Free Snapchat filters have changed the way we share moments, adding a playful or artistic touch to photos and videos in seconds. But you don't have to rely only on Snapchat's built-in options—there are plenty of free tools that offer similar or even more advanced effects.
In this article, we'll explore six of the best tools to get free Snapchat-like filters, which help you enhance your snaps with fresh, eye-catching styles.
Why choose free Snapchat filters
Free Snapchat filters are more than just fun effects; they're a quick and creative way to add personality to your snaps. Here's why you should use them:
- Affordable customization
With free filters, you can give your snaps a unique touch without worrying about costs. They allow you to experiment with different looks and effects, making your content stand out while keeping your budget intact.
- Instant access
The beauty of Snapchat filters is that they're ready the second you open the app. No downloads, no setup, just swipe, pick your favorite, and capture the moment while it's fresh.
- Variety of themes and styles
From cute dog ears to cinematic color tones, there's a filter for every mood and occasion. You can switch between fun, classy, or seasonal styles in seconds, keeping your content fresh and engaging.
- Easy to use
You don't need advanced editing skills to use Snapchat filters. A simple swipe can completely transform your snap, making it perfect for quick, stress-free edits.
- Enhance social media sharing
Great filters make your snaps more eye-catching, which means they're more likely to get noticed. Whether it's for Instagram, TikTok, or your Snapchat story, filters help you stand out in crowded feeds.
Top 10 popular Snapchat filters
Snapchat filters, also known as lenses, are more than just overlays. They transform everyday snaps into fun, expressive visuals. Whether you're aiming for cute, quirky, or artistic, here's a look at some of the most beloved filters that keep snapping fresh and entertaining.
- 1
- Dog face filter
Channels classic Snapchat vibes with floppy ears, a button nose, and a tongue that pops in when you open it. A timeless favorite for anyone wanting to tap into playful nostalgia.
- 2
- Flower crown / Coachella filter
Adorns you with a dreamy boho flower crown and a radiant glow, which is perfect for a whimsical, festival-style snap.
- 3
- Dancing hot dog
This AR character grooves beside you in 3D, complete with headphones and dance moves. It's goofy, memeable, and impossible not to smile at.
- 4
- Anime Style (AI)
Transforms your face into a stylized, anime look using AI face mapping. It's gained viral status across Snapchat, TikTok, and beyond.
- 5
- "Me in the 60's" AI filter
Takes you back in time with retro hairstyles and warm-toned overlays, giving your snap a nostalgic, vintage magazine feel.
- 6
- Aging / old by Snapchat
Curious what you'll look like in the future? This filter adds wrinkles, grey hair, and a time-worn look, perfect for birthday laughs or "time travel" posts.
- 7
- Troll face / Meme filters
Ever overlay a classic meme face on yourself? These filters turn your snap into a meme-ready moment, sparking laughs and shareability.
- 8
- Face swap
The ultimate party trick: swap faces with friends, pets, or anything with a face-like shape. Guaranteed giggles every time.
- 9
- Bitmoji sponsored lenses
Custom avatars brought to life, some feature branded outfits or themes (like Applebee's or Pepsi). This makes sharing even more personal and playful.
- 10
- Soft filter / Beauty retouch
Smooth skin tone, soften features, and add a subtle glow. This gentle filter refines your look while keeping things natural.
How to add a Snapchat filter
Here's how to add the best free Snapchat filters to your footage:
- STEP 1
- Open Snapchat and access the camera
Launch the Snapchat app and make sure you're on the camera screen. This is where you can take a new snap or select one from your gallery.
- STEP 2
- Activate and browse filters
Tap and hold on the screen, usually on your face, to bring up the filter carousel. Swipe left or right to explore different styles, from beauty touch-ups to fun animations.
- STEP 3
- Apply the filter and capture
Once you find a filter you like, tap the "Capture" button to take a photo or hold it down to record a video. The chosen filter will be applied instantly.
- STEP 4
- Save or share your snap
After capturing your snap, tap the download icon to save it to your device or use the "Send To" option to share it with friends or post to your Story.
Top 6 recommendations for getting free Snapchat filters
Finding the right free Snapchat filters can instantly boost the look and feel of your snaps. From built-in tools to third-party editors, there are plenty of creative ways to access stylish effects and overlays that match your personality and style. In this section, we have listed the top 6 tools from which you can get Snapchat-like filters.
CapCut desktop video editor
CapCut desktop video editor isn't just for video editing; it's also a great tool for adding creative, filter-like effects to your Snapchat content. With its wide range of free overlays, color adjustments, aesthetic filters, and effects, you can give your snaps a professional, standout look before uploading. It's beginner-friendly, quick to use, and perfect for experimenting with different styles to suit your mood or theme.
Key features
- Free video templates
CapCut provides a wide range of ready-made video templates that you can easily customize. Just drop in your own footage or images, adjust text or clip speed, and you've got a professional video in no time.
- Various video effects and filters
Explore a rich library of trending video effects and filters, from stylish overlays to cinematic tones, that help you create content with your unique flair quickly and easily.
- Add engaging text
CapCut allows you to add text to a video. It also provides plenty of text templates and customizable styles; change fonts, colors, animations, alignment, and more to make your words pop on screen.
- Explore stickers and frames
Choose from thousands of dynamic stickers and frames to layer onto your video. Whether you want playful animations or decorative borders, it's a fun and easy way to enhance your visuals.
- Auto-cutout
CapCut's auto cutout tool empowers you to remove backgrounds or isolate objects with one click. This eliminates the need for complex masks or manual selection.
- AI-powered retouch
With features like face mapping, smoothing, virtual makeup, auto-reframe, and blemish correction, CapCut uses AI for face retouching in a natural, professional way.
How to use various video effects and filters with CapCut
First, click the button below to download and install CapCut. Then create an account using Facebook, TikTok, or Google credentials.
- STEP 1
- Upload your video (9:16）
Open CapCut and create a new project. Click "Import" to upload a 9:16 video from your device. If your video isn't already in this format, you can adjust it by clicking the "Ratio" icon below the display panel and selecting the 9:16 dimension.
- STEP 2
- Add effects and filters
From the right editing panel, select "Effects" and choose an effect that suits your video. You can further adjust the atmosphere, color, speed, and more. If needed, you can also apply a mask for creative transitions. Next, go to the "Filters" option, select your preferred filter, and adjust its intensity to enhance your content.
- STEP 3
- Export and share
Once you're satisfied with your edits, click "Export." Adjust settings such as frame rate, bitrate, resolution, and codec. Then click "Export" again to save the file to your device. You can also share it directly to platforms like TikTok or YouTube from within the editor.
PicsArt
PicsArt is a powerhouse creative platform that blends photo and video editing with a vibrant social community. Whether you're tinkering with filters, creating collages, or experimenting with AI-generated art, PicsArt provides a rich toolkit that's accessible both in-browser and on mobile devices. It's best for creators aiming to add flair and personalization to their visuals while exploring endless creative possibilities.
- Provides a vast selection of visual elements.
- Smoothly switch between mobile and web editing without losing progress.
- Frequently adds fresh filters, effects, and stickers that keep up with viral styles.
- Delivers advanced features like layer-based editing and blending modes.
- The free version includes ads.
- Some features are available in the paid plan.
Adobe Express
Adobe Express, formerly Adobe Express, is a simplified yet powerful creative suite designed to help users produce professional graphics, short videos, and one-page web experiences with ease. It brings Adobe's design prowess into a user-friendly, template-based platform that integrates smoothly with Creative Cloud for added flexibility.
- Produces sharp, professional visuals optimized for both web and print.
- All projects sync automatically, so you can edit from anywhere without losing files.
- Let you store brand colors, fonts, and logos.
- Works smoothly with other Adobe products, stock assets, and third-party platforms.
- Branding appears on content unless you upgrade to a paid plan.
- Requires internet access for most features to function.
Filter Forge
Filter Forge is a powerful texture and effect generator for creative image manipulation. It's available as a standalone app or a plug-in for editing software like Photoshop, offering a node-based visual editor to build or adjust procedural filters. You can smoothly explore thousands of ready-made effects or compose your own by connecting visual blocks, ideal for designer-level customization without writing code.
- A vast library of downloadable filters and textures from the community.
- Node-based, visual filter editor lets you craft custom effects.
- Solid stability and performance across Windows and Mac.
- Works independently or integrates with popular hosts like Photoshop.
- Rendering can be resource-intensive and slow on complex filters
- Only one filter can be applied at a time
Crello
Crello, now branded as VistaCreate, brings a simple yet impressive design. This browser-based tool, ideal for non-designers, delivers templates and drag-and-drop tools to create posts, banners, social videos, and more with ease. It complements its user-friendly interface with strong mobile and web support, making quick visual creation easy.
- Drag-and-drop simplicity is perfect for anyone.
- Huge library of free templates, photos, animations, and stock assets.
- Available on both web and mobile platforms.
- Cost-effective compared to many competitors.
- The free version may include a watermark.
- The mobile app doesn't provide full features.
Canva
Canva is more than a design tool. It's a creative hub that can easily replicate or inspire Snapchat-like filters. With its free editing tools, you can layer graphics, apply artistic effects, and adjust tones to match trending Snapchat styles. The platform's extensive library of overlays, frames, and stickers makes it simple to customize snaps while keeping them fresh and engaging.
- Extensive library of free templates, filters, overlays, and design assets.
- Simple drag-and-drop interface ideal for quick Snapchat-style edits.
- Mobile and web compatibility for editing on the go.
- Allows customization of vertical layouts for Snapchat's aspect ratio.
- Premium assets and advanced tools are locked behind a paid plan.
- Output formats are limited.
Conclusion
To sum up, free Snapchat filters open up endless ways to express creativity, whether you're aiming for playful, elegant, or completely out-of-the-box designs. With these six tools, you can go beyond the default options and create snaps that truly stand out.
For an all-in-one solution that blends powerful editing with easy filter customization, give the CapCut desktop video editor a try. It's a game-changer for upgrading your snaps.
FAQs
- 1
- How can I download free Snapchat filters for Android?
You don't need to "download" filters separately; Snapchat already includes a library of free lenses. Simply open the app, tap the smiley face icon next to the camera button, and browse through the carousel. For more options, scroll to the end, tap "Explore," and search for community-made filters. If you want more advanced effects and creative filters for your content, the CapCut desktop video editor is an excellent choice.
- 2
- Which is the best free Snapchat filter app?
It really depends on your style and editing needs. If you want something similar to Snapchat but with more customization, the CapCut desktop video editor is a strong option. It provides a wide range of free filters, overlays, and effects that you can apply before sharing on Snapchat.
- 3
- Are there free Snapchat filters for business or marketing purposes?
Yes! While Snapchat's custom geofilters for events or promotions may have a cost, you can still use free templates from tools like Canva or Crello to design branded visuals. Then, upload them as snaps or ads to promote your business without paying for filter creation. For more advanced editing and unique effects, the CapCut desktop video editor can help you give your marketing content a professional touch.