Cartoon photo apps allow you to transform your pictures into fun cartoon illustrations with the tap of a button. Whether you want creative social media profile pics, comic artwork to share, or custom cartoon avatars for gaming, these clever apps put artistic effects and filters at your fingertips.
With so many options to wade through, I‘ve researched and curated the 9 top apps for turning photos into cartoons across factors like usability, customization range, output quality and platform support.
Let‘s explore the key capabilities of each top app, and how to choose the right one for your needs as an amateur hobbyist or pro cartoonist.
1. ToonMe – Best for Facial Cartoons
Platforms: iOS, Android
Key Features:
- Uses AI to transform selfies/photos into quality cartoon illustrations
- Multiple facial cartoon styles from sketches to caricatures
- Cartoon sticker packs to share on other apps
- Adjustable image parameters like brightness and color
ToonMe earns the top spot for smoothly converting portraits into caricatured cartoons with popping color and details through AI-powered rendering. With a highly responsive mobile interface, you can crank out creative, customized cartoon avatars on the fly to use as fun profile images or memes to share.
While it focuses on facial images, the quality and control make ToonMe a versatile choice for cartoonizing all kinds of photos.
2. Clip2Comic – Best for Video Cartoon Effects
Platforms: iOS
Key Features:
- Cartoonizes video clips up to 4K 60fps
- Realistic artistic styles like watercolor painting
- Premium pencil drawing and color eraser tools
- Higher image export resolution
Living up to its name, Clip2Comic excels at transforming both static images and videos into animated cartoon artworks covering styles like sketches, paintings and comics.
Beyond its comic filters, the app lets you fine tune aspects like colors, contrasts etc. for customized artistic effects. Plus, its superior export quality makes it easy to print or share your creations. Overall, Clip2Comic offers the best package for cartoonizing videos and photos alike into true-to-life animated illustrations.
Download: iOS
3. ToonCamera – Best For Real-Time Effects
Platforms: iOS
Key Features:
- Preview and apply cartoon filters in real-time
- Range of styles from black & white sketch to vivid anime
- Export images and videos up to 4K
- Advanced customization of filter properties
If you want to see results as you shoot, ToonCamera renders your photos or videos into cartoons in real-time thanks to AR mode effects. With an extensive filter library spanning monochrome sketches to vibrant animations, it offers one of the widest style varieties to toy with on the fly until you land on your desired look.
While the free effects offer plenty to play with, upgrading unlocks professional tools like color & brightness tuning for the advanced cartoonist. For direct camera cartoon transformations, ToonCamera is unmatched.
Download: iOS
4. Painnt – Best AI Cartoon Effect Quality
Platforms: iOS, Android
Key Features:
- Massive filter style collection powered by AI
- Granular adjustment of effect properties
- Preview cartoon outcomes before applying
- No watermarks on downloaded images
Boasting one of the largest AI-optimized cartoon filter libraries spanning over 20,000 styles, Painnt gives you an immense array of one-tap effects to transform your photos.
While the broad selection lets casual users easily find appealing effects, pro illustrators can also deep dive to meticulously tune filter characteristics like shadows and edges for expert quality end results. Download your cartoons sans watermarks or share instantly. For sheer filter variety and control, Painnt is unmatched.
5. Prequel – Best Features for Sharing Creations
Platforms: iOS, Android
Key Features:
- Hundreds of animated filters and stickers
- Add text captions and crop/trim cartoons
- Direct sharing to social channels built-in
- Lively user community feed
Prequel offers much more than photo filters – packed with animated effects, customizable text tools and integrated sharing to leading social/messaging apps, it brings your cartoon creations to life.
The bonus stickers, fonts and text bubbles on top of the artistic filters enable you to easily spice up comics to spread laughs across your circles. And with the community feed of user cartoon posts built-in, you can find inspiration and appreciation for your artistic talents all in one engaging app.
6. MomentCam – Best For Animated Characters
Platforms: iOS
Key Features:
- Cartoon face filters with animated expressions
- Add cartoon hats/glasses/facial hair
- Custom stickers and GIF creation
- Millions-strong user community
MomentCam takes facial cartoon filters up a notch by making them animated – from smiles to frowns to surprise, map your selfies onto changeable cartoon reactions. On top of its emotive face effects, props like silly glasses, wizard hats and moustaches add to the whimsical fun.
And with its massive community of users sharing their own wacky cartoonized personas, MomentCam fosters enjoyment and connections through creatively modded selfies. For lively social cartoon transformations, MomentCam delivers.
Download: iOS
7. Cartoon Face – Best for Beginners
Platforms: iOS
Key Features:
- Simple taps to change facial expressions
- Fun props like emoji accessories
- Add text captions and GIF output
- Premium unlocks more features
True to its straightforward name, Cartoon Face makes doodle-esque cartoon creation highly accessible for novices through single tap alteration of key facial elements like smiles and frowns. While keeping edits easy, it squeezes in playful personalization like emoji hats and glasses alongside handy text tools.
As a bonus, premium unlocks powerful color control features for bringing sophisticated polish. For dipping your toes into cartoon selfies on iPhone with friendly UI, Cartoon Face is ideal.
Download: iOS
8. Voilà AI Artist – Best for 3D Cartoons
Platforms: Android
Key Features:
- Converts images into 3D cartoon models
- Range of artistic styles like Disney portraits
- Fun face-morphing and AR modes
- Add speech and text bubbles
Voilà differentiates itself through its modeled 3D cartoon effects that map your selfies onto sculpted cartoon busts seemingly leaping off the screen. Bringing your photos into another dimension, it recreates them through detailed rendering in Disney/Pixar-esque animated fashion using depth.
Augmented Reality functionality also lets you overlay the wacky renditions in your actual environment for eye-catching photographic possibilities. For adding modeling and motion, Voilà excels.
Download: Android
9. Cartoon Photo Editor – Best Real-Time Selfie Cartoons
Platforms: Android
Key Features:
- Apply filters on camera in real-time
- Range of artistic styles like sketch & watercolor
- Adjust filter intensity
- Save creations at original resolution
Like ToonCamera, Cartoon Photo Editor gives you live previews of cartoon filters as you snap pics for on-the-fly creative photography. With fewer frills but decent custom controls, it offers a practical option for Android users to cartoonize selfies and other photos in-camera.
While light on bonus features, its focus on efficient real-time augmentation makes imagined photos pop to life automatically through your smartphone lens.
Download: Android
Key Decision Factors in Cartoon Photo Apps
With such a packed field of options, narrowing down the best cartoon camera apps depends on weighing priorities like:
User Experience – Interface responsiveness and intuitiveness matters for smoothly applying effects on mobile
Effect & Style Range – Library size and diversity to suit different preferences
Output Quality & Resolution – Crucial for printing or sharing without pixelation
Sharing/Community Features – Built-in sharing and appreciation functions
Price – Paid subscriptions required for bonus capabilities
Platform Support – App ecosystem (iOS vs. Android) access
Comparing the Strengths of the Top Apps
| App | Key Highlights |
|---|---|
| ToonMe | Best realism and control for facial cartoon stylization |
| Clip2Comic | Most video and image quality maximization |
| ToonCamera | Unmatched live previewing and mobility |
| Painnt | Massive style collections with customization freedom |
| Prequel | Creative community sharing and text/emoji additions |
| MomentCam | Top amusement through animated expressions |
| Cartoon Face | Simplest iPhone cartoon selfies for novices |
| Voilà AI Artist | Leading 3D rendering and AR modes |
| Cartoon Photo Editor | Streamlined Android in-camera effects |
And while the above apps cater to different specialties, a few are well-suited for broad objectives:
- Best Overall: ToonMe and Painnt
- Best Simplicity: Cartoon Face
- Best Animation: Clip2Comic, MomentCam
- Best Quality: Clip2Comic
Now let‘s explore some real-world examples demonstrating these apps‘ capabilities.
App Showcases and Use Cases
Here are some examples illustrating the creative cartoon outputs achieveable with these apps:
Creative profile pics through ToonMe, Clip2Comic and Painnt (L to R)
For light-hearted social media profile images, ToonMe‘s smoothed facial focus lends upbeat friendliness, vs. Clip2Comic‘s dramatic contour-sharpened style or Painnt‘s edgier pencil vibes.
Before/after applying MomentCam animated emotion filter
To instantly inject vivid reactions into your selfies, MomentCam‘s mapped expressions make images worth far more than a thousand words.
3D avatar creations through Voilà AI Artist
For modeling your inner animé persona, Voilà AI Artist‘s scans sculpt fully shaded 3D cartoon doppelgangers ready to star in their own video game or comic book worlds.
And for decor, personalized cartoon portrait prints produced through Clip2Comic or Painnt‘s high fidelity effects convert memories intoprofessional quality pop art pieces.
Beyond selfies, versatile apps like ToonMe and Painnt readily convert group shots, pet photos or landscapes into sketches, paintings and comics tailor-made for sharing as eye-catching visual stories.
So whether boosting your brand through a cartoon mascot, making custom gamer avatars or simply having some weekend fun with friends, these apps unlock creative photographic potential limited only by your imagination.
Conclusion
As we‘ve covered, turning photos into cartoons is now incredibly easy whether you‘re pursuing professional animations or just casual social sharing.
With the top apps showcased here significantly lowering artistic barriers through advanced effects and streamlined tools, you can channel your inner comic illustrator to animate photos from your mobile device with a few simple taps.
I recommend playing with a variety of options like ToonMe, Painnt and Clip2Comic to uncover your favored visual styles – their breadth, quality and usability excel as highlighted.
Whichever route you choose, transforming life‘s moments into vivid, shareable cartoons makes capturing memories far more fun while unleashing your creative spirit.
So go forth and draw out the cartoon world within your photos!
