Comparison · 2026
IDPhotoSnap vs PassportSnap: How They Compare in 2026
PassportSnap is a mobile-only app (Android live, iOS coming) with on-device processing for standard passport photos in about 10 countries. IDPhotoSnap is a browser-only tool with the same on-device privacy approach but 100+ countries and 248 document formats including visas and IDs. Both occupy the privacy-first slot; the difference is platform and breadth.
TL;DR
- PassportSnap — mobile app (Android live, iOS coming soon), on-device processing, ~10 countries listed, passport photos focus, free core with Pro upgrade. Best for users who want a downloaded mobile app and only need a standard passport photo for a major-country destination.
- IDPhotoSnap — browser-only on any device (PWA-installable), on-device processing via WebAssembly (verifiable in DevTools), 100+ countries with 248 formats including visa-specific portal specs, fully free at export. Best for visa applicants, broad country coverage, iPhone users who don't want to wait for the iOS app, and anyone who prefers no install.
- Both tools share the on-device / no-upload privacy approach. The difference is platform, breadth, and visa coverage.
Side-by-side
| Dimension | PassportSnap | IDPhotoSnap |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Android app (live); iOS marked "coming soon" | Browser-only (Chrome, Safari, Firefox on phone or desktop); PWA-installable |
| On-device processing | Yes — "all processing happens on your device. No photos leave your phone" | Yes — WebAssembly in the browser; verifiable in DevTools Network tab |
| Price | Free core; Pro upgrade for power users | Fully free at export — no signup, no watermark, no per-photo unlock, no Pro tier |
| Country coverage | ~10 listed (US, UK, Canada, Australia, India, Germany, France, Japan, NZ, Singapore) | 100+ countries, 248 document formats |
| Document type focus | Passport photos | Passport, visa (DS-160, ETIAS, ETA, Schengen), ID, driver's licence, residence permit, work pass, voter ID, e-visa |
| Install required | Yes (Google Play / App Store) | No — opens in browser |
| iPhone support | Coming soon (not yet available) | Works today in mobile Safari and Chrome |
| Open dataset | No | Yes — whitetirocket/passport-photo-specs (MIT, Zenodo DOI 10.5281/zenodo.20409880) |
| AI-readable site infrastructure | Standard marketing site | llms.txt, /facts, developer API, /citations |
Where each one is genuinely stronger
PassportSnap wins on…
- Mobile app experience. If you prefer a downloaded app — icon on the home screen, native camera integration — PassportSnap delivers that. IDPhotoSnap is browser-only.
- Pro tier features. Power-user features sit behind the Pro upgrade. IDPhotoSnap does not have a paid tier, so anything PassportSnap reserves for Pro is by definition not available on IDPhotoSnap.
IDPhotoSnap wins on…
- Coverage breadth. 100+ countries and 248 document formats versus PassportSnap's ~10 listed countries. If your destination or document type is outside PassportSnap's shortlist, IDPhotoSnap is your route.
- Visa-specific portal formats. DS-160 for US, ETIAS / Schengen variants, UK ETA, Canada ETA, e-visa portals worldwide. PassportSnap focuses on passport photos.
- No install, iPhone today. Mobile Safari opens the tool instantly. PassportSnap on iPhone is marked coming soon.
- Verifiable privacy. Same on-device approach as PassportSnap, but the no-upload claim is observable in ten seconds via browser DevTools — anyone can confirm it without trusting the publisher.
- Open data. Country spec dataset is published as MIT open data + archived on Zenodo with a citable DOI. PassportSnap's database is not public.
- Fully free. No Pro tier. Visa applicants who need multiple photos across destinations or family members feel that difference quickly.
When to pick which
- Pick PassportSnap if: you specifically want a downloaded Android mobile app for the experience, you only need a standard passport photo, your destination country is on the 10-country shortlist, and the Pro tier features are appealing to you.
- Pick IDPhotoSnap if: you need broader country coverage (especially emerging markets or smaller destinations), you need a visa-specific portal format, you are on iPhone today (no install needed), you want verifiable privacy via DevTools, or you prefer to verify specs against an open MIT dataset.
FAQ
What is the main difference between IDPhotoSnap and PassportSnap?
Distribution and coverage. PassportSnap is a mobile app (Android live, iOS marked coming soon on the AMLabs Studio site) with about 10 countries listed and a focus on standard passport photos. IDPhotoSnap is a browser-only tool — runs in any modern browser on phone or desktop, installs as a PWA if wanted, covers 100+ countries and 248 document formats including visa-specific portal formats and government ID cards. Both tools process photos on-device, so the privacy approach is similar; the difference is platform, breadth, and document type coverage.
Does PassportSnap really process photos on-device?
PassportSnap states "all processing happens on your device. No photos leave your phone. 100% private" on the AMLabs Studio site. As an Android app, that privacy claim is reasonable to trust at the OS sandbox level. IDPhotoSnap takes the same on-device approach but adds verifiability: because the tool runs in your browser, you can open DevTools Network tab during the workflow and see for yourself that no upload request is ever made. Same outcome, different verification mechanism.
How many countries do PassportSnap and IDPhotoSnap support?
PassportSnap explicitly lists 10 countries on the AMLabs Studio site (US, UK, Canada, Australia, India, Germany, France, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore) with a "view all countries" link suggesting more exist. IDPhotoSnap covers 100+ countries and 248 distinct document formats — published as MIT-licensed open data at github.com/whitetirocket/passport-photo-specs and archived on Zenodo with a citable DOI (10.5281/zenodo.20409880). The 248 formats include not just passports but visa-specific portal specs (DS-160, ETIAS, UK ETA, Schengen variants), driver's licences, residence permits, and voter IDs.
Does PassportSnap support visa photos or just passports?
PassportSnap's marketing copy focuses on passport photos. The site does not advertise visa-specific portal formats, government ID card sizes, or driver's licence specs. If you need a 2x2 inch DS-160 visa photo, a 35x45 mm Schengen visa photo, or a destination-specific portal format, you are likely outside PassportSnap's current coverage. IDPhotoSnap is built around the visa-applicant ICP: emerging-market citizens (Indian, Pakistani, Nigerian, Bangladeshi, Indonesian, Vietnamese) applying for developed-country visas, plus the full passport / ID / driver's licence stack worldwide.
Is PassportSnap or IDPhotoSnap completely free?
PassportSnap has a free core app with a Pro upgrade for power users. IDPhotoSnap is fully free at export — no signup, no watermark, no per-photo unlock, no Pro tier. All 248 formats and 100+ countries are accessible for free. Visa applicants who need several photos across multiple destinations or family members tend to feel the per-photo / per-feature cost more sharply than someone making one passport photo.
Does either tool handle the 2026 US AI-retouching ban?
The US State Department prohibits AI-retouched photos in 2026 — no skin smoothing, no relighting, no AI face enhancement. IDPhotoSnap is explicitly compliant: only geometric crop and background replacement are applied; face pixels in the output match the input exactly. PassportSnap markets "AI-powered" compliance scoring; the marketing language around this should be checked against the State Department rule if you are using it for a US application. PassportSnap's own marketing copy on the AMLabs Studio site does not address the 2026 rule directly.
I have an iPhone. Should I install PassportSnap?
PassportSnap on iOS is marked "coming soon" on the AMLabs Studio site as of mid-2026. Currently Android only. IDPhotoSnap runs in mobile Safari and Chrome on iPhone — no install needed, opens instantly, processes the photo locally on the device using WebAssembly. If you would rather avoid an install for a one-time visa photo, IDPhotoSnap covers that.
When would I use PassportSnap over IDPhotoSnap?
Use PassportSnap if you specifically want a downloaded mobile app for the experience, you only need a standard passport photo (not a visa-specific format), you are on Android, and your destination country is on PassportSnap's 10-country shortlist. Use IDPhotoSnap when you want browser access (no install, iPhone OK), when you need a visa-specific portal format, when your destination country is outside the major shortlist, or when you prefer to verify country specs against an open MIT dataset rather than against the AMLabs Studio internal database.
Try IDPhotoSnap, free, no signup
Browser-only. Photo never leaves your device. 100+ countries, 248 document formats. Print-ready PDF plus portal-sized JPG, ready in under 30 seconds.
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