Lensa review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Phone photo editor with AI effects, retouching and an eraser
Black Friday: is there a Lensa sale?
Lensa report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for phone photo effects and retouching from Prisma Labs
Lensa is a phone photo editor with AI effects, retouching, an eraser and an upscaler. It is free to download, but the store listing doesn't say what works unpaid or what period each charge covers, and some reviewers complain about charges.
Who Lensa is for
- Fits if you edit photos on your phone and like one-tap effects
- Works for people who want an eraser and an enhancer in the same app
Who Lensa is not for
- Skip it if you want to work on a computer, since Lensa is phone-only
- Watch out: billing periods are mostly missing on the store listing
- Watch out: Magic Avatars are extra, at $3.99 to $11.99 a pack
- Watch out: some App Store reviews complain about charges or avatar sets that never arrived
Why Lensa gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyA $2.99 one-week pass or $29.99 and $35.99 plans whose billing periods aren't shown, so what you pay per month is unclear.
- CFree plan and trialFree to download, but the listing doesn't say which features work without paying.
- CFeaturesEffects, beauty and hair tools, an eraser, an enhancer and avatar packs. Avatars are bought separately at $3.99 to $11.99.
- AEase of use4.7 from about 418,000 App Store ratings.
- CPlatforms and integrationsiPhone and Android only. No desktop app or web editor.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Lensa's own pages on 12 November 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/lensa#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/lensa.svg" alt="Lensa: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Lensa stands among AI image and video generators
Lensa's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 49 of the 89 other AI image and video generators we grade, and level with 16.
It stands best on ease of use (A, above 84 of 89) and worst on features (C, above 2).
Its paid plans start at $12.96 a month, against a middle price of $10 for the category: 44 of the 65 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 9 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 90 AI image and video generators we grade, cut by the letter each got. Lensa’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 6 of 89, level with 56
- CFree plan and trialAbove 28 of 89, level with 46
- CFeaturesAbove 2 of 89, level with 39
- AEase of useAbove 84 of 89, level with 5
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 2 of 89, level with 36
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 67 AI image and video generators. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Keep Lensa, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Lensa you would be making an image model, which you can rent by the picture but not make. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $155.48 a year.
What you could not
- An image model, which you can rent by the picture but not make.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. Lensa’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Lensa?
Lensa is a photo editor for iPhone and Android from Prisma Labs. It applies AI effects and presets, retouches faces and hair, erases objects, and upscales or restores low-quality photos. The app is free to download and sells access through in-app purchases.
Worth knowing
- Billing periods are mostly not shown on the store listing, so what each in-app purchase costs per month is unclear before opening the app.
- The app is phone-only; the vendor's site links to the App Store and Google Play and offers no desktop app.
- Several reviews on the App Store listing complain about charges or avatar sets that did not arrive; the average rating there is about 4.7 across 418,000 ratings.
Key features
- AI effects and presets
- One-tap looks and color presets that grade a photo for a consistent feed.
- Beauty and hair tools
- Retouching, makeup and hair adjustments, plus a hair try-on that restyles a selfie into different cuts.
- Object eraser
- Brush over a person or object and the app fills in the background.
- Enhancer
- Upscales cropped or low-resolution photos and brightens dark ones.
- Avatars
- The store listing describes artistic avatar creation, sold as separate Magic Avatars packs.
Lensa pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, Lensa has a free plan, and paid plans start at $2.99 for Unlimited Access (1 Week), per the App Store listing.
- Starts at
- $2.99 for Unlimited Access (1 Week), per the App Store listing
- Free plan
- The app is free to download; the store listing does not say which features work without paying.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free download | $0 | The app costs nothing to install; the listing shows in-app purchases from $2.99 to $49.99. |
| Unlimited Access (1 Week) | $2.99for 1 week | Shortest access pass in the US App Store list. |
| Unlimited Access | $29.99billing period not shown on the listing | Amounts of $4.99, $29.99, $39.99 and $49.99 are all listed as Unlimited Access with no period. The store description separately gives a weekly plan range of $6.99 to $19.99. |
| Membership | $35.99billing period not shown on the listing | In-app purchase named Membership. |
| Magic Avatars packs | $3.99one-time packs, $3.99 to $11.99 | Avatar packs sold separately, listed as Pack 1 ($3.99), Pack 2 ($5.99), Pack 10 ($7.99) and Pack 11 ($11.99). |
Read from apps.apple.com on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Lensa before you buy.
How people rate the Lensa app
4.7
out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app
418,160 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Nov 13, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing
Lensa alternatives
- Lensa vs Remini
Free plan · from $4.99
- Lensa vs Photoleap
Free trial
- Lensa vs Picsart
Paid
- Lensa vs Fotor
Free plan · from $39.99/yr
- Lensa vs Photoroom
Free trial · from $12.99/mo
Common questions
Does Lensa have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Lensa is listed for iOS and Android.
Does Lensa have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Lensa is listed for iOS and Android.
Is Lensa open source?
Lensa is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.