If you look at social media today, posting without filters is almost unheard of. They’ve been around for years, they are here to stay so it is smart to embrace them, and if you’re worried about the filter looking tacky or fake, or have trouble navigating filters on apps that have paywalls, here are 8 face filter apps that you can trust to give you a “you but better” look without the cost.
Filter hunting is difficult as it is given that there are millions out there, but to help you narrow down your search, if you’re on the lookout for natural-looking, fun, fresh, and free face filters, here are 8 face filter apps to look into in 2025.
BeautyPlus is an all-in-one beauty enhancement app. It comes with a plethora of AI and editing tools, but if you’re only interested in its face filters, it has an impressive library filled with natural-finish filters. The face filter app is easy to navigate, and you can also use filters in conjunction with the numerous AI tools to alter any details, flaws, and blemishes.
Snapchat is responsible for the popularization and social acceptance of filters because it aligned filter use with social media. The filter library is constantly updating and it keeps things interesting with AR effects, games, and animations. Because it primarily works as a social app, the filter quality is never much of a priority and the photo quality goes down as well.
Reface is amongst the lesser-known apps when it comes to filter variety, but amongst influencers and tech aficionados, it has made a name for itself for its face swapping technology, which you can use to plaster your face onto any piece of media, whether that’s movies, memes, or videos. It leaves you with a surprisingly realistic overlay for funny, meme worthy content.
If you have pictures of your loved ones, you can animate them using Revive to bring them to life (literally). You can use it to animate photos of famous historical figures and have them narrate a history lesson for your viewers, or use it to have someone you hold dear be animated, giving the picture even more sentimental value.
Funny face filters live camera. The name says it all. Filters are not all about beauty, rather, some of the most popular filters for face are known for their comedic value, and amongst the apps designed to cater to that niche, funny face takes the crown for diverse filters, ranging from distortion to cartoon effects. It’s lightweight enough to be used with your live camera to use effects in real-time.
Android only
The name BigVu is well known in the video content creator community because it offers facial touch-ups with a teleprompter that can display text or captions for them to record professional-looking videos. Combine that with the background replacement feature, you have a complete video editing studio at your fingertips.
YouCam video specializes in real-time makeup application for videos. The face filter app lets you adjust your lipstick, blush, eyeshadow, contour, highlight, and basically any makeup you’d like to put on so that you can experiment with makeup looks without having to spend money on the makeup or waste products.
CapCut hardly needs any introduction. You probably have it downloaded on your phone right now, but let’s go over it anyway. It is a powerhouse of a video editor and with it, you have access to free face filters that you can overlay onto your videos and create high-quality content in minutes.
Your choice of filters depends on the result you’re going for and with apps like BeautyPlus, you can have them all in one place. Here is how you can use the BeautyPlus app for face retouching, for makeup filters, and for AR effects.
This is how you use the BeautyPlus face retouch feature to eliminate any flaws in your photos.
1. Download the BeautyPlus app and open it.
2. Tap on “Start Editing.”
3. Next, upload your photo, and make sure the one you pick is clear.
4. From the scrollable toolbar at the bottom, you’ll see several options; tap “Portrait”.
5. Choose “Retouch,” which is there to help you fix flaws by smoothing them out. You can choose different filters like classic, daily, lovely, etc.
6. Once you’re happy with the post, just tap on “Save” on the top right to download it onto your device.
This is how you use the BeautyPlus makeup filter feature to try on different makeup products using just filters.
1. Assuming you’ve already downloaded the BeautyPlus app, go ahead and open it and tap “Start Editing”.
2. Once again, you’re working with a selfie or a portrait photo, so tap “Portrait”.
3. This time, you have to choose “Makeup”.
4. From there, you can explore different makeup styles for different parts of your face, like your eyebrows, cheeks, lips, etc.
5. Once you’re happy with the post, just tap on “Save” on the top right to download it onto your device.
Before and after
This is how you try out different augmented reality effects using BeautyPlus.
1. Once again, if you’ve already downloaded the BeautyPlus app, open it and tap “Start Editing”.
2. Next, from the tools at the bottom of your screen, navigate and tap on “Edit”.
3. Under the edit tools, you’ll find one labelled “AR Effect”, go ahead and tap it.
4. From the variety of effects, you can choose some interesting ones.
5. Once you’re happy with the post, just tap on “Save” on the top right to download it onto your device.
Before and after
Face filter apps have changed the social media game forever. With the right tools and the right skills, you can transform anything about your appearance, whether that’s overlaying your face onto the face of a famous movie star or just having fun with augmented reality. There is an app for everything, and all you have to do is pick the right one for you, and if you can’t decide on one, then BeautyPlus covers it all in a single, easy-to-use package.
For beauty edits, BeautyPlus reigns supreme, and for some social fun you might want to try out Snapchat. Both of them are versatile and have an extensive filter library.
If you’re going for beautification, a slight natural retouch filter is recommended, but you can be as experimental as you want to be for more intense filters.
For most apps, yes, you can adjust the filter intensity to keep things subtle, but for certain apps like Snapchat, you cannot.
For most apps out there, yes, they keep their features like face filters free of charge, but a lot of them can have a premium or a paywall that hides more exciting features.