Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
The verdict on

Photo Lab

45
User verdict / 100 High confidence Divided

Photo Lab is a popular photo editing app praised for its wide variety of effects and ease of use, but recent updates have led to significant user frustration over removed features, increased paywalls, and technical issues, contradicting the developer's claims of new filters and fixes.

4.7★ lifetime (184,800) Free + in-app purchases since 2011 by Linerock Investments LTD updated 0.0 mo ago recent negative 24% 120 reviews across 4 regions
Feature Removal/Changes AI Quality/Realism Pricing & Subscriptions Technical Issues Variety & Creativity
5★586
4★79
3★57
2★43
1★185
recent reviews across 4 regions, vs the 4.7★ lifetime average

Photo Lab offers a vast array of filters and effects for quick photo transformations, making it a fun tool for personalizing images. However, recent updates have introduced numerous issues, including the removal of popular features, a shift towards AI-generated content that often distorts images, and a confusing, expensive subscription model with frequent paywalls.

What users like

  • Offers a wide variety of filters and effects for quick and easy image creation.R20R19R75R30
  • Many users find the app fun and effective for personalizing pictures and creating gifts.R13R19R30R32
  • Some users report excellent results and appreciate the artistic freedom.R51R64R71R74

What users complain about

  • Many popular features, such as the search bar, 'Dream Manifester,' and couple templates, have been removed or are inconsistent.R10R16R23R29
  • The app frequently crashes, freezes, or fails to load images and effects, even for paying subscribers.R15R34R35R42
  • Recent AI changes often result in unrealistic, distorted, or unrecognizable facial features and body parts.R2R44R72R77
  • Users report deceptive pricing, unexpected charges, and a confusing subscription model with high weekly costs and additional pay-per-use features.R4R9R26R41
  • The app has excessive ads, even for paid users, and poor customer support for billing and technical issues.R5R37R46R69
  • Some users are concerned about privacy, alleging the app sends photos to third parties without consent.R14

Latest update · v3.12.121

What the developer says changed (the verdict above weighs this against what reviewers report):

New filters? Absolutely New effects? Of course A few behind-the-scenes fixes? Wouldn’t be an update without the

Recurring themes

Feature Removal/Changes negative
Many long-time users are upset about the removal of popular features like the search bar, 'Dream Manifester,' and couple photo templates. This has made the app less functional and enjoyable for them.R10R16R23R29
AI Quality/Realism negative
Recent updates have shifted the app heavily towards AI-generated content, which many users find to be of poor quality. The AI often distorts facial features, adds extra limbs, or makes people unrecognizable, contradicting the developer's notes about 'new filters'.R2R44R72R77
Pricing & Subscriptions negative
Users report deceptive pricing, with unexpected charges after 'free trials' and high weekly subscription costs (e.g., $7.99-$9.99 per week) that were not clearly disclosed. Many also complain that even with a VIP subscription, new features are pay-per-use, or there are limits on generations.R4R9R26R29
Technical Issues negative
A significant number of recent reviews report the app constantly crashing, freezing, failing to load images, or not working at all. This directly contradicts the developer's notes about 'behind-the-scenes fixes'.R15R34R35R42
Variety & Creativity mixed
While some users praise the app for its wide variety of effects and creative possibilities, others feel that recent changes have limited creativity, removed useful tools like 'ART LOOK,' and made the content too generic or focused on specific aesthetics.R1R13R16R19

Who it's for

This app is for users who enjoy experimenting with a wide range of photo filters and AI effects for fun and don't mind the potential for unrealistic results or navigating a complex, expensive subscription model R13R19R20R30. It is not for users seeking precise editing tools, consistent feature availability, clear pricing, or reliable performance R16R29R35R42.

Evidence note: The recent reviews skew heavily negative, with many users expressing frustration over changes that contradict the app's previously high lifetime rating. While some positive reviews exist, they are often brief or from long-time users who acknowledge recent declines. The developer's release notes are vague and do not address the specific issues raised by users, such as removed features or AI quality.

Frequently asked

What happened to the search feature in Photo Lab?
Many recent reviews indicate that the search feature, previously a magnifying glass icon, has been removed from the app, making it difficult for users to find specific effects or hashtags R50R119R123R143.
Is Photo Lab's free trial truly free?
Several users report being charged unexpectedly after signing up for a '3-day free trial,' with some being charged $9.99 even after attempting to cancel almost immediately R4R55R299.
Does Photo Lab Premium unlock all features?
No, purchasing a Premium membership does not unlock all features; some users report that additional 'pay-per-use' features have been added, and VIP subscribers may still face limits on generations or need to buy extra packages R29R60R63R68.
Why do my AI photos look unrealistic in Photo Lab?
Many users report that recent AI updates result in photos that look nothing like them, with distorted facial features, extra limbs, or a general lack of realism, making images unrecognizable R2R44R72R77.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R20] 3/5 · US Amazing variety of results in seconds: It’s so fast and so easy to create so many interesting images. YOU CANNOT edit facial features, erase/blur/ change areas or background areas.This app offers a large variety of filters, effects, stickers, borders, lettering… but only about half are usable ( most of the lettering is hard to read depending on the background ) But fun possibilities for spicing up
  2. [R19] 5/5 · US Incredibly Fun App!!!!: This app is so much fun! I highly recommend it. Only issue is you can spend hours on it with all the different types of things you can do! Enjoy..
  3. [R75] 5/5 · US my reviewtwo many cartoon options.i: This is my favorite photo app. So many great choices for every photo.😁
  4. [R30] 5/5 · US Cool Amazing App: I love this . I like making gifts for friends for their Birthdays and they appreciate it too!
  5. [R13] 5/5 · US A fun image gen: I love this app. While it’s not perfect it does lots of little things extremely well. I use it several times a week.
  6. [R32] 5/5 · US Love this app: It’s so fun to use. I have had it about three years now. ‘Y friends love getting pics from me. Thank you!
  7. [R51] 5/5 · US Great photo app for editing!: Yes I do semi nude modeling on the side, no porn. Yet this app lets me express my artistic ideas without judgement or censorship! Just keep it tasteful and artistic for everyone to enjoy and admire. I really appreciate and like this app and platform - Lia -
  8. [R64] 5/5 · US Love it: I spectacular pictures that last a lifetime of memories
  9. [R71] 5/5 · US Best app: This app is real, with great content to create and great creators
  10. [R74] 5/5 · US Loving It!: I truly love this app. Everyone asks how I did my pictures. I brag Photo Lab. I post them to Facebook and get lots of compliments.
  11. [R10] 4/5 · US Love the app: Love the app. It gives me but I wish that the Dream Manifester function was still available. My phone updated the app without me doing it and now, the function is gone. I really wish there was a way for me to use that again
  12. [R16] 1/5 · US Limited creativity: They removed the ART LOOK tool which was the most useful creative tool they had. Also, they severely censor creativity while blaming Apple of placing restrictions that don’t apply to anyone else as evidenced by other tools that do not censor at all. Don’t waste your tie.
  13. [R23] 3/5 · US Features come and go: As much as I love this app, recently over the last year and a half features have come and go and if I’m lucky it comes back. And, it seems like this app isn’t created equal for everyone. Not everyone has the same features. I miss being able to make couples, haven’t had that feature for a year now and I have friends that have the feature. If I get that feature back I will
  14. [R29] 1/5 · US Keep Removing Features: I've been using this app for a long time with a VIP yearly subscription. I like it a lot but they keep taking away features, like couple face swap and dream manifester. Lately they started limiting VIP generations and you have to buy more despite paying for VIP access. Money hungry I guess. Other apps are better.
  15. [R15] 3/5 · US !!!: I payed for week, after 3 days I see unicorn and sorry,something went wrong. seriously???
  16. [R34] 1/5 · US Won’t load: None of the pictures or videos are loading so
  17. [R35] 1/5 · US Former favorite: Been in communication with creators for probably a year, they know that nearly every photo now says an error occurs, it has progressively gotten worse, to the point that it is now useless. Sucks to have to find several apps just to do what this one app used to do. I have been using it for many years and it only now got to this point. So sad. Deleting. Thanks for the good times
  18. [R42] 1/5 · US Constantly Crashing: App is constantly crashing, can’t even get past the initial logo screen before it crashes. It’s fully up to date, I have space available, but it still doesn’t work even after uninstalling and reinstalling.
  19. [R2] 3/5 · US No Resemblance: I’ve always loved this app. I could immediately see the resemblance with the transformations until recently. Something changed and not for the better.
  20. [R44] 1/5 · US Fake looking pictures: It changes your features too much, it makes you look like a completely different person
  21. [R72] 1/5 · US Don’t like it: Every photo I tried to do of my grand daughter it turned her into a completely different person
  22. [R77] 1/5 · US Bad AI: AI photos look nothing like me. It’s so frustrating especially paying for VIP access
  23. [R4] 3/5 · US Beware: Beware of this app. It said there was a 3 day free trial. Nope. They charged me. It’s impossible to get in touch with anyone for support. I tried it out and after 20 minutes wanted to cancel. EDIT- Thank you photo lab for refunding my money! It was an inadvertent purchase. I appreciate you looking into it for me!
  24. [R9] 1/5 · US Hi photo lab Ai Lange editor my question? i pay you the money you do let me used your app for 2 mont: Please Get me my money back for me oky 😡
  25. [R26] 4/5 · US Pricing plans WHAT????: Love the app but no pricing disclosure anywhere. Def not on the developers site. Very shady. There’s Premium for 7.99, 8.99 and 9.99 per week and 14.99 per *year*. All called Premium. Please clarify for all of us confused users. We need full disclosure.
  26. [R41] 3/5 · US I'm paying for a subscription!: I'm paying for a subscription! But why are the images saved with watermarks??
  27. [R5] 1/5 · US No sirve: Una gran basura llena de anuncios que no sirven para nada
  28. [R37] 1/5 · US fake: to many adds
  29. [R46] 1/5 · US Photo Lab the ads are short: The ads are short Worst app ad ad ad no more ads Addddsssss worst and best app Thanks for the best app
  30. [R69] 1/5 · US Cancel: I accidentally signed up for this app and have had no response from customer support via email to cancel this app. Waste of money and not ok by ANY MEANS. This also goes against your own policy/legal rights and responsibilities. As it’s stated, “EITHET PARTY CAN CANCEL…” Very disappointing.
  31. [R14] 1/5 · US Privacy laws: This app sends your photos to google for a profit without consent. Disgusting. I read the original agreement which didn’t state that they have a right to my image. I deleted the app and find myself on google. Only to go back on the app delete everything and my photo is still up which means they have it saved in a data center. DO NOT USE THIS APP OR ANY MADE BY THIS COMPANY AND DEFINI
  32. [R1] 2/5 · US Honest opinion and review: The app has changed drastically for the worst, not the better had a lot of cool filters now they barely have any and mostly are for women if you knew better you’ll do better
  33. [R50] 1/5 · US Not Good: This app used to be so good. Now it’s all AI garbage. And they took away the search feature. I used the search a lot. Bring it back
  34. [R119] 3/5 · US Useless now: Update removed search option causing users to scroll needlessly through duplicate options presented as something new. The AI has gotten worse. Before, the pictures were more realistic, now they’re so flawed and even unrecognizable it’s not worth using.
  35. [R123] 3/5 · US No search button: What happened to the search button? I won’t be paying for a subscription that doesn’t have a search option and is limited the app use to be fun now you can’t search for anything
  36. [R143] 3/5 · US What happened to the search feature?: It was great app because you could easily search a hashtag and find what group you wanted but they took that away. Where did the search feature go and are you working to put it back?
  37. [R55] 1/5 · US Bait and switch!!!: This is awful! When I downloaded this app, just to test it out, it advertised a free trial for several days. Since the app didn’t work for my purposes, I canceled the subscription within 10 minutes or so, but I got charged $9.99!!! What on earth! I want my money back!
  38. [R299] 3/5 · GB No 3 day trial: I used the app one day and after I was asked to go VIP.
  39. [R60] 4/5 · US Love the app: Only issue I have is limiting number of photos per day without charging for additional even with VIP!
  40. [R63] 4/5 · US Good app but with some issues: The app features are worth the subscription however with the recent change in usage I’ve decided to give a 4 out of 5 star rating. What used to be all included now requires multiple payments to continue use. Overall the AI generation is great which is why I’ll be sad to look elsewhere for an all inclusive alternative. Maybe I’ll be back.
  41. [R68] 1/5 · US The Nerve: I’ve been paying for this app for years, a satisfied, long time subscriber. Now I only get 40 VIP renderings for my subscription price. If I want to create more I must buy an extra package of 20. What a scam and a nice kick in the pants to a loyal subscriber. Shame on the creators of this app. Huge disappointment. Looking for another app…

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store