Megan Ellis / Android Authority
There’s no shortage of free image editing apps to choose from on Android. Many boast AI features and tools like background removal, while OEMs have significantly improved their own native image editors with more advanced features.
But at the end of the day, there’s one app I always recommend for editing mobile photos: Snapseed. While it doesn’t get many updates (the last one was in May 2024) and lacks the generative AI features of many of its competitors, Snapseed is still the best mobile image editor out there in my opinion.
What is your favorite photo-editing app?
2 votes
The power of Snapseed’s simplicity
Megan Ellis / Android Authority
When I say that Snapseed is simple, this doesn’t mean it’s not powerful or only has a small set of tools. But it isn’t saturated with complex features that make it difficult to learn how to edit photos in the app. While it does have a range of preset filters you can use, it also has more nuanced editing features that focus on specific attributes.
It is these editing tools that make Snapseed so powerful. Along with the ability to tweak attributes like brightness and contrast, the brush and selective tools allow you to apply edits to specific sections of an image without having to worry about working with layers.
I frequently use the brush and selective tools to tweak over-exposed skies in my images and add a bit of depth and drama to cloud cover.
I frequently use the brush and selective tools to tweak over-exposed skies in my images and add a bit of depth and drama to cloud cover. While my phone is good at capturing images with vivid colors, Snapseed’s saturation and contrast tools are extremely effective when using a budget camera phone to capture images. But even if you’re using one of the best camera phones out there, you might find that you need to tweak an image every now and then.
While I don’t post as many images to social media now (and when I do, I focus on showing the original images from the devices I use), Snapseed is the reason behind some of my most popular and visually distinct posts.
Another thing I love about Snapseed is that you don’t have to be a photographer or creative professional to get to grips with its features. When it comes to using photo editing software on my PC, I’m often overwhelmed by the complex features and technical terms. But I’ve never had trouble using Snapseed.
A free, no-nonsense alternative to AI-saturated apps
Megan Ellis / Android Authority
There are plenty of free apps you can use on Android, but usually these come with drawbacks such as distracting adverts or paywalls for the most useful features. When it comes to image editing, free apps will often include a watermark unless you pay to remove it. The freemium model of these apps also sometimes comes with invasive data permissions to gather insights for the ads they serve you.
There are no ads or subscriptions.
But Snapseed is one of those rare free apps that is just downright amazing. There are no ads or subscriptions — yet it has plenty of features that allow you to create great edits.
I technically have access to Google Photos’ editing tools because I have a Google One subscription, including the Magic Editor. But I rarely use these tools because I enjoy Snapseed so much. Snapseed is also a Google-owned app, but it has escaped the trend of injecting AI into everything. I prefer its traditional tools over generative AI gimmicks.
When it comes to data permissions, no data gathered by Snapseed is shared with third parties. The app collects device information and app activity, but this data collection is far less invasive than competitors that collect and share financial information or personal IDs.
Snapseed continues to be one of my essential apps
Megan Ellis / Android Authority
I don’t use Snapseed as much as I used to when I was very active on social media. But it is still one of my essential apps that I install on every Android device that I use. I’ve used it to make my social media images stand out as well as for mobile photos that I print out and frame.
I’ve tried other photo editing apps, but I’m usually put off by the monetization models or the overwhelming number of features. The prompts to upgrade to a premium subscription don’t help either.
I thought that by now I would’ve gotten tired of Snapseed’s lack of updates, but I find it refreshing.
I thought that by now I would’ve gotten tired of Snapseed’s lack of updates, but I find it refreshing — especially since updates to CapCut and its move towards a more aggressive monetization strategy have caused me to abandon the video-editing app.
Snapseed has been a great app for years, and I hope it continues to provide a useful, free photo-editing app for mobile users.
Nowadays, I rarely vouch for an app with such fervor — especially with the many drawbacks of freemium apps. But if you haven’t tried out Snapseed yet, I’d highly suggest getting acquainted with the photo-editing app.
It doesn’t require an account, is completely free, and doesn’t include ads. It’s a rare gem among the many free apps that are available on Android. However, it’s not for everyone. If you want more advanced features, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
