Do your photos lack that “wow” factor?
Many struggle to make mobile shots look professional.
You want stunning images, but complex software feels out of reach.
What if one app could transform your photos in a few taps?
VSCO has been a top choice for its filters and editing tools.
But with so many new apps, is it still the best in 2025?
This review will show you what VSCO offers, helping you decide if it’s your ultimate photo editor.
Ready to transform your photos? Join over 200 million users who trust VSCO for stunning edits! Access 200+ presets, advanced tools like HSL & Grain, plus new features like the standalone Capture app. Click now and elevate your photography!
What is VSCO?
VSCO is a popular mobile photo and video app.
It’s a powerful photo editing tool for your phone.
You can create amazing visuals with it. Anyone can use it, from casual users to serious photographers.
The VSCO app offers a range of editing tools.
You get many VSCO presets—special filters for your photos. It also has a full video editor.
With a VSCO Membership, you get all the VSCO presets and advanced tools.
You can share work in your gallery or VSCO Spaces.
It helps you to create stunning photo and video content.
Who Created VSCO?
VSCO was created by Joel Flory and Greg Lutze in 2011.
They aimed to build creative tools for creative people.
Their vision was to help photographers and artists easily improve their work, focusing on artistic expression and quality visuals.
Top Benefits of VSCO
- Professional-Grade Presets: VSCO offers a wide range of high-quality presets. These help you make your photos look amazing with just one tap, giving them a consistent, polished style.
- Powerful Editing Tools: Beyond presets, you get strong editing tools. You can fine-tune details like exposure, contrast, and color to get your pictures just right.
- Video Editing Capabilities: It’s not just for photos; VSCO also has a good video editor. You can apply the same great presets and make detailed adjustments to your video clips.
- Creative Community and Inspiration: VSCO has a community where you can share your work and see others’ art. This can inspire you and help you discover new styles.
- Ad-Free Experience: The app prioritizes creativity without intrusive ads. This means you can concentrate on editing and creating without interruptions.
- Emphasis on Artistic Expression: VSCO encourages you to explore your unique style. It’s less about getting likes and more about making art you love.
Best Features of VSCO
VSCO isn’t just about simple filters.
It packs a lot of unique tools to help you truly make your photos and videos stand out.
Let’s look at some of its best features that empower your creative journey.
1. One-Tap Photo Effects
VSCO is famous for its presets, which are like special one-tap photo effects.
You can apply these to your pictures to instantly change their mood and style.
They help you achieve a professional look quickly, making your images stand out with a consistent aesthetic.
2. Remove the Object From The Photos
Ever had an amazing photo ruined by an unwanted object or person in the background?
VSCO offers a “Remove” tool.
This lets you easily brush out distractions from your photos, cleaning them up and making your main subject truly shine.
3. Photo Editing
Beyond quick effects, VSCO provides a wide range of powerful photo editing tools.
You can fine-tune with every aspect of your images, from adjusting brightness & contrast to playing with colors using HSL (Hue, Saturation, Luminance).
This gives you precise control to achieve your desired look.
4. Creativity With VSCO Canvas
VSCO Canvas is a newer, exciting feature that lets you create visual mood boards.
You can bring together your photos, use AI to generate new visuals, and even collaborate with others.
It’s a fantastic tool for planning creative projects and visualizing ideas.
5. VSCO Learn
Want to get better at photo editing?
VSCO Learn offers helpful guides and tutorials.
This feature provides tips and tricks to master the app’s tools and improve your photography skills.
It’s like having a personal coach to help you grow as a visual artist.
Pricing
VSCO offers different ways to access its features.
Here’s a quick look at the pricing options:
| Plan Name | Cost (Approximate) | Best For |
| Starter (Free) | Free | New users wanting to try VSCO’s core features. |
| Plus Membership | $2.50 / month or $29.99 / year | 200+ presets and advanced mobile editing tools, Unlimited recipes to recreate your favorite looks, Full community access. |
| Pro | $5.00/month ($59.99 BILLED ANNUALLY) | Full suite of tools on mobile & desktop, Create and share moodboards with VSCO canvas, 50 Projects + 500 monthly generation credits. |
Pros and Cons
It’s smart to weigh the good and bad before deciding.
Let’s look at VSCO’s main advantages and disadvantages to help you choose.
Pros
Cons
Alternatives to VSCO
If you’re looking for other ways to edit your photos and videos, many great apps offer different strengths. Here are some popular alternatives:
- Picsart: This app is great for creative edits, collages, stickers, and memes. It offers you a wide range of features beyond just photo filters.
- Canva: While known for graphic design, Canva also has strong photo editing tools with many templates. It’s excellent for creating designs for social media or presentations.
- Design Pickle: This is not a direct photo editing app like VSCO. It’s an unlimited graphic design service, meaning you get professional designers to create visuals for you, rather than doing it yourself.
- Blaze: “Blaze Photo” is an older desktop photo utility that focuses on organizing, editing, and sharing digital photos. It’s more of a traditional photo management software.
- Fotor: Fotor is a strong photo editor with many filters, effects, and AI tools. It’s good for quick edits and also offers design features similar to Canva.
- Remini: This app specializes in enhancing old, blurry, or low-quality photos. It uses AI to bring clarity and detail to your images, making them look much better.
- Photoleap: Photoleap is known for its powerful AI tools, creative effects, and background removal features. It’s great for transforming photos into unique art or composites.
- Pixelcut: Pixelcut focuses on AI-powered background removal and product photography. It’s ideal for e-commerce and creating clean, professional-looking product images.
- Photoroom: Similar to Pixelcut, Photoroom excels at background removal and creating studio-quality product photos on your phone. It’s very user-friendly for e-commerce needs.
- YouCam Perfect: This app is popular for selfie and portrait editing. It offers many beauty filters, face tuning, and AI features to enhance facial features and create fun effects.
- Photoshop: Adobe Photoshop is the best industry standard for professional photo manipulation and graphic design. It’s very powerful but also has a steeper learning curve.
- Pixlr: Pixlr offers a suite of free online photo editors. It’s a good web-based option for quick edits, graphic design, and some advanced features, often compared to Photoshop Express.
- Photopea: Photopea is a total free online photo editor that works in your web browser. It’s known for its similarity to Photoshop, supporting layers and many professional editing tools, making it a powerful web-based alternative.
VSCO Compared
Here’s how VSCO stacks up against other popular apps:
- VSCO vs Picsart: VSCO focuses on film-like photo/video edits. Picsart is broader for collages, stickers, and creative tools.
- VSCO vs Canva: VSCO edits photos artistically. Canva is for general design with photo features, great for graphics.
- VSCO vs Design Pickle: VSCO is an editing app. Design Pickle is a service providing professional design work.
- VSCO vs Blaze: VSCO offers signature presets. “Blaze” likely refers to basic editors; VSCO has more advanced artistic control.
- VSCO vs Fotor: VSCO emphasizes curated, film-inspired looks. Fotor is a comprehensive editor that features numerous AI tools.
- VSCO vs Remini: VSCO is for general artistic editing. Remini specializes in enhancing old or blurry photos using AI.
- VSCO vs Photoleap: VSCO offers subtle, film-like edits. Photoleap uses AI for experimental effects and artistic transformations.
- VSCO vs Pixelcut: VSCO is a broad editor. Pixelcut focuses on AI background removal and product photos.
- VSCO vs Photoroom: VSCO offers general creative editing. Photoroom excels at AI background removal for product images.
- VSCO vs YouCam Perfect: VSCO is for artistic photo/video editing. YouCam Perfect specializes in selfie and beauty edits.
- VSCO vs Photoshop: VSCO is a mobile-first app with presets. Photoshop is a powerful, professional desktop tool.
- VSCO vs Pixlr: VSCO has unique presets and aesthetics. Pixlr is a web-based editor with a wide range of general tools.
- VSCO vs Photopea: VSCO is a mobile app. Photopea is a free, web-based editor similar to Photoshop for complex tasks.
Personal Experience with VSCO
My team uses VSCO often to make our social media content look great.
We needed a way to quickly edit photos and videos with a consistent, professional style.
VSCO helped us achieve this easily.
It lets us create stunning visuals without needing complex software.
Here’s how VSCO helped our team:
- Consistent Brand Look: We used specific VSCO presets to give all our photos a similar, clean style. This made our brand stand out.
- Quick Edits: The one-tap photo effects saved us a lot of time. We could edit many photos fast, which is great for daily content.
- Improved Video Quality: We also used the video editor to enhance short clips. Applying presets to videos made them look more professional.
- Easy Photo Cleanup: The “Remove” tool was super helpful. We used it to take out unwanted things from our shots, making our main subjects stand out.
- Creative Inspiration: Exploring VSCO Spaces and seeing others’ work gave us new ideas. This kept our content fresh and engaging.
Final Thoughts
VSCO stands out as a powerful mobile photo and video editor.
Especially if you love unique, film-inspired looks.
It offers many presets and strong editing tools for both photos and videos.
While the free version is limited, the Plus Membership unlocks its full potential, including advanced features and a creative community.
If you prioritize artistic expression and want to create professional-looking visuals on your phone.
VSCO is definitely worth considering.
It’s a great tool for anyone wanting to elevate their visual storytelling.
Ready to transform your photos and videos? Download VSCO today and start creating!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is VSCO really free?
The VSCO app offers a free version with basic presets and editing tools. However, to access the full library of 200+ presets, advanced features, and video editing capabilities, you need a paid VSCO Membership.
Can I edit videos with VSCO?
Yes, you can! With a VSCO Membership, the app includes a comprehensive video editor. You can apply the same beautiful presets to your videos and fine-tune them with various editing tools, just like you would with photos.
How does VSCO compare to Instagram?
VSCO focuses on high-quality photo editing and artistic expression, prioritizing privacy over public likes and comments. Instagram is a primarily social media platform for sharing photos and videos, with a stronger emphasis on engagement metrics and a broader range of content formats.
What are VSCO presets?
VSCO presets are one-tap filters that give your photos a distinct look or mood. They are designed to mimic classic film styles and offer a consistent aesthetic. They make photo editing quick and easy for users to achieve professional results.
Is VSCO good for beginners?
VSCO can be user-friendly for basic edits, especially with its one-tap presets. However, some of its advanced tools and unique interface might take a little getting used to for complete beginners compared to simpler apps.
