common editing operations on iPhone and Android are cropping, adjusting the perspective, and enhancing the color.
Professional photographers might also adjust exposure, highlights and shadows, contrast, brightness, and so on.
If you want to get creative, you can add a photo filter to make your images stand out!
Which Is The No. 1 Photo Editing App?
On the list below, you’ll find the best apps for editing photos on iPhone and Android. Some of the apps are paid, while others are completely free – or provide a free version with limited features.
Depending on the mobile device you are using and on the way you want to edit your photos, you can pick the photo editing app that best suits your needs. Many of the apps on the list also offer a free trial, so you can test out everything before purchasing it or joining a subscription plan.
So without further ado, let’s get into it and see which apps are best for editing photos on iPhone and Android!
11 Best apps for editing photos on iphone & Android
1. Adobe Lightroom Mobile
- Platform: iOS & Android
- Price: Free with limited features; full version US$9.99
As an enthusiastic photographer, you’ve surely heard about Lightroom. It’s arguably the best app for editing photos from market-leading company Adobe.
While Lightroom was formerly only available for desktop computers, Adobe have launched a mobile app for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices.
The basic version is completely free and allows you to capture, organize, and share your photos. You will also be able to make simple edits to your photos.
If you want more functionality, you’ll need to upgrade to the full version that has all the features of the desktop app. It supports RAW editing and lets you import and create your own presets.
If you have subscribed to Adobe’s desktop version of Lightroom, you can sync your images across devices and make further edits on your computer or tablet.
→ Do You Need Lightroom If You Have Photoshop? [Find Out Which Is Better]
2. Adobe Photoshop Express
- Platform: iOS & Android
- Price: Free with limited features; premium version US$4.99 monthly or US$34.99 yearly
With Photoshop Express, Adobe brought advanced manipulation features to your mobile phone! Ps Express is absolutely free and comes with many of the editing tools that you know from the desktop software.
Adobe Photoshop CC is probably the best all-round digital art software out there, but Ps Express comes pretty close. The mobile app allows you to use blending modes just like in Photoshop, correct red eyes, add a vignette, and remove blemishes and other unwanted objects.
- Grab your FREE Photoshop Blend Modes Cheat Sheet
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With Photoshop Express, you can even cut out things from images on your mobile phone, add blur, remove noise, and make many other professional-level edits.
You can use Photoshop Express together with the other apps in the Creative Cloud and work on your photos across different devices.
→ Adobe’s Free App: 10 Reasons Why Photoshop Express Is Worth It
3. Snapseed
- Platform: iOS & Android
- Price: Free
What is the best free photo editing app for iPhone and Android? The answer is: Snapseed!
Despite being completely free, Snapseed offers a wide range of editing options that you can use in auto mode or manually.
Even some pretty advanced edits are possible, such as masking, healing, and adjusting the curves.
You can also choose from different photo filters, from black and white to special effects, such as double exposure and HDR.
Last but not least, you can add text and frames to your photos before sharing them online. It’s not without reason that Snapseed is the most popular free photo editing app for iPhone and Android!
4. VSCO
- Platform: iOS & Android
- Price: Free with limited features; full version US$19.99
VSCO is one of the best apps for editing your photos on iPhone and Android, because it includes such a huge range of editing features and filters.
There are more than 200 filters that you can apply to your images at one swipe. But what’s more, you can also edit video and blend different media through layering.
Many social media influencers swear by VSCO, not least because of its community focus. VSCO makes it easy to share your images and get new inspiration.
Most of the filters and advanced editing options are paid, but the free version still provides some cool editing options and lets you participate in the community.
If you want to try VSCO before committing, you can use the free 7-day trial!
5. Photoleap
- Platform: iOS only
- Price: Free with limited features; premium packages US$40
Photoleap is another contender for best app for editing photos on iPhone. The app offers lots of functionality. Unlike other smartphone apps, Photoleap allows you to combine elements from different photos using blending modes, textures, and layers.
If you don’t have any creative idea, Photoleap automatically suggests cool photo mixtures. You can change the background, add smoke or noise to give your images that typical old photo feel.
Apart from that, you have all the typical editing features at your disposal, plus some more. For example, you can apply double exposure effects with one swipe, adjust lighting and tonality, enhance the brightness, or add a vignette around your photos. Of course, you can also correct color and remove blemishes.
Photoleap is available for free. There is no premium version of Photoleap itself, but Lightricks offer a number of premium packages users can choose from according to their needs. As an Enlight user, you can get access to all Pro packages for US$40 for half a year.
6. Pixelmator Photo
- Platform: iOS only
- Price: US$7.99
Pixelmator Photo is one of the best apps for editing photos on iPhone only. It’s top-notch software that supports RAW files from more than 600 cameras and batch editing.
Moreover, you can also choose from more than 30 color adjustments and nine preset groups to make your photos stand out.
But Pixelmator Photo is not only a great photo editing app. It’s also a fantastic photo organizer. Much like Lightroom, Pixelmator allows to organize your images in a filmstrip design. The photos in your iPhone library are automatically synced into the app.
There’s a healing tool and the option to remove JPEG artefacts. And the best thing – all edits are non-destructive!
7. PicsArt
- Platform: iOS & Android
- Price: Free with ads; full version US$55.99 per year
PicsArt is an all-in-one app for editing photos on iPhone and Android. It is highly versatile and also allows you to edit videos. There are heaps of editing tools and other creative options, such as filters and stickers.
PicsArt features lots of editing options that you don’t find in other apps. These include color correction, the option to remove the background or blur it with AI smart selection tools, and selfie retouching filters.
But you can also create collages using any of PicsArt’s grid templates, frames, text and drawing tools.
The video editor makes it easy to crop your videos, apply filters, and add music from the in-app library.
PicsArt is available as a free and a paid version. The free version has ads that can become annoying, but you can use all the features. To remove the ads, you’ll need to upgrade to the paid version starting at US$55.99 per year.
In the end, PicsArt the cheapest app in the market, but it’s also one of the best apps for editing photos on iPhone and Android. You can try PicsArt 3 months free before making your final decision.
8. Superimpose X
- Platform: iOS only
- Price: US$4.99
Superimpose X is very similar to Photoshop Express. It’s not only a photo editing app, but also allows you to create pretty complex image composites with multiple layers. That makes it one of the best iPhone apps for creating photo manipulations and other visual art.
You can add up to 8 layers, blend them together with any of the many blending modes and adjustment layers available. You can adjust the opacity and add a mask to each layer.
There are sophisticated selection tools, including AI-powered ones to help you select the subject of an image. Apart from that, you’ll find all the editing tools you’d expect from an image manipulator, including the option to add shadows to make your creations even more realistic.
Last but not least, you can add text and export your compositions as PSD to continue working on them in another program or your desktop computer.
Regarding all this functionality, Superimpose X is pretty affordable with a one-time purchase price of US$4.99.
Related: TOP 10 Best Software For Photo Manipulation [Paid & Free]
9. SKRWT
- Platform: iOS & Android
- Price: US$1.99
SKRWT is specifically designed for photographers. With its capability to correct lens distortion, as well as the horizontal and vertical perspective, SKRWT is ideal for landscape and architecture photography.
SKRWT does not only work with photos from your iPhone or Android phone, but also supports images from DSLR cameras, drones, and so on.
The app supports extension like 4-point manual manipulation to adjust your photo by dragging each of its four corners. There are also several mirroring effects to ensure your photos are perfectly symmetrical.
SKRWT is available for iPhone and Android and one of the cheapest apps for editing photos.
10. Bazaart
- Platform: iOS only
- Price: US$8 per month or US$48 per year
Just like Superimpose X, Bazaart is an app to create stunning image composites on iPhone only.
You can create photo collages consisting of multiple images, text, and other elements. Bazaart supports layers, too, meaning you can edit your photos non-destructively.
Its selection tools make it easy to select the background of an image and replace it with a different one. You can also add photo effects or use any of Bazaart’s templates to create collages for Instagram and other social media platforms.
Bazaart is available through a subscription membership for US$8 a month or US$48 a year.
11. TouchRetouch
- Platform: iOS & Android
- Price: US$2
TouchRetouch lets you remove anything unwanted from a photo. You can use it to remove unwanted objects from your landscape or travel photos.
But you can also retouch your portrait captures, smoothing the skin and removing blemishes.
TouchRetouch is incredibly powerful. Because it was specifically designed for removing unwanted objects, it also makes it possible to remove lines or a mesh in front of a complex background!
You will be astonished at the results, and for only US$2 as one-off payment, it’s definitely worth checking out this app for editing photos on iPhone or Android!
My name is Angie and I’m a self-taught digital artist. On this blog, I am sharing my knowledge and discussing the best software and hardware for different artistic needs. My desire is to offer options for all creative stages and budgets so that everyone can follow their dream and create art!
