What it does
Filterly is an AI photo enhancement app designed to transform users' photos with a single tap. It offers a wide range of edits, focusing on personal appearance changes like new hairstyles, different hair colors, and age adjustments. The app positions itself as a tool for users to explore different versions of themselves and create unique profile pictures or avatars.
Where it shines
Filterly's strength lies in its onboarding, which is less of a tutorial and more of a psychological consultation. The process starts with a high-impact welcome screen (00:01) that immediately showcases the app's power with a scrolling gallery of impressive transformations. The core of the experience is a multi-step quiz (starting at 00:38) that asks surprisingly deep questions about the user's personality and how they want to be perceived. This culminates in a clever "Getting ready..." screen (01:03) that visualizes the AI personalizing the experience, effectively building significant value before the user ever sees the paywall.
UX highlights
- Value-first framing: The app leads with a carousel of high-quality results and an App Store award (00:02), establishing value and trust instantly.
- Emotional quizzing: Questions like "What part of your personality do you want your photos to express more of?" (00:56) connect the app's function to a user's emotional goals.
- Tangible processing: The animated checklist on the "Getting ready..." screen (01:06) turns a wait time into a reassuring value-building moment.
- Seamless flow: The entire onboarding is a single, uninterrupted journey. Each step flows logically into the next, guiding the user purposefully toward the paywall.
- Minimalist UI: The dark theme and clean, button-based choices keep the focus on the questions and the eventual photo results.
Monetization & growth
Filterly employs a hard paywall strategy, gating access to the core features entirely. After completing the personalization quiz, the user is presented with a subscription screen at 01:13. There is no free trial offered. The paywall presents two options: a discounted annual plan and a full-price weekly plan, with the annual "Best Offer" clearly highlighted. The user must subscribe to proceed, and a tap on "Continue" brings up the native iOS purchase sheet (01:29).
Who it’s for
This app is likely for social media users who want to experiment with their online image, create unique profile pictures, or simply have fun seeing different versions of themselves. The focus on hairstyles and creative transformations suggests a target audience interested in personal style, trends, and digital self-expression. It appeals to those curious about AI's creative potential for personal photos.
Notes & opportunities
While the onboarding is very effective at building value, it asks for App Tracking permission (00:35) very early with no warm-up, which could lead to a high drop-off rate at that step. A custom screen explaining the benefit of allowing tracking could improve opt-in rates. Additionally, the lack of a free trial or even a single free filter test might deter users who are not fully convinced by the onboarding quiz alone. Offering one trial run could be a powerful way to convert hesitant users.