Picsart on mobile: the AI-powered photo editor that wants to do everything

Picsart is one of those apps that grew alongside social media. At first, people mainly used it to retouch a photo, add a sticker, cut out a face, create a fun collage or make an image look more polished without opening Photoshop. Today, the app has become something bigger: a full mobile creative studio, with generative AI, photo editing, video tools, background removal, avatars, templates, stickers, text, collages and features designed for marketing too.

On the French App Store, Picsart AI Photo Video Editor is available for free with in-app purchases, has a 4.6/5 rating from 99,000 ratings, a 13+ age rating, a listed size of up to 262.1 MB, and ranks no. 12 in the Photo & Video category at the time of consultation. The app is developed by PicsArt, Inc. and works on iPhone, iPad, Apple Silicon Macs and Apple Vision.

On Google Play, Picsart AI Photo Editor, Video has a 4.0-star rating, around 12.2 million reviews, more than 1 billion downloads, includes ads and offers in-app purchases. The app is also marked as an Editors’ Choice in the Photography category.

Download Picsart

You can download Picsart AI Photo & Video Editor from the official stores:

For iPhone and iPad
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/picsart-ai-photo-editor-video/id587366035

For Android
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.picsart.studio&hl=en

An app that has become much more than a simple photo editor

Picsart’s promise is clear: do everything from one app. Edit a photo, remove a background, erase an object, create a poster, generate an AI image, turn an image into a video, add text, make a collage, prepare a social media post or even create marketing content.

The app now highlights Picsart Aura, a chat-based creative assistant that can turn an idea into a visual, generate AI photos and videos, suggest prompts and refine creations through conversation. Picsart also says its platform is used by more than 150 million creators, which gives a good idea of the scale the service has reached.

This change matters. Picsart is no longer just a retouching app for making a photo look nicer. It wants to become a fast creative tool for social media, small businesses, content creators and users who want a visual result without learning complicated software.

Photo editing remains its natural territory

Even with all this AI layered on top, Picsart still has a solid base: photo editing. The expected classics are all there, including filters, effects, retouching tools, text, collages, stickers and cutouts. The app also offers a background remover, an object removal tool and options to enhance image quality.

This is probably where Picsart remains most convincing. For quickly editing a photo, creating a thumbnail, isolating a subject, adding a clean background or turning an ordinary image into something more eye-catching, the app is very effective. It does not have Lightroom’s restraint, nor the precision of full Photoshop, but it has an obvious strength: it gets results quickly.

You can also feel that Picsart has kept its “popular creativity” DNA. It is not a cold app built only for photographers. It is a tool that invites users to try things, layer elements, experiment and sometimes even exaggerate. Honestly, that is also part of its charm.

AI is taking up more and more space

Picsart leans heavily into artificial intelligence. Its official listing mentions an AI image generator, AI video generator, automatic enhancement, stylised AI filters, element replacement, portrait retouching, image expansion, virtual try-on, AI writing and personalised avatars.

It is impressive, but also a little overwhelming. You open Picsart to make a simple edit, and the app sometimes feels like it is offering ten creative directions at once. Generate an image, expand a frame, change a hairstyle, create an avatar, turn a photo into a video, write a caption, make a logo: everything is there.

For creators, it is a goldmine. For a more traditional user, it can feel almost too rich. Picsart wants to cover so many needs that it sometimes loses that sense of immediacy. The upside is that you can create a lot without leaving the app. The downside is that the interface can quickly feel crowded.

Templates and collages are still very practical

Picsart also puts a lot of emphasis on customisable templates. Users can create logos, social posts, stories, cards, posters or promotional visuals starting from ready-made layouts. This is a real strength for those who do not want to begin from a blank page.

Collages remain one of the app’s most natural uses. Photo grids, freeform collages, moodboards, frames, mixed images: Picsart keeps the accessible approach that users have liked for years. It is less rigid than Canva, more creative than a smartphone’s native photo editor and often more fun than a professional tool.

The app also offers more than 60 million stickers, with the option to create your own. That is a huge number, maybe even excessive. But for social edits, memes, stories or more playful visuals, this library provides a lot of material.

Video is there, but it is not the app’s true heart

Picsart also offers video tools: clip editing with music, effects, text, trending filters, image-to-video, short social edits and video collages.

This is useful, especially for quickly turning a photo-based creation into animated content. Still, I would not put Picsart on the same level as CapCut for pure video editing. CapCut keeps the advantage when it comes to timeline logic, subtitles, short video templates and social rhythm. Picsart is stronger when the video starts from a graphic or photographic universe.

In other words, Picsart can do video, but its soul is still mainly visual: images, collages, design, retouching and AI transformation.

The subscription is the point that may hold users back

Picsart is free to download, but the full experience quickly moves through in-app purchases. On the App Store, among the available options, there are Picsart Gold Annual at €36.99, Picsart Pro Annual at €57.99, Picsart Gold Monthly at €7.49, Picsart Pro Monthly at €10.99, plus other weekly or annual plans depending on the offers available.

On Google Play, Picsart also presents two levels: Picsart Plus, with premium content, templates and additional retouching features, and Picsart Pro, which adds more AI tools, team seats and more storage space.

The issue is not that Picsart costs money. An app this rich obviously requires development, servers, AI models, content and a team. The delicate point is perception. When too many interesting tools lead to a premium plan, users can quickly feel that the free version is mainly a showcase.

Reviews actually go both ways. On the App Store, some users say they have used the app for years and find the subscription justified, while others criticise ads, premium options appearing too often or final quality that is not always perfect on certain edits.

A powerful app, but sometimes too crowded

Picsart is generous with features. That is its strength, but also its limit. The more AI, templates, stickers, effects, paid plans and community spaces the app adds, the more it risks losing people who simply wanted to edit an image.

The interface is still generally accessible, but it is no longer as light as it once was. It is easy to understand how to make a simple edit, but sometimes you need to dig around to find the right tool, avoid premium options or avoid being distracted by all the new AI features.

That is Picsart’s paradox today: on paper, it is better than before, but not necessarily more relaxing to use. It does a lot. Really a lot. At times, it could use a little more breathing room.

Privacy: pay attention to imported images and content

Like any modern creative app, Picsart collects and processes several types of data. On the App Store, the listing indicates that some identifiers may be used to track users across apps and websites owned by other companies. It also mentions data that may be linked to the user’s identity, such as purchases, contact information, user content, search history, identifiers, usage data and diagnostics.

On Google Play, the Data Safety section indicates that the app may share personal information, photos and videos, as well as other categories of data, with third parties. It may also collect personal information, financial information and several other types of data. Data is encrypted in transit and users can request deletion.

For an app that handles photos, videos, faces, avatars, prompts and creative content, this is not a secondary detail. Picsart is not a simple offline filter. It is a connected creative platform. That does not mean it should be avoided, but it should be used with some awareness, especially with sensitive personal or professional visuals.

Picsart’s strengths and limits

Strengths

• A huge number of creative tools, from photo retouching to collages.
• Many AI features, including image generation, video generation, avatars and background removal.
• Useful templates for social posts, stories, logos, posters and marketing content.
• Massive sticker library, with more than 60 million elements claimed.
• Accessible interface for creating quickly without technical knowledge.
• Strong reputation on iOS, with a high App Store rating.

Weaknesses

• Subscription is very present, with several plans and many premium tools.
• Ads and payment prompts can become tiring in free use.
• Interface sometimes feels too crowded, especially with the massive arrival of AI.
• Less powerful than CapCut for pure video editing.
• Fairly broad data collection, understandable for a creative platform but worth checking.
• AI results can vary, depending on images, prompts and features used.

My opinion on Picsart

Picsart remains an excellent creative app, but it has changed category. It is no longer just “the nice app for making photo edits”. It has become a real mobile studio, sometimes close to Canva, sometimes close to a social mini Photoshop, sometimes close to an AI lab.

I really like how accessible it makes creation. You can start from an ordinary photo and, in a few minutes, get a visual suitable for Instagram, a poster, a thumbnail, a story or a more professional post. Background removal, collages, templates and stickers remain safe bets.

Where I am more cautious is the abundance. Picsart wants to be everywhere: photo, video, design, AI, avatars, marketing, community, business. That ambition is impressive, but it sometimes makes the experience less clear. By adding layer after layer, the app loses a little of the spontaneity that built its charm.

Final verdict

Picsart is a powerful, creative and very complete app. For those who want to edit images, create social visuals, try AI effects or produce content quickly without using complex software, it remains one of the best options on the market.

But it is no longer a small lightweight app. It is a full platform, with subscription, AI, ads, premium templates and fairly broad data collection. Its value therefore depends a lot on the user profile. For a regular creator, Picsart can become a central tool. For occasional use, the free version may be enough, although it can also quickly give the feeling of pushing — almost forcing — users toward payment.

My position is simple: Picsart is very strong when it puts creativity at the user’s service without suffocating it. When it pushes the subscription too hard or fills the screen with too many new features, it loses a little elegance. But in its category, it remains hard to ignore.

Frequently asked questions about Picsart

Is Picsart free?

Yes, Picsart can be downloaded for free on iPhone, iPad and Android. The app includes ads, in-app purchases and several paid plans such as Picsart Gold, Plus or Pro, depending on the platform and country.

What is Picsart used for?

Picsart is used to retouch photos, create collages, add text, use stickers, remove backgrounds, erase objects, generate AI images, create avatars and produce visuals for social media or creative projects.

Can Picsart edit videos?

Yes, Picsart offers video tools for editing clips, adding music, applying effects, using text, creating AI videos and turning images into videos. For highly rhythmic social video editing, CapCut remains more specialised, but Picsart is practical for videos connected to visual creations.

Is Picsart suitable for beginners?

Yes, Picsart remains fairly simple for beginners thanks to templates, ready-made effects, automatic tools and AI features. The app can feel busy from the start, though, because it offers a huge number of options right from the first screens.

What is the difference between Picsart Plus and Picsart Pro?

Picsart Plus gives access to premium content, templates and additional retouching options. Picsart Pro adds more AI tools, team seats designed for small businesses and more storage space.

Is Picsart better than Canva?

Picsart is more focused on photo retouching, effects, collages and creative transformations. Canva is often stronger for presentations, documents, brand visuals and structured marketing content. Picsart is more playful and visual; Canva is more organised and professional.

Is Picsart better than Photoshop?

No, not for very precise professional retouching. Photoshop remains much more powerful and controllable. Picsart is more of a simple, fast and creative mobile alternative for producing visuals without a heavy learning curve.

Can you remove a background with Picsart?

Yes, Picsart offers a background removal tool to create clean cutouts, prepare product visuals or quickly change the background of an image. The app also offers Smart Background to integrate more consistent backgrounds.

Does Picsart protect personal data?

Picsart states on the App Store that some identifiers may be used for tracking and that several categories of data may be linked to the user. Google Play also indicates that some data may be collected or shared, with encryption in transit and the option to request deletion.

Is Picsart still worth it?

Yes, Picsart is still worth it for those who regularly create visuals, retouch photos or want to try AI tools without using complex software. The app is less appealing for users looking for a free, lightweight experience without constant pushes toward premium features.