Polarr vs Snapseed: What App to Choose

When you purchase through affiliate links on our site, we may earn a commission. Here’s how it works.

When comparing Polarr vs Snapseed, you’ll figure out that these apps for mobile editing can help create stunning shots either with budget cameras or smartphones.

Both applications come in handy if you need to create high-quality images for media. They offer a wide range of features and filters for free. While Polarr provides a subscription model and support for all platforms, Snapseed works for those who prefer basic and easy editing.

Polarr offers free advanced auto enhancement tools, an online editor, AI tools, and sophisticated filters to edit all the details of your images. Due to a wide range of offered options, it is one of the best filter apps for smartphones and desktop platforms.

Snapseed is one of the worthiest free photo editing apps purchased by Google from Nik Software. Primarily, the app provided a large number of editing options, plug-ins, and photo filters. Google has added even more tools, filters, and HDR to extend the range of tasks you can perform here.

What Is Polarr?

polarr logo

Polarr is a powerful cross-platform editor. It is gaining popularity due to the AI implementation in image correction and editing. Beginners will appreciate that Polarr offers advanced auto-enhancement tools and sophisticated filters to edit all the details. Professional photographers will be happy with layer support, curve tools, local adjustments, and some organization with search.

With Polarr, it's easy to share your filters. Discover millions of Polarr filters created by users around the world, or create and share yours. When comparing Polarr vs Snapseed, I found out that Snapseed offers simpler filters while Polarr comes with advanced ones.

Along with color editing, you can include your overlays, face adjustments, or modify certain objects with the help of AI in the Polarr filter. Such filters work great for Polarr 24FPS videos.

1/2
  • polarr mobile interface
  • polarr desktop interface

    Polarr: Pros and Cons

    Customizable filters. Polarr lets you save all the non-destructive changes as ready-made filters. Later you can share the most successful ones with the community via a QR code. This means everyone can find filters suitable for their needs. People can preview them in recent photos before applying.

    Cross-platform. If you need more than the main mobile (like Snapseed) and desktop platforms, you may look for Chromebook support. Besides, among available options are Polarr Vision Engine, Camera, Editing, and Album SDKs for a development and computational photography needs.

    High-quality tool kit. Few free editors can boast of displaying a histogram, fine tools for working with skin and face proportions, LUTs, and the like. That is why users often compare Polarr vs Lightroom and other industry editors. Most advanced tools except for masking, blending, and partially overlaying are available without a subscription.

    AI features for high performance. Built-in features recognize faces and individual parts, as well as segment objects in a photo (sky, person, background, plants, building, animal). If you want to choose either Polarr or Snapseed, keep in mind that the facial recognition feature by Snapseed doesn’t identify individual parts.

    Layers and blending modes. Create photos with 10+ custom or complex blend modes. Unlike Snapseed, Polarr lets you customize interaction between the blending modes.

    Face Tool. After updating a mobile version, users have noticed deterioration in terms of face detection and related retouching tools, even in the paid version. In general, updates have some problems that are subsequently fixed by the developers.

    If previously you only relied on a mobile app to edit your selfies, now you can turn to a professional service until the developers cope with the issue.

    Annoying ads. Users are tired of the main screen filled with filters and commercial offers.

    What Is Snapseed?

    snapseed logo

    Snapseed is a free app widely used as an alternative to Instagram to improve the quality of photos and share them with a powerful set of filters. Snapseed Apk has everything from basic tools for hobbyists to advanced features suitable for confident photographers and photo editors who need to make quick changes away from the workplace.

    The interface is sleek and simple with the conveniently located controls. Polarr supports only several languages while Snapseed offers 40+ ones, taking a couple of dozen MB.

    Due to the presence of several non-trivial image processing options (curves, perspective correction, auto-detection of the face), Google recommends Snapseed to professionals. However, the main group of users is still people who want to perform basic editing to enhance pictures for social media.

    1/2
    • snapseed mobile interface
    • snapseed desktop interface

      Snapseed: Pros and Cons

      User-friendly interface. When you open Snapseed for the first time, you’ll see a minimalistic interface with a large plus button to help you add an image. It includes only three buttons at the bottom: Looks as quick styles; Tools with all functions and settings, and Export. It is easy to navigate for beginners since along with the built-in Snapseed editing tips, you can find many ready-made guides on the net.

      Built-in RAW editor. It opens JPEG files and even RAWs in DNG format. Don’t look for the developer tool in the toolbar; it will only appear when you select the appropriate file format. Once this happens, you can edit RAW files, enjoying flexibility and better control.

      Built-in HDR tool. You can use it to create the brightness range in the same image instead of three. It allows you to play with the light to show more depth in an image by controlling the exposure.

      No hidden fees. Snapseed is free to download and it doesn’t contain any ads. Google created three dozen tools and options for users.

      Adjustable filters. All filters and styles are customizable. As a bonus, a face rotation function is available as a filter to correct poses in portraits based on three-dimensional models.

      Desktop version. You can use the app on Android and iOS for free. Besides, a Snapseed Android APK file is also available to help developers. Similar to multiple Snapseed alternatives for PC, you can install it on Windows computer via BlueStacks or any other high-quality emulator.

      Limited work with layers. Although the changes you make are non-destructive, layered on the original image, and you can undo them, it is impossible to adjust their interaction.

      Not for professional retouchers. Aside from a general face and eye enhancement, the app doesn’t offer advanced fine selection tools. The instruments aren’t suitable for ultra-precise selection, cloning, or replacement.

      Polarr vs Snapseed: Price

      polarr vs snapseed pricing

      Polarr is known as a powerful photo editing tool. However, it’s not completely free. Masking, Denoise, Overlays, and other advanced filters are available for $3.99 per month.

      The subscription gives access to all available platforms up to 5 different or similar. Alternatively, up to 5 users of any platform (1 platform = 1 user) can take advantage of the app. It also unlocks the Polarr 24FPS video editor through your account.

      Snapseed is free to download. It doesn’t have ads or paid add-ons. The app is well suited for mobile use since it has been designed specifically for a mobile interface. This ensures a very smooth workflow when using the app on a phone or tablet.

      Snapseed is available on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store with over 50,000,000 downloads. So, if you still have doubts about whether this application is worth getting, the number of downloads should be a convincing answer to make a decision.

      Snapseed vs Polarr: Who Wins?

      So Polarr or Snapseed? Both apps are powerful, highly recommended tools for different purposes. If Polarr didn’t have the recent downgrade of the auto-detection feature, it could have taken the lead in this comparison.

      If you are looking for a free and simple mobile photo editor that can handle everyday quick editing tasks, Snapseed is a great choice.

      If you need advanced filtering and masking options, sophisticated face editing features, a growing community of users looking to create and submit their filters, and cross-platform compatibility, Polarr is the way to go.

      Contents:
      SAVE UP TO 66% OFF SAVE UP TO 66% OFF