The best apps to animate old photos on iPhone (2026)
Short answer: for family portraits, MyHeritage (Deep Nostalgia and LiveMemory) is the best known. Yore both repairs and animates in one app. Remini only repairs. Dora lets you describe the movement yourself, with no one-tap repair.
Everything about the other apps comes from their App Store listings in the US, checked on November 2, 2026. We ran no quality test. Ratings change daily.
Quick ranking
| # | App | Repairs damage | Makes it move | App Store rating (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MyHeritage | Not checked | Yes, family photos | 4.9 from about 66,500 ratings |
| 2 | Yore | Yes | Yes, people | 4.9 from about 1,600 ratings |
| 3 | Revive | Not in its listing | Yes, faces and effects | 4.7 from about 25,200 ratings |
| 4 | Dora | Through an image model, no button | Yes, you describe it | 4.3 from 16 ratings |
| 5 | Motionleap | Not in its listing | By hand, for scenery | 4.8 from about 117,300 ratings |
| 6 | Remini | Yes | Not in its listing | 4.6 from about 358,300 ratings |
1. MyHeritage
A genealogy service first, with a family tree and records. Its listing describes Deep Nostalgia for historical family photos and LiveMemory for turning photos into clips. Its plans are the most expensive here, listed from $16.99 up to $249.99.
2. Yore
Removes scratches and stains, colorizes, and its listing includes animating people. Weekly $9.99 or annual $49.99. Needs iOS 18.5 or later.
3. Revive
Face animation with singing and talking. Weekly plans $3.49 to $4.99 and lifetime options. Better for fun than for a family archive.
4. Dora
Dora turns a photo into a short clip from a movement you write, and our guide shows the two steps. There is no one-tap restore and no free video: it uses coins (pricing). iPhone app.
5. Motionleap
You choose which parts of a picture move, which suits water and skies. It does not generate a person's movement.
6. Remini
Very widely used for sharpening faces and repairing old photos. Its listing does not offer animation, so pair it with another app.
What to expect
AI invents detail, so a repaired or moving face is a likeness, not a record. Always keep the original, and tell relatives what they are looking at.