VSCO is one of the best-known photo editing solutions, and you might even have heard of it before using the likes of Adobe Lightroom. The free version offers a decent suite of tools for adding the finishing touches to your pictures.
However, the free plan is also quite limited. If you’ve maximized what you can learn from this pricing tier, you might want to upgrade to one of VSCO’s paid subscriptions. You have two choices: Plus and Pro.
Plus is less expensive than Pro, but is it even worth upgrading from VSCO Free to Plus?
How Much Does VSCO Plus Cost?
VSCO Plus’ pricingwill depend on whether you get an annual subscription or prefer to pay month-to-month. The annual subscription works out cheaper over the course of the year; It’s $29.99 per year, which averages at roughly $2.50 per month.
This is much less expensive than VSCO Plus if you get a monthly subscription instead, which costs $7.99 per month. Over the course of the year, you’d pay $95.88.
If you’re currently using Instagram, you might want to considerswitching from Instagram to VSCO.
What Do You Get With VSCO Plus?
Before we look at the pros and cons of using VSCO Plus, let’s look at what you get when you upgrade. Below are three main features that you can’t use with the free plan.
1. More Filters
One reason why VSCO is one of thebest photo editing apps for bloggersand beginner photographers is that making big adjustments is easy. When you upgrade to VSCO Plus, you’ll get access to a bigger range of filters than you had with the free version.
Compared to the 15 presets that you previously had, you’ll find more than 200 after upgrading. These range across multiple photography styles. You’ll also be able to use more editing sliders that weren’t available in the free version of VSCO.
2. Video Editing
Video has become a crucial component of online content creation. In addition to long-form YouTube videos, you can benefit from making short-form Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok videos. With VSCO Plus, you can edit videos alongside still images.
You can add numerous presets to your videos when using VSCO Plus, along with trimming your clips and adjusting the volume. Moreover, you’ve got the choice to alter the contrast, exposure, and various other settings.
Many of the video editing features are also available whentweaking short-form videos in Adobe Premiere Rush. However, you might find it easier to keep your photo and video editing in one place.
3. HSL Sliders
HSL sliders are useful for adjusting pictures in tools like Adobe Lightroom, and you can use these in VSCO too once you’ve upgraded to Plus.
You can edit the reds, greens, oranges, yellows, blues, and magentas in your picture. Each slider ranges from +6 to -6.
The Pros of Using VSCO Plus
Now that you know more about the different features available with VSCO Plus, let’s look at the pros and cons of upgrading. We’ll start by identifying some of the biggest benefits.
1. More Media Options
If you’re a multimedia content creator, the biggest benefit of upgrading to VSCO Plus is that you may edit both photos and videos. Besides making your shots look fancier for social media and your website, you can build your presence further with intriguing video content.
Instead of using two different programs, you’ll be able to edit both your photos and videos in the same place. As a result, this might save you some time in the long run. Consider trying theseunique Instagram Reels ideas to stand outif you’re stuck for inspiration.
2. Mobile Photo Editing Made Much Easier
The main advantage of mobile editing is being able to adjust your pictures on the go, and with that in mind, you’ll want a program that’s user-friendly. VSCO Plus makes mobile photo editing much easier with more filters, giving you a better starting point to build from.
Because you have more editing options, you can also go deeper with your adjustments. As such, you might find it easier to stand out on platforms that are quite saturated.
3. Relatively Affordable Pricing
VSCO Plus is pretty affordable if you get the annual plan. Comparatively, you can get Lightroom from $9.99 per month—which will already cost more than VSCO Plus after three months.
Lightroom does offer a bigger range of features overall, but you might find that VSCO Plus is an ideal stepping stone for a beginner photographer. you may also consider using theseuser-friendly photo editing tools for beginnersif you want to expand your options.
4. Improved Collaboration
In addition to its photo editing features, VSCO benefits from being a community-oriented platform. You can easily share your creations with others and find other photographers that inspire you.
When upgrading to VSCO Plus, you may use VSCO Spaces to create galleries of your work. This way, you’ll be able toimprove your visual storytelling as a photographer.
The Cons of Using VSCO Plus
While VSCO Plus offers numerous advantages, it’s important to think about the drawbacks of using the platform before spending your money. Here are two of the main ones to consider.
1. No Desktop Editing
Although VSCO has been a great mobile editing app for many, the lack of a desktop version has caused some frustration. Unfortunately, VSCO Plus still doesn’t have desktop editing included at the time of writing.
If you want to edit using VSCO on your computer, it’s worth thinking about getting VSCO Pro. With this subscription, you can access web editing.
2. You Can’t Use All the Presets
When using VSCO Plus, you’ll be able to use a bigger number of presets than with the free version. However, you still won’t have access to all of them—and this could become frustrating after a while.
The good news is that with VSCO Plus, you can create more of your own presets and use these on your photos wherever you feel that doing so is necessary. So, if you’re feeling particularly creative, not having access to all presets might not bother you so much.
VSCO Plus Offers More Options for Editing Your Photos
VSCO Plus is a big upgrade from the free edition of the app, and you’ll gain access to both photo and video editing. you may choose from more presets, and it’s also possible to use HSL sliders to make your pictures look even better than would otherwise be the case.
With VSCO Plus, you should note that desktop editing still isn’t available. But with all the other features available at an affordable price, it’s not a bad option.
