VSCO vs Lightroom Mobile (2026): Price, Features, and Which to Pick
VSCO is a filter app with a good manual toolkit and a community; Lightroom Mobile is a full editor with presets. Pick VSCO for its film looks and sharing, Lightroom for control, RAW and desktop sync. Neither is free once you want the good stuff: VSCO Plus is $39.99/yr, Lightroom needs a subscription for Premium tools.
By Mountain Lion Data · Last updated
Price
VSCO Starter is free with 16 filters; Plus is $9.99/mo or $39.99/yr; Pro $14.99/mo or $69.99/yr. Lightroom Mobile: free basic tier, subscription for Premium features.
Editing tools
VSCO: 200+ presets (Plus), manual sliders, RAW (Plus), video editing (Plus/Pro), AI Lab (Pro), community. Lightroom: RAW, curves, HSL, AI masking, healing, presets, video (Premium), sync.
Who each app is for
VSCO: film-style looks and posting to the VSCO community. Lightroom: precise editing and RAW.
VSCO vs Lightroom Mobile at a glance
| VSCO | Lightroom Mobile | White Balancer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price model | Free / subscription | Subscription | Free (one-time $4.99 to remove ads) |
| Free tier | Limited | Limited | Yes (every editing feature) |
| Subscription | Yes | Yes | No |
| One-time purchase | No | No | Yes |
| On-device / privacy | Edits on device; account required for the community and sync | Edits on device; cloud sync and many features tied to the subscription and an Adobe account | Yes — 100% on-device, no login, no account, works in airplane mode |
| Account required | Yes | Yes | No |
| RAW editing | Yes (Plus) | Yes | No |
| Video | Yes (Plus / Pro) | Limited (Premium) | Yes |
| Uses AI | Yes (AI Lab in Pro) | Yes (AI masking, Denoise, generative tools) | No — traditional image processing |
| White balance fix | Temperature/tint sliders | Eyedropper in the WB panel | White Balance Sampler: tap a neutral point, whole photo rebalances |
Verdict
VSCO is a filter app with a good manual toolkit and a community; Lightroom Mobile is a full editor with presets. Pick VSCO for its film looks and sharing, Lightroom for control, RAW and desktop sync. Neither is free once you want the good stuff: VSCO Plus is $39.99/yr, Lightroom needs a subscription for Premium tools.
If all you need is color, there is a one-tap, no-subscription option: what is the best Lightroom alternative? See the full list in Best Lightroom alternatives for iPhone.
Frequently asked questions
Is VSCO better than Lightroom Mobile?
VSCO is a filter app with a good manual toolkit and a community; Lightroom Mobile is a full editor with presets. Pick VSCO for its film looks and sharing, Lightroom for control, RAW and desktop sync. Neither is free once you want the good stuff: VSCO Plus is $39.99/yr, Lightroom needs a subscription for Premium tools.
Is VSCO free?
VSCO: Starter free (16 filters); Plus $9.99/mo or $39.99/yr; Pro $14.99/mo or $69.99/yr. Free tier: Limited.
Is Lightroom Mobile free?
Lightroom Mobile: Free to download with most sliders and presets; Premium (healing, AI masking, RAW, sync) needs a subscription — a mobile Premium plan or a Lightroom plan from $11.99/mo. Free tier: Limited.
Which fixes white balance more easily, VSCO or Lightroom Mobile?
VSCO: Temperature/tint sliders. Lightroom Mobile: Eyedropper in the WB panel. If the only edit you make is fixing washed-out or tinted color, White Balancer does it in one tap with the White Balance Sampler, for photos and videos, free and without AI.
