Overview

Mextures combines an iOS photo editor with texture and preset products, plus Console, a free Photoshop plugin. Its strongest case is creating and revising film-like effects rather than replacing a full photo-editing workflow. The iOS app offers extensive layering, while access to desktop products and the iOS app is sold separately: a desktop membership does not unlock iOS in-app purchases.

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Key features

Layered editing: The iOS app allows unlimited layers that can be moved, hidden, rotated and adjusted for opacity. That makes it practical to build an effect incrementally and revise individual elements instead of settling for a flattened preset.
Textures and presets: The iOS product includes more than 200 stackable textures, including grain, dust, light leaks and color gradients, alongside 30 film presets and over 300 professionally created Formulas. This gives stylized images a broad set of starting points, though the emphasis remains on effects rather than general-purpose editing.
Formula sharing: Formula Manager imports recipes from other Mextures users and exports your own. That helps users reuse a look or share a repeatable editing recipe.
Desktop reach: Console is a free Photoshop plugin for Photoshop CC 2016–2023 on Windows 10 or newer and macOS 11 or newer. The maker warns that the current beta crashes with the latest Photoshop and macOS Sonoma, so it is a risky choice for a dependable desktop workflow until that issue is resolved.
Preset compatibility: Film Presets work with Console, Lightroom CC 2021/2022, Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere, with software-specific versions requiring separate purchases. They are not conversion LUTs, so RAW or LOG footage must be normalized first; users needing a conversion stage should look elsewhere.

Pricing

Mextures has a free plan and paid products, but the lower-cost options provide narrower access than a membership. The Console plugin costs 0.00 USD per free and is the sensible entry point for Photoshop users who can accept beta instability; future plugin updates are also promised to remain free. The Mextures Photo Editor costs 1.99 USD per once for the iOS app, with additional in-app purchases, so the app price alone does not cover all paid content.

The X-Film Overlay Pack costs 10.00 USD per month and includes 11 overlays at 4000 x 4000 pixels. It suits someone who needs that specific overlay set, but not a buyer seeking the entire collection. The Mextures Yearly Membership costs 89.00 USD per year and includes all products and packs released during the subscription, plus beta Console access. Its annual term makes sense for ongoing access, but desktop purchase does not include iOS in-app purchases.

The Mextures Lifetime Membership is shown at 139.00 USD per month, billed Pay Once, for lifetime access to all Mextures products and future overlay and color-grade packs, with no yearly subscription. The one-time billing term distinguishes it from the yearly membership, though the displayed price is higher. The free trial is not offered.

Platforms

Mextures covers iOS, macOS and Windows. The iOS app is the clearest route to its adjustable-layer workflow; desktop access centers on Console and compatible preset products. Console’s stated compatibility spans Photoshop CC 2016–2023 on Windows 10 or newer and macOS 11 or newer, but the current crash warning materially weakens its appeal for users on the latest Photoshop or macOS Sonoma.

Who it's for

Mextures suits photographers, filmmakers and designers who want textured, film-like treatments for landscapes, portraits, macro images, album art, matte painting, social media or blogs. It is also useful when a team wants to exchange repeatable looks through Formulas. It is a poor fit for teams seeking a broad image editor or for footage workflows that expect presets to convert unnormalized RAW or LOG material.

Pros and cons

Pro: Unlimited adjustable iOS layers make complex effects revisable, rather than forcing users to accept a single fixed look.
Pro: More than 200 textures, 30 film presets and over 300 Formulas provide substantial creative variety.
Pro: Console is free, and the maker says future plugin updates will remain free.
Con: Console is in beta and currently crashes with the latest Photoshop and macOS Sonoma, undermining desktop reliability.
Con: Film Presets are not conversion LUTs; footage needs normalization before they can be applied as intended.
Con: The yearly desktop membership does not unlock iOS in-app purchases, so mobile and desktop spending can remain separate.

Alternatives

Browse Photo Preset Libraries for a broader preset comparison, or Texture Libraries when the priority is sourcing overlays. For a more general editing workflow, compare Photo Editing Software.

VSCO is worth considering when a freemium option across web, iOS and Android, with a free 15-preset Starter tier and a larger Plus library, better matches a cross-device preset workflow.
RNI Films is another freemium option with a free plan and support for Android, iOS, macOS and Windows.
Signature Edits offers one-time Lightroom preset purchases, including a 59.00 USD per once collection and a 79.00 USD per once AI Engine Preset Toolkit.
Visual Flow is a paid alternative with a free plan and no free trial; consider it as another preset-focused option.
Capture One is the alternative to consider when desktop RAW conversion, tethering and advanced editing tools matter more than Mextures’ layered effects.
Greater Than Gatsby sells a 641-preset Lightroom bundle for Lightroom CC and Classic CC, Camera Raw, Mac and PC, making it a more expansive Lightroom preset purchase.
The Luxe Lens offers a one-time First Years Baby & Newborn Lightroom Presets purchase for 14.00 USD per once.
123Presets sells Lightroom preset packs for 15.00 USD per once and also offers video LUT packs.

Verdict

Choose Mextures if layered textures, film presets and shareable editing recipes are central to the look you want, especially on iOS. Its strongest reason to buy is the breadth and adjustability of its effects; its strongest reason to look elsewhere is the split between paid mobile content and a desktop plugin whose current beta crash warning makes it hard to rely on in production.

	Adobe Lightroom	Mextures
Free plan	No	Yes
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	—	$7.42/mo
Open source	No	No
Platforms	—	iOS, macOS, Windows
Free plan	Yes	No
Platform	multi-platform	—
RAW photo support	Yes	—
Masking tools	Yes	—
Batch editing	Yes	—
Cloud sync	Yes	—
AI retouching	Yes	—

Adobe Lightroom vs Mextures

Adobe Lightroom

Mextures