8 Apps Like Prequel, Hypic and Tezza for Aesthetic Photos

The quick answer

For one-tap aesthetic looks that change the light itself, not only the colors, try Stunna. For film presets and a consistent grid, VSCO. For vintage looks while you shoot, Dazz Cam (iPhone only). For a Hypic-style all-in-one editor with beauty tools, Meitu. For portraits that look better without looking edited, Lensa. If you mainly make Reels and Stories, Prequel and Tezza are still hard to beat for video templates.

A filter recolors the photo. A look can change the light.

Most aesthetic apps work like a color grade: they shift tones, add grain, glow or a light leak, and leave the scene as it was. That works when the original light was already good. It struggles with a flat grey afternoon or a dark street, because a filter cannot add sunlight or a flash that was never there.

The grid below shows one photo in four looks: clean daylight, a digicam night flash, a disposable camera and a Mediterranean summer. Two of those (the flash and the summer sun) change the light, not just the color, and that is the part a classic filter app cannot do. If you want the disposable look without AI, our free disposable camera filter runs in the browser.

Apps like Prequel compared at a glance

Prices are what the US App Store or the official site showed on October 12, 2026. Several apps list more than one price for the same plan, so you may see a different one. Ratings are US App Store averages.

1. Stunna: looks that change the light, not only the color

We make Stunna, so weigh this entry with that in mind. Stunna is an AI photo app for iPhone and Android with more than 80 named looks, including Clean Girl, Golden Hour, Euro Summer, Night Flash, Disposable, Dark Academia, Peach Afterglow and Aqua Pop. Instead of laying a filter over the photo, it reshoots it with AI. It keeps you, your pose, your outfit and the place, and changes the light, the sky and the camera feel. That is why a grey-sky photo can come back with real golden-hour sun, or a dim bar photo with a digicam flash.

Compared with Prequel and Hypic, there are no ads, and the looks are not split into free and premium rows you only discover when you try to save. It also helps before you shoot, with 100+ pose guides and a camera with an adjustable glow light. Our photo dump cover guide shows how people use those looks for a first slide.

Where the others win: Stunna does no video, no story templates, no manual sliders and no face reshaping. It is new, so it has too few store ratings to quote. And because it is AI, compare each result with your original before you post it.

2. Prequel: effects and video templates

Prequel lists more than 800 effects and filters, from glitter and VHS to its D3D 3D photos, plus one-tap video templates with music and text. It is rated 4.7 from about 345,000 ratings on the US App Store and 4.5 on Google Play, and it was updated the day we checked. Gold costs $2.99 to $5.99 a week or $14.99 a year, which makes the yearly plan one of the cheapest here.

The complaints are about the paywall. Reviewers say more effects keep moving to Gold, that premium filters are not always marked until you try to save, and that the subscription screen appears right after install. Pick Prequel if you edit short videos as often as photos. Skip it if you want a natural look; most of its effects are deliberately loud.

3. Hypic: the all-in-one editor

Hypic is made by ByteDance, the company behind TikTok and CapCut. It combines aesthetic filters (retro film, clean girl presets, soft glow, and a new G7X-style digicam effect) with background removal, face retouch and reshaping, templates, collages and AI art. On the US App Store it holds 4.6 from about 17,000 ratings. On Google Play it is a different story: 3.0 from more than 260,000 ratings, with this summer's reviews dominated by tools that used to be free moving to Pro.

Pick Hypic if you want filters and beauty tools in one place and do not mind paying $6.99 to $10.99 a month. If you only came for the digicam flash, our Canon G7X flash photo guide shows how to get the look with any phone, and Stunna's Night Flash adds it after the fact.

4. Tezza: curated presets and templates

Tezza began as the preset collection of photographer Tezza Barton and is now a photo and video editor by Tezza App LLC. It has 40+ presets (vintage, dark and moody, minimal, bright), vintage video effects like Super 8 and VHS, 150+ story templates, overlays and a feed planner. It is rated 4.7 from about 47,000 ratings on iPhone, but 3.7 on Google Play, where reviews mention crashes and lost exports.

Pick Tezza if you plan a cohesive Instagram feed and want presets with a single, consistent taste. Skip it if you want AI effects or a generous free tier; most presets need Pro at $6.99 a month or $39.99 a year.

5. VSCO: film presets and a grid that matches

VSCO is still the reference for film-style presets, with a library of more than 200, real sliders and a photo community. It is rated 4.7 from about 278,000 US ratings. Plus costs $9.99 a month or $39.99 a year, and Pro, which adds its AI Lab, costs $14.99 a month or $69.99 a year. Pick VSCO if you like fine-tuning and want every post to share one grade. It grades the photo you already have, so it will not add sun to a cloudy shot. We compare it in more depth in our guide to apps like VSCO.

6. Dazz Cam: vintage looks while you shoot

Dazz Cam turns your iPhone into a collection of retro cameras, from disposable film to 2000s digicams, so the look is baked in when you press the shutter. It is rated 4.8 from about 116,000 US ratings, and Dazz Pro is available as a one-time $19.99 purchase, which is rare in this category. There is no official Android app; the Play Store results we found were lookalikes. Pick it for new photos. Skip it to restyle old ones, since import only works on some cameras. Our apps like Huji Cam guide covers more retro camera apps.

7. Meitu: the closest match to Hypic

Meitu offers the same mix Hypic users are used to: digicam and film filters, beauty retouching, body tools and AI effects. It is rated 4.8 from about 80,000 ratings on the US App Store. The catch is that its free tier has ads and watermarks, which its own listing confirms by selling VIP as the way to remove them, at $8.99 a week or $41.99 to $59.99 a year. Pick it if you want Hypic's toolset from a different company. Skip it if heavy face and body reshaping is not your thing.

8. Lensa: portraits that look better, not edited

Lensa, from Prisma Labs, is a portrait retoucher first. It polishes selfies with a lighter touch than most beauty apps, removes objects, adds filters and color tones to photos and videos, and still sells its AI avatar packs. It is rated 4.7 from about 418,000 US ratings, with plans from $2.99 a week. Pick it for selfies and headshots. Skip it if you want named aesthetic looks or video templates.

Why people leave Prequel, Hypic and Tezza

We read recent App Store and Google Play reviews for all three. The same three complaints come up again and again.

• Paywall creep. Filters, stickers and tools that were free are now Pro or Gold, and reviewers feel the free version shrinks with every update.
• Weekly pricing. Prequel and Meitu sell weekly plans, and many complaints are from people who did not notice a trial turning into a subscription.
• Android quality. Hypic (3.0), Tezza (3.7) and VSCO are rated far lower on Google Play than on the App Store, with crashes and lost exports as the main issues.

Which one should you pick?

Start with what you actually post.

• Photos where the light was wrong (grey sky, dim room, harsh noon sun): Stunna. Our cloudy day photo guide explains why filters struggle there.
• Reels and Stories with music and effects: Prequel or Tezza.
• A cohesive feed with one film grade: VSCO or Tezza.
• New photos with a vintage camera feel, on iPhone: Dazz Cam.
• Filters, retouch and AI tools in one app: Hypic or Meitu.
• Selfies that should look natural: Lensa.

How we checked

Features, prices and ratings come from each app's US App Store listing, Google Play listing or official website, checked on October 12, 2026. Review themes come from recent App Store and Google Play reviews. We did not run the same photos through every app, so features are described as their developers list them. All apps named here belong to their developers, and Stunna is not affiliated with any of them. If a price or feature has changed, tell us and we will update the page.