Retrocap vs MyHeritage: Restoring and Colorizing Old Photos
By the Retrocap Team · Updated
Quick answer
Retrocap and MyHeritage both restore, colorize, sharpen and animate old photos with AI. MyHeritage's photo tools are part of a large family history platform with family trees, record search and extras such as photo dating, which suits genealogists. Retrocap is a dedicated photo restoration app that puts every tool in one place on iPhone and Android.
At a glance
| Retrocap | MyHeritage photo tools | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Dedicated AI photo restoration app | Photo features inside a family history platform |
| Platforms | iPhone (iOS 16.4+), Android (7.0+) | Web, plus iOS and Android apps |
| Repair scratches, tears, stains | Yes, Restore with Fix Scratches & Tears and Remove Stains | Yes, Photo Repair (in the mobile app) |
| Colorize | Yes, four styles: Natural, Vivid, Vintage, Cool | Yes, MyHeritage In Color |
| Sharpen faces and upscale | Yes, Enhance Faces, Sharpen & Deblur, Upscale x2 | Yes, Photo Enhancer |
| Animate portraits | Yes, Animate with optional voice narration | Yes, Deep Nostalgia and LiveMemory |
| Extras | Fix Exposure and Color Correction | PhotoDater (estimates a photo’s year), Photo Storyteller (audio recordings) |
| Free use | Free to download; processing uses credits | Photo Enhancer: 10 free photos with a watermark |
| Paid | Weekly or yearly subscription, or token packs | Complete subscription for unlimited, watermark-free enhancement |
MyHeritage details are based on MyHeritage’s photo features help page and Photo Enhancer help page, checked October 2026. Features and limits can change, so check MyHeritage for current details.
Where MyHeritage is strong
MyHeritage’s biggest advantage is that its photo tools live inside a full family history platform. If you are already building a family tree there, your photos, records and relatives are all in one place. Features such as PhotoDater, which estimates the year a photo was taken, and Photo Storyteller, which attaches audio recordings to photos, are designed specifically for family historians. Its tools are also available on the web, which is handy for working with large scanned collections on a computer.
Where Retrocap is strong
Retrocap is built only for photos. Every tool is in one app: Restore (with Standard and Deep levels and options for scratches, faces and stains), Colorize in four styles, Enhance with Sharpen & Deblur, Fix Exposure, Color Correction and Upscale x2, and Animate with optional voice narration. That focus makes it quick to take a photo from a damaged print to a restored, colorized or animated version on your phone, and to use the result with whichever family tree site you prefer.
Which should you choose?
| If you… | Choose |
|---|---|
| Already build your family tree on MyHeritage | MyHeritage |
| Want to date photos or attach audio stories to them | MyHeritage |
| Want all restoration tools in one focused phone app | Retrocap |
| Restore photos for several family tree sites, or none | Retrocap |
| Want to choose between several colorization styles | Retrocap |
Many family historians use both: a genealogy platform for the tree and records, and a dedicated restoration app for preparing the photos. For more on this workflow, see restoring old photos for your family tree.
