Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Is it worth paying for

PhotoGrid

30
Value score / 100 Worth paying? No Skip it

PhotoGrid offers easy-to-use photo editing and collage features, but its value has significantly decreased due to an overwhelming number of ads, forced paywalls for previously free features, and numerous complaints about scammy free trial billing practices.

Free + in-app purchases seen up to $99.99 4.9★ lifetime (116,479) since 2012

PhotoGrid is an app for photo editing and collages, praised for its ease of use and various free options in the past R1R3R11. However, recent updates have introduced an excessive number of long and repetitive ads, paywalls for basic features like watermark removal and good photo quality, and widespread reports of fraudulent free trial charges, making it a frustrating and potentially costly experience for many users R6R24R73R182.

Free vs paid

The free version of PhotoGrid used to offer many customization options for collages and photo editing, including adding text and stickers R3R11R32R39. However, recent changes have made the free experience significantly worse, with an overwhelming number of long and unskippable ads R6R24R212R219. Many features that were previously free, such as removing watermarks, accessing basic templates, and saving photos in good quality, are now paywalled or intentionally blurred to force users into a subscription R31R73R202R209. The paid version, which can cost up to $4.99 a month or $34.99 a year, promises unlimited access to features and an ad-free experience, but users report being charged immediately during 'free trials' and not receiving promised benefits R182R204R275R328.

Value complaints

  • Many features that were previously free, such as removing watermarks, basic templates, and good photo quality, are now paywalled or intentionally blurred to force users to pay.R31R73R202R209
  • Users report an overwhelming number of long, repetitive, and unskippable ads, even for basic actions, making the free version almost unusable.R6R24R212R219
  • Numerous users report being charged immediately for annual subscriptions (e.g., $34.99, $49.99, $56.49, $75) despite signing up for a 'free trial' and often cancelling it immediately.R182R204R275R328
  • Paid subscribers report issues with app functionality, freezing, and ads still appearing despite paying for premium.R143R193R329R568

Where it delivers

  • The app is generally easy to use for creating collages and editing photos, with many users having used it for years.R1R3R4R9
  • It offers a variety of free options for customization, such as adding text and stickers, which some users find sufficient.R11R32R39R45
  • The AI removal tool is noted for its impressive results.R28
Worth paying if

The paid version is not worth it due to numerous complaints about fraudulent billing practices and a lack of support R182R204R275R328. Even some premium users report issues with app functionality and ads R143R193R568.

Skip / stay free if

You should skip PhotoGrid if you are looking for a reliable photo editing app without excessive ads or hidden costs R24R212R219. Users who value transparency in pricing and expect free trials to be genuinely free should avoid this app due to numerous reports of being charged immediately for subscriptions R182R204R275R328.

Evidence note: The recent reviews are overwhelmingly negative, focusing on aggressive monetization, excessive ads, and alleged scamming with free trials. While the lifetime rating is high (4.86), this is heavily skewed by older positive reviews, as recent feedback indicates a significant decline in user experience and value.

Frequently asked

Is PhotoGrid free to use?
PhotoGrid is technically free to download and use, but recent updates have introduced an overwhelming number of long ads and paywalls for features that were previously free, making the free experience very frustrating R6R24R73R212.
Are PhotoGrid's free trials legitimate?
Based on numerous user reviews, PhotoGrid's free trials are often not legitimate, with many users reporting being charged immediately for annual subscriptions (e.g., $34.99, $49.99, $56.49, $75) despite signing up for a 'free trial' and often cancelling it immediately R182R204R275R328.
Why is PhotoGrid's lifetime rating high despite negative recent reviews?
PhotoGrid's high lifetime rating (4.86) is largely due to older positive reviews praising its ease of use and free features R1R3R4R9, while recent reviews indicate a significant decline in user experience due to excessive ads and aggressive monetization R6R24R73R212.

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. [R31] 3/5 · US I’ve used PhotoGrid forever: This is the most convenient option out there that I know of, but it could be better. There are ads to get rid of the watermark, it’s really hard to see the grids when selecting one. The app has only gotten worse over the years. Maybe there are better options out there, and it is a headache to use, but I couldn’t find a better option when I looked years ago and so I’ve
  2. [R73] 1/5 · US Pushy for money: This app used to be great but now they have ads and heavily try to push you into paying for things that used to be free like good photo quality when saving. So disappointing.
  3. [R202] 1/5 · US Changing free feature: I use to love this app offering various options to create my family photos. And now mid creating it removes some features that were free trying to force an upgrade 👎🏾 no longer referring my friends to use this one.
  4. [R209] 1/5 · US Now just a cash grab: used to be great, but now they basically force you to pay for the subscription by intentionally blurring your photos so that you can barely see them. this app is now just another cash grab.
  5. [R6] 1/5 · US Terrible news: Soooooooooooooooooo many adds
  6. [R24] 2/5 · US To many ads! 🙄: This used to be a quick and easy app to use and I’ve had it for many years (5+ maybe). As of recent the app is becoming very annoying with a lot(repetitive) ads, To many bs ads!!It takes away from just wanting to edit your photos quickly. Currently looking for a new app.
  7. [R212] 1/5 · US Ridiculously long ads: Used to love the free version but now it wants you to pay or watch ads. The ads are ridiculously long and go on and on in a loop. Seriously looking for an alternative!
  8. [R219] 1/5 · US And now Temu ads that don't want to close just to exit a photo: I've loved and used this free app for years. Now it has video ads (new thing) that love to play before editing a photo. Seriously considering deleting this ad because of the very long Temu ad that doesn't want you to close it and will redirect to its sales pages. Temu ads are evil when you have to click the smallest fraction of precis
  9. [R182] 3/5 · US no refunds not even your first: free trial led to 34 dollar charge followed by my bank 34 dollar fee. No response from support
  10. [R204] 1/5 · US Crooks: I canceled my free subscription and TWICE now they’ve took money. Twice I’ve had my bank over drawn. And they make it impossible to talk to someone!!! I clearly cancelled my subscription and they’re still charging me?! Yeah I’ll be posting everywhere telling everyone to avoid this SCAM!! DO NOT GET UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE ROBBED
  11. [R275] 1/5 · GB Slamming liars: Wish I could leave a 0 start rating. The 3 day free trial offer is a scam. It will ignore the 3 day free trial and charge you instantly upon purchasing it. If you use this app don’t buy any subscription unless you actually plan to pay.
  12. [R328] 1/5 · GB Scam!!!!: I was charged £34:99 even when it was free 3 days trail.
  13. [R143] 1/5 · US This is a scam!!!: I have a subscription to this APP but I cannot use it without being barraged by ads! Some ads won’t disappear even if I try to delete them.
  14. [R193] 2/5 · US Needs bugs fixed: I’ve been using photo grid premium for years and never had an issue. Recently when I’m editing pictures, applying any change whether is font, color, background, the app will freeze, take forever or just not pull up anything. It’s extremely frustrating as I depend on the use of this app to commercialize my business. If issues continue I will have no choice but to find an alternati
  15. [R329] 1/5 · GB Subscription problems: I paid to upgrade the app for a year but after a month, it’s locked all of the features again and my email hasn’t been responded to. Very disappointed and feeling scammed!
  16. [R568] 1/5 · CA Premium Plan Not Functional: I use this for my weekly YouTube channel thumbnails. A month or so ago, the glow border stopped working when I resized the image. I have reached out to support multiple times and no help at all. I’m paying a subscription for this. May have to find another app to help with this.
  17. [R1] 5/5 · US Great!!: Very easy to use
  18. [R3] 5/5 · US Easy: Super ready to add text and images
  19. [R4] 5/5 · US Love it: Love it I’ve been using this since 2014
  20. [R9] 5/5 · US Muy buena app: Siempre que quiero editar cualquier cosa relacionado a fotos o videos, uso esta app. Es muy buena incluso en su versión gratuita.
  21. [R11] 5/5 · US So fun!: Plenty of free options which I like. So many ways to customize my photos and make amazing collages!
  22. [R32] 5/5 · US Fun and fast way to enhance your pics.: I use PhotoGrid a lot. To add stickers to pictures. (Large variety) So cute! I use it to combine pictures (to create collages) It’s so fast. And fairly simple. People are always asking, “How did you do that?” And I love that it saves the creations directly into my photo gallery. It makes it easy to share however I want.
  23. [R39] 5/5 · US Great collages!: I’ve been using PhotoGrid for a few years now and the free features included are amazing! No need to pay for an expensive photo app. This is it. Download it!
  24. [R45] 5/5 · US Amateur: I have never spent money on this app for all the extra selections etc, but have loved making collages and adding texts. I’m not. Good with technology and I could do it!
  25. [R28] 5/5 · US AI REMOVAL: I just used the AI removal taking a corner of a couch out of the picture and my mouth fell open when I saw the result! Lol AMAZING!!!

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