
The 10 Most-Used Retrica Filters (All Free)
Based on real usage data from June to August 2026, these are the ten Retrica filters people actually used most to take photos. Every one of them is free.
The 10 Retrica Filters People Actually Use Most (and They're All Free)
Retrica has 388 filters. Most "best filter" lists are somebody's personal taste. This one isn't: it's based on which filters were actually used to take photos between June and August 2026.
One thing stands out immediately. Every filter in the top tier is free. Not a trial, not a teaser: the filters people reach for most are the ones you get without a subscription.
Here's the list, in order of how many people used them.
1. AZRA
Bright and clean, with greens rendered noticeably greener, plus a light vintage cast underneath.
AZRA is the most-used filter in Retrica by a wide margin, and it's also one people come back to (an average of 31 shots per person over the period). If you only try one filter, make it this one. It works especially well outdoors, where the green shift has something to work with.

2. UDTONES
A warm incandescent lift with a touch of vintage on top.
UDTONES gives photos the look of indoor tungsten lighting: warm, slightly golden, a little softened. Good for interiors, evening light, and anything you want to feel lived-in rather than clinical.

3. SUJI
The warmest of the popular filters. A strong incandescent glow with added bloom and a yellow push.
SUJI goes further than UDTONES in the same direction, with light bleeding softly around bright areas. It's the second-most-repeated filter on this list (46 shots per person on average), which suggests people who like it really like it.

4. YEEHAW
A moderate yellow warmth with a slight glow around highlights.
YEEHAW sits between neutral and heavily warm. If SUJI is too much, this is the more restrained version of that feeling.

5. BOUNCY
Brighter, cozier, and a little classic.
BOUNCY lifts the image without pushing color hard in any direction. The result reads as warm and familiar rather than stylized, which is probably why it's used broadly rather than intensely.
6. NEUTRAL
Brighter with slightly more vivid color. A small saturation lift, nothing more.
Despite the name, NEUTRAL isn't a do-nothing filter: it's a gentle enhancement. Use it when the photo is close to right and just needs a little more presence.
7. NEWTAN
Ordinary color with saturation pulled down a step.
NEWTAN is the opposite move from NEUTRAL. Colors get quieter and more muted, which suits overcast days, minimal interiors, and anything where you want the subject rather than the color to lead.
8. COOLER
Two steps brighter, with vintage character and light bloom.
COOLER combines a strong brightness lift with softened highlights and a faded, aged quality. It's the most "processed" look in the top tier, and it's still free.
9. EARL&S
Colors intensified by roughly one step, with bright areas pushed brighter.
EARL&S deepens color while lifting highlights, so the image gets richer and more luminous at the same time. Good for food, flowers, and anything where color is the point.
10. ROSY&S
A light red push over the base image, with a subtle vintage quality.
ROSY&S adds warmth through red rather than yellow, which reads differently: softer and slightly nostalgic instead of golden. It's a small adjustment, but it changes the mood of skin tones and indoor scenes noticeably.
What the numbers say
Two patterns are worth noting.
The most-used filters are warm. Seven of the ten push toward warmth, incandescent light, or a soft glow. Cool and monochrome sets exist in the library and are well populated, but they're not what people reach for by default.
Usage and repeat use are different things. AZRA leads on both, but SUJI (46 shots per person) and NEUTRAL (25) show heavier repeat use than their user counts suggest, while some broadly-tried filters get used only a handful of times each. Trying a filter and adopting it aren't the same.
Where to find them
All ten are in the free tier and work with live camera preview, so you can see the result while framing rather than after the fact. Photos and video you shoot with them save without a subscription.
If you want to explore beyond these, the full library is organized by mood: cinematic, monochrome, warm, faded, bright, and more. Our complete filter guide breaks down all 388.
Based on usage data from June 1 to August 20, 2026, measured by photos taken. Filter lineups change as the library is updated.


