Free photo apps that will give Instagram a run for its money.

I've never been a huge Instagram user, which I guess after recent major changes to the Instagram Terms of Service, isn't a bad thing at all. But I am a fan of good quality photo editing apps, especially when they're free.

We have been keeping our eyes open for alternative photo apps like the Flickr app, that still offer cool editing features and photo sharing options. But I've found another neat one, and it may give you the biggest bang for your photo editing buck.  BeFunky is a free app for iOS and Android that gives you a huge array of options for making your good photos great. All the basics are covered like cropping, brightening, adding contrast and rotating, but there are also about 30 filters for you to choose from that give the standard pro effects, plus fun ones ones like Toy Camera, Gritty HDR, and a Warhol-esque Pop Art.
In addition to photo effects, you can also add lots of frame styles, as well as text and "Goodies" which include hundreds of different icons that you can slap onto your photo should you want to take something cool and make it cheesy. (I admit there are some occasions that call for cheese.)

There are so many options in BeFunky, you'll have a great time just playing around with whatever photos you have to make them frame-worthy or ones you just want to email to someone for a laugh. 
I also like that you can layer all the effects and just keep piling on variations, rather than just having to stick with one. And of course, there is a social layer to the app so you can share your image publicly, view other people's pictures and "like" them.



You can also use the BeFunky website to test out all the photo effects before you commit to the app. But given how many options there are, plus the fact that it's free, there's not a whole lot of reasons not to try it out. -Jeana 
BeFunky photo app is free on iTunes and Google Play.