I make Chobial, so I kept every row where Snapseed is ahead. Snapseed is Google's free photo editor for iPhone, iPad and Android. It has 4.9 stars from about 31,000 ratings in the US App Store. In February 2026 it got a camera on iPhone, so now it's a camera and an editor too, like Chobial.
Both apps let you shoot with a film look and change it after the shot. Snapseed gives you a free editor with a long list of tools. Chobial puts its 46 films on a RAW file, live, and keeps that RAW for later.
The two apps side by side
| Snapseed | Chobial | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free. No subscriptions, purchases, ads or watermarks. | Free to shoot, develop, edit and make films. 22 films save free, and Pro saves in all 46. |
| Camera | Yes. On iPhone since February 2026, and on Android since version 4.0 (May 2026). | Yes. |
| Film look live while you frame | Yes. 11 film looks on Android. | Yes. 46 films, plus the ones you make. |
| Camera saves RAW | The listing doesn't say. | Yes, by default. HEIF or JPEG if you choose. |
| Manual controls | Pro mode sets ISO, shutter speed and focus. | ISO and shutter on a dial, manual focus, focus peaking, zebras and a histogram. |
| Change the look later | Yes. Google says its effects "can be edited or reset later". | Yes. Any film develops the original again. |
| Open other cameras' RAW | Yes, including Canon, Nikon, Sony and Fujifilm since version 4.1. | Yes, from most cameras, and over USB. |
| Masks | Smart Masking and selective adjustments. | Subject, sky, background, people and faces, plus brush, gradients and colour or brightness. Free to try, Pro to save. |
| Healing | Yes. | Heal and clone. Free to try, Pro to save. |
| Curves and colour grading | Yes. | Yes. |
| Halation and bloom | Yes, in film filters. | Yes, as sliders on every film. |
| Motion blur and lens blur | Yes. Lens Blur has a Depth mode. | No. |
| Edit many photos at once | Batch editing. | Paste edits onto many photos. Saving many at once is Pro. |
| Import LUTs and presets | Yes, presets and 3D LUTs. | Yes, .cube LUTs and Lightroom presets. |
| Camera Control and Lock Screen | Yes. | Yes. |
| Devices | iPhone and iPad on iOS 17 or later, and Android. | iPhone, iPhone Duo and iPad on iOS 26. Android in closed beta. |
| Mac | No. | No. |
What Snapseed does well
- It's free. The App Store listing says there are no subscriptions, purchases, ads or watermarks. You don't pay for any of its tools.
- Lots of tools. The listing says "30+ pro tools and filters". You get Smart Masking, which selects the subject or the background in one tap. It also has Healing, Curves, Color Grade and selective adjustments.
- Blur. Motion Blur and Lens Blur are in the editor, and Lens Blur has a Depth mode. Chobial has no blur tools.
- Film filters. The film filters come with Halation and Bloom.
- Quick looks on the camera. The camera shows film looks live. On Android there are 11 of them, inspired by stocks such as Kodak Portra 400 and Polaroid 600. Pro mode sets ISO, shutter speed and focus.
- Easy to reach. On iPhone, the camera opens from the Lock Screen, Control Center or Camera Control.
- RAW from other cameras. RAW Develop opens RAW files. Since version 4.1, that includes Canon CR3, Nikon NEF, Sony ARW and Fujifilm RAF.
- Batch editing, LUTs and presets. You can edit many photos at once. Version 4.2 added import of presets and 3D LUTs.
- Your original is safe. Edits don't change the photo itself, so you can always go back to the original.
- A long track record. Snapseed is much older than Chobial, and a lot of people know it.
What isn't on Snapseed's listing
The listing doesn't say that the camera saves RAW files. The editor opens RAW, but the listing doesn't say if the camera shoots it. If you want a RAW file from every shot, check the app before you count on it.
Snapseed runs on iPhone, iPad and Android. There's no Mac version. Chobial has none yet either, but an editor-only Mac version is planned.
What Chobial does differently
Chobial shoots RAW by default. That's ProRAW on Pro iPhones and RAW on other phones. The film you load is live in the viewfinder, so you frame the photo in the film. Later, any of the 46 films can develop that same RAW again. The original stays with the photo for good.
Chobial has 46 films built in, 35 in colour and 11 in black and white. 22 of them save for free. You can also make your own film. Start from scratch, from one of the 46, from a .cube LUT or from a Lightroom preset. Your film then shows live in the camera. To share it, send a QR code, a link or a file. Pro can also export a film as a .cube LUT or a Lightroom preset.
The camera has the controls of a manual camera. You set ISO and shutter on one dial, or leave them on Auto. Focus by hand with a loupe and focus peaking. Zebras show which highlights are about to clip.
The editor has masks, and Chobial finds the subject, sky, background, people and faces for you. There's also heal and clone, a tone curve and colour grading. With Describe Edits, you type what you want, and Chobial moves the sliders. It runs on the device, and it's free.
On iPad, the editor's tools stand beside the photo. Your photos and their edits sync over iCloud between iPhone and iPad. See Chobial for iPad.
Chobial is new, so it has no long track record. It has no blur tools. Masks, heal and 24 of the films are free to try and need Pro to save. Pro is $29.99 once, or $14.99 a year with the first week free. Those are US prices, and the App Store shows yours. Family Sharing comes with the App Store purchase.
Using Snapseed and Chobial together
You don't have to pick only one. Chobial's Import Photos takes RAW, ProRAW, HEIF and JPEG. So a photo from Snapseed's camera can go into Chobial and get one of its films.
It works the other way too. Pro in Chobial exports any film as a .cube LUT, and Snapseed 4.2 imports 3D LUTs. So you can take a Chobial film into Snapseed. With Pro, Chobial can also save the original DNG with the developed photo. Snapseed's editor opens RAW files, so you can try that DNG with its blur tools.
Which one to pick
Pick Snapseed
You want a free editor with lots of tools, blur and quick film looks, on any phone or tablet.
Pick Chobial
You want RAW from the camera, with the film live as you shoot. You also want 46 films that can develop that RAW again, and films of your own.
I opened these sources on 6 November 2026: Snapseed's App Store listing, 9to5Google on Snapseed 4.0 for Android and iClarified on the Snapseed camera for iPhone. For more apps, see film camera apps compared, Halide Mark III vs Chobial or mood.camera vs Chobial. Spotted a mistake? Email [email protected].
Chobial is not connected to Google.