5 Apps Like Snapchat With Face-Tracking Filters

Get creative with your selfies by applying animated effects

By
Elise Moreau
Elise Moreau
Elise Moreau
Freelance Contributor
  • University of Ontario
  • George Brown College
Elise Moreau is a writer that has covered social media, texting, messaging, and streaming for Lifewire. Her work has appeared on Techvibes, SlashGear, Lifehack and others.
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Updated on December 25, 2020
Reviewed by
Christine Baker
Reviewed by Christine Baker
Christine Baker is a marketing consultant with experience working for a variety of clients. Her expertise includes social media, web development, and graphic design.
lifewire's editorial guidelines

Plain old selfies are so last year. These days, people can't get enough of those fun filters on Snapchat, which utilize face-tracking technology to animate your face in real time with different looks so you can share them instantly with all your friends via chat, Stories, or by simply saving them to your device so you can upload them to other social networks. It's the big, new trend in selfie-taking.

Ever since Snapchat introduced filters (or lenses, as they're officially called) and the world quickly adopted them, similar apps have started popping up to ride along with the trend. They offer selfie enthusiasts a wide variety of fun looks that extend beyond the handful of filters Snapchat makes available on a daily basis.

Ready to have some serious fun with warping and animating your own face? Check out the list of fun selfie filter apps below to snap a creative selfie in seconds and wow all your friends on social media.

01
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Snapchat's Biggest Face Filter Rival: Instagram

Brianna Gilmartin / Lifewire
What We Like

  • It's fast at detecting faces and applying filters.

  • Very popular platform with enormous user base.

What We Don't Like

  • Can only post filtered photos or videos as stories or private messages.

  • Customer support is poor.

If there's any other app out there that comes close to Snapchat, it's Instagram. The popular photo and video sharing app now has its own unique library of built-in face filters that you can use post as a story or send via Instagram Direct message.

Just tap the camera icon in the top left corner followed by the smiley face icon. This activates the face detection feature, which then displays a variety of filters at the bottom of the screen that you can try on.

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02
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Enhance Your Beauty: SNOW

A screenshot of the SNOW app for Android.
What We Like

  • New looks and makeup features added daily that change according to the season.

  • Intuitive interface.

What We Don't Like

  • Not a social media style app.

  • No messaging for China users.

This Korean app started off as nearly a complete clone of Snapchat and has since evolved into more of a beauty app. You get stylish AR makeup filters in addition to natural skin tone effects and face stickers—with new ones added frequently.

SNOW used to function like a chat app too, with 48-hour stories and a GIF feature as bonus features, but these features seem to have been retired. Its main focus now appears to be photo editing, with a clear emphasis on beauty.

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03
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Express Yourself With Beauty Effects and Fun Filters: Camera360

Camera360
Photo © PinGuo Inc.
What We Like

  • Can combine natural beauty effects with fun augmented reality face filters.

  • Unique features not found in other apps.

What We Don't Like

  • App is entirely in Korean without localization for other languages.

  • User interface is oddly difficult.

Similar to SNOW, Camera360 is another wildly popular facial recognition filter app from Korea. There are tons of different filters to choose from and play around with to get your selfies and videos looking just right.

Camera360 allows its users to go nuts on their selfies by combining their crazy-looking filtered selfies with editing effects for smoothing out imperfections and enhancing other parts. If you love the whimsical look of Korean animation, you'll love this app.

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04
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Switch Faces With Anyone: Face Swap Live

Face Swap Live
Photo Photo © Laan Labs
What We Like

  • Simple face swapping app.

  • Works with videos.

What We Don't Like

  • App is not free for iOS or Android.

  • App doesn't offer better face swapping technology for the price.

Before Snapchat introduced its face swap filter, there was Face Swap Live—a simple app that allows you to switch faces with another friend in real-time as you record a video or snap a photo. You can also select a photo from your device and swap your face with the person in that photo instead (which Snapchat also eventually introduced in its filter offering).

If all you're looking for is a fun app to use for swapping faces, this one may be your best bet.

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