Zaps vs Prequel: which creative app is right for you?

A curated effects specialist, done extremely well.

Prequel has spent years perfecting one thing: signature AI effects and aesthetic filters. Its 800+ effect library includes iconic looks like DISCO, DIAMOND, BLING, TEAL, MIAMI, PRISM, VHS and D3D, plus AI-powered styles for Anime, Y2K, Vintage and Indie Kid. The 4.7-star average across 332,000+ iOS reviews — and over 50 million downloads — speaks to how well that focus has landed.

Prequel's video editing toolkit covers cinematic, retro, film, old money, VHS and lomography effects, alongside VFX, frames and camcorder emulators. There are video templates with intros, outros and built-in music, AR objects, captions, retouching tools (skin smoothing, teeth whitening), 30+ custom fonts and a steady stream of trend-driven looks.

Prequel is a focused specialist — and that focus is the feature. Many creators specifically download Prequel because they love a particular look that only Prequel does the way they want it.

Filters, effects and reel templates — plus carousels, stories, collages and 5000+ templates.

Zaps takes the same belief Prequel has — that aesthetic filters and effects deserve a polished, mobile-first home — and builds it into an app that also covers the rest of what creators post. Filters & Effects in Zaps include a wide range of aesthetic photo and video filters, film effects, vintage looks, overlays and creator presets, plus a short video and reels maker for trend-driven video edits.

On top of that, Zaps adds a dedicated seamless carousel maker, an Instagram story template library, a collage maker, and AI photo tools — AI Background Remover, Magic Eraser and AI Photo Enhance. The library spans 5000+ templates and grows regularly.

The deal is simple: same $39.99 a year, broader scope inside the app. Zaps is the right pick when filters and effects are part of what you make — but not the only thing.

Both apps care about the look.

Prequel's effect library is its core: 800+ effects, including signature looks like DISCO, DIAMOND, BLING, TEAL, MIAMI, PRISM, VHS and D3D, plus AI-powered Anime, Y2K, Vintage and Indie Kid styles. It's a curated collection, trend-aware and constantly updated. If a specific Prequel filter is the reason you edit, Prequel is the obvious pick.

Zaps offers the same kind of aesthetic looks Prequel users care about — film, vintage, retro, mono, warm and cool tones, grain, overlays and creator-style presets — through its Filters & Effects library. Designed to apply across stories, reels, carousels and posts. Different libraries, same goal: make the photo or video look great before it ships.

Different angles on short video.

Prequel approaches video through its effect library — apply a signature look to a clip, drop in a template with intros, outros and music, add AR objects or captions, and you have a polished trend-driven video. Cinematic, retro, film, VHS and lomography effects are core to that workflow.

Zaps approaches video through its short video and reels maker — reel templates, beat-sync edits, transitions and 9:16 social-ready exports for Instagram Reels and TikTok. Both apps make great vertical videos. The difference is whether the video starts from an effect or from a reel template.

Stories are a Zaps focus.

Prequel is built around aesthetic effects and filters, so dedicated Instagram Stories templates aren't its primary scope. That's a deliberate focus choice — Prequel users tend to apply an effect to a photo or clip and post directly.

Zaps treats stories as a first-class format with a curated Instagram Story Templates library — covering daily posts, polls, Q&As, product drops, testimonials and announcements — sized for 9:16 and ready to publish.

A dedicated carousel-first workflow.

Prequel recently introduced carousel functionality for combining multiple slides with photos, text and stickers — a useful addition that fits its effects-focused workflow.

Zaps was built with seamless Instagram carousels as a primary format. Its seamless carousel maker covers cross-slide layouts, slide-by-slide editing, multi-photo carousel templates and swipe-to-reveal panoramic designs as a first-class workflow alongside filters and effects.

A dedicated collage maker in Zaps.

Photo collages aren't a primary part of how Prequel markets itself — its focus is single-photo or single-clip aesthetic edits. That keeps the app lean and on-mission.

Zaps includes a dedicated collage maker with multi-photo grids, magazine-style layouts and editable templates — useful when you want to combine several photos into one post and apply Zaps filters and effects across them.

Two different angles on AI.

Prequel's AI is aesthetic-led: AI-powered Anime, Y2K, Vintage and Indie Kid effects that transform a selfie or portrait into stylized art, plus recent additions like object removal and Relight for lighting adjustments. If you want AI that gives a photo a particular look, Prequel is purpose-built for it.

Zaps' AI is cleanup-led: AI Background Remover, Magic Eraser and AI Photo Enhance. Clean up a product photo, remove a distraction, sharpen a shot — then drop it into a carousel slide, story or reel without leaving the app.

The polish layer.

Prequel includes 30+ custom fonts, stickers, gifs and emojis as part of its design polish — useful for trend-driven captions and overlays that fit a Prequel-styled photo or video.

Zaps brings the polish layer in too: an extensive fonts & stickers library, plus a Brand Kit for consistent colors, logos and fonts across every post you make. Useful when you're posting often and want everything to feel like one feed.

Same price. Different scope.

Prequel and Zaps Pro are both priced at $39.99 per year. There's no winner on price — it's a tie.

Prequel has a free tier with limited effects, with the premium subscription unlocking the full effects library, advanced editing tools and beauty features. Zaps Pro at $39.99/yr covers filters, effects, reels, carousels, stories, collages, AI photo tools, fonts, stickers and the brand kit in one subscription. Same dollar amount; the question is just how much app you want for it.

Both on iOS and Android.

Prequel ships on both iOS and Android, with a long App Store track record — 4.7 stars across 332,000+ iOS reviews — and over 50 million downloads across both platforms. Zaps also ships on iOS and Android, holding 4.8 across 633 ratings as a newer app. Neither has a platform advantage.

Both apps are camera-roll-first. Prequel opens to its effects browser — pick a look, apply, post. Zaps opens to a format picker — carousel, story, reel, collage, photo edit — and starts you in a curated template for whichever you choose.