Report updated Jun 27, 2026

Focos is an established photo & video app that is free with in-app purchases. With a 4.7/5 rating from 56.4K reviews, it shows polarized user reception. Users particularly appreciate high-fidelity background blur effects provide professional photographic results for casual mobile users, though aggressive subscription paywalls prevent saving images and accessing core editing tools for free users remains a common concern.

What is Focos?

Focos is a computational photography app for iPhone and iPad that enables post-capture focus adjustment and 3D lighting simulation.

Users hire Focos to achieve professional-grade DSLR bokeh effects on mobile, replacing the need for expensive hardware or complex desktop editing.

Current Momentum

v2.11 · 3w ago

Maintenance
  • Ships minor bug fixes and improvements.
  • Maintains high-fidelity depth-mapping engine.

Active Nemesis

B612 AI Photo&Video Editor

B612 AI Photo&Video Editor

By SNOW

Other Rivals

Darkroom: Photo & Video Editor
Tezza: Aesthetic Photo Editor
Esti: Aesthetic Photo Editor
Presets for Lightroom - FLTR
BeautyCam-AI Photo Editor
Adobe Lightroom for iPad
Halide Mark II - Pro Camera
SmugMug - Store & Share Photos

7-Day Rank Pulse 🇺🇸

Photo & Video

No ranking data

PhotographyGrossing

Rating Pulse 🇺🇸

Recent User Mood

What makes this app unique?

What Does It Look Like?

Loading...

What Are The Key Features?

Computational Depth AdjustmentDifferentiator

Simulates large aperture bokeh effects and allows post-capture focus adjustment using depth map data

3D Lighting EngineDifferentiator

Allows users to place and adjust multiple light sources in 3D space within portrait photos

iPad Pencil Depth PatchingDifferentiator

Enables manual, precise editing of depth maps using Apple Pencil on iPad

How much does it cost?

Freemium
  • Free version with core computational photography tools
  • In-app purchases available for advanced features

Freemium model utilizing IAP to unlock professional-grade computational photography tools while maintaining a broad free user base.

What do users think recently?

High confidence · Latest 100 of 1K total reviews analyzed

How did the latest release land?

Overall
4.7/ 5
(56.4K)
Current version
4.7/ 5
+0.0 vs overall
(51.4K)
Main signal post-update: high-fidelity background blur effects provide professional photographic results for casual mobile users.

What is the recent mood?

Mixed

Recent user voice shows a mixed sentiment. Users appreciate high-fidelity background blur effects provide professional photographic results for casual mobile users, but report aggressive subscription paywalls prevent saving images and accessing core editing tools for free users.

What Users Love

High-fidelity background blur effects provide professional photographic results for casual mobile users

What Frustrates Users

Aggressive subscription paywalls prevent saving images and accessing core editing tools for free users

What Users Want

One-time purchase options requested as an alternative to high-cost annual subscription plans

View the full user-sentiment analysis

Mood gauge, ratings & review-volume history, every praise / complaint / request, and sentiment over time.

Go deeper

What is the competitive landscape for Focos?

Where is it available?

Localized markets (8)

United StatesBrazilGermanySpainFranceItalyJapanPortugal

How's The Photo & Video Market?

How does it evolve in the Photo & Video market?

Focos maintains a strong rating of 4.72 on iOS, but the recent shift to subscription-only saving has created a sentiment gap compared to its technical capabilities. The app's reliance on IAP for core utility creates a monetization ceiling that generalist competitors like Darkroom avoid.

Rank progression

69 active rankings tracked — 30-day window

The rivals identified

Nemeses(1)

Meitu- AI Photo & Video Editor icon

Xiamen Meitu Technology Co., Ltd.

4.5(1.4M)

Meitu competes directly for the casual photography market by offering a massive suite of AI-driven retouching and editing tools that overlap with Focos's focus on computational photography.

Contenders(4)

Blur Photo Background icon

SUNWOONG JANG

4.3(18.7K)

This app is a direct functional competitor, specifically targeting users who want to achieve bokeh-like effects without the complexity of Focos.

Square Pic Photo Editor Pro icon

photoeditor studio

4.5(23.8K)

This app competes for the casual user who needs quick, social-media-ready edits like blurring backgrounds and collage creation.

Pixomatic targets the utility-driven segment of Focos's user base by specializing in background manipulation and object removal.

Tezza competes for the same creative-conscious audience by focusing on aesthetic consistency and batch editing workflows.

Differentiators

  • Integrated feed planner tool helps influencers maintain a cohesive visual style across their social profiles.
  • Curated, high-end vintage presets provide a one-tap aesthetic that Focos's manual controls lack.

Same space(3)

This app focuses on the output side of the photography experience, competing for the time and attention of users who edit photos to print them.

Differentiators

  • In-app cartridge shop creates a recurring revenue stream tied directly to the physical printing experience.
  • Dedicated hardware integration provides a unique, tactile creative outlet for mobile-edited photography.
Polaroid icon

Polaroid

4.9(18.9K)

Polaroid targets the same demographic of photography enthusiasts who value the 'look' and 'feel' of traditional film photography.

Aura Frames icon

Aura Home, Inc.

4.8(28.5K)

Aura competes for the same user base interested in high-quality photo presentation and display.

Differentiators

  • Remote photo sharing capabilities turn the app into a social hub for family photo distribution.
  • Pre-gift setup allows users to curate and send photo-loaded hardware directly to recipients.

Compare Focos against every rival

All rivals in one side-by-side table — identity, store metrics, ratings & sentiment, and strategic intel — plus a head-to-head page for each.

Go deeper

The outtake for Focos

Strengths to defend, gaps to attack

Core Strengths

  • Technical depth-mapping engine provides superior bokeh simulation
  • iPad-specific Apple Pencil integration creates high switching costs for professionals

Critical Frictions

  • Subscription paywall for basic image saving triggers high churn
  • Brush tool inaccuracy during zoom sessions disrupts professional workflows

Growth Levers

  • One-time purchase tiers could convert alienated hobbyists
  • Horizontal orientation support would improve iPad-based editing workflows

Market Threats

  • Generalist editors like Darkroom offer broader utility
  • Aggressive monetization invites migration to free alternatives like Snapseed

What are the next best moves?

highInvest

Audit brush tool precision because user reports cite inaccuracy during zoomed-in editing → reduce power-user churn

Brush tool inaccuracy is a top-three complaint theme disrupting professional workflows.

Trade-off: Pause the new AR-filter development sprint — core utility stability is the priority.

highPivot

Introduce a one-time purchase tier because users explicitly request alternatives to recurring fees → improve conversion of hobbyists

Sentiment data shows high frustration with the current subscription-only model for core features.

Trade-off: Deprioritize the annual-plan price test — current churn from paywall friction is the larger revenue risk.

A counter-intuitive read

The app's high rating is a lagging indicator that masks the active alienation of its long-term user base caused by the recent subscription-only paywall transition.

Feature Gaps vs Competitors

  • Non-destructive RAW editing (available in Darkroom but missing here)
  • Horizontal orientation support (available in Lightroom but missing here)

Key Takeaways

Focos maintains category authority through its superior depth-mapping engine, but the aggressive subscription paywall is actively eroding its user base, so the PM must prioritize a flexible pricing model to stabilize retention.

Where Is It Heading?

Declining

The market for mobile photography is shifting toward versatile, non-destructive editing suites that offer more value for the price. Focos is currently exposed due to its restrictive monetization and lack of technical polish in core editing tools, which will likely lead to further user migration to generalist editors in the coming quarters.

Subscription paywalls for basic image-saving trigger high churn, which compounds the negative sentiment already visible in recent reviews.

Brush tool inaccuracy during zoomed-in editing sessions disrupts professional workflows, causing power users to seek more reliable alternatives.

Disclosure: Independent intel to help mobile builders succeed.

AI-powered analysis with editorial review, built from publicly available sources. Marlvel.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Focos, its developer, the app publisher, Apple, or Google Play. All trademarks, logos, and screenshots referenced remain the property of their respective owners.

What's new

The app's competitive position is declining due to an aggressive subscription-only paywall that has alienated the user base and triggered a shift in sentiment from positive to mixed.

shifted

Subscription-only paywall

declined

Sentiment score drop

added

New critical weaknesses

shifted

Strategic focus pivot

Cite this report

Marlvel.ai. “Focos Intelligence Report.” Updated Jun 27, 2026. https://marlvel.ai/apps/focos

Agent Markdown (.md)See methodologyContact support

Data licensed under CC-BY-NC 4.0