Photography · head to head
Lensa vs Narrative Select
Lensa
Photography
AI photo editing and avatar generation app from Prisma Labs, known for its viral Magic Avatars feature
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Narrative Select
Photography
AI photo culling with a low-cost entry tier, scaling to advanced editing and multi-user studio plans
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Lensa has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Lensa the underlying Stable Diffusion model was trained on images scraped from the internet, including copyrighted artwork, without direct consent from the original artists, and Lensa avatar outputs have been criticised for replicating identifiable artist styles without attribution or compensation.; Narrative Select the cheap 10 US dollar entry tier covers culling only, so most photographers who also want AI editing end up on the 20 to 40 US dollar tiers instead.
- They diverge on capability: Lensa covers Magic Avatars, Narrative Select covers Standalone AI culling.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Lensa and Narrative Select actually diverge.
| Attribute | Lensa | Narrative Select |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | Free download with a short free trial, Magic Avatars and most tools require payment | Per user per month, tiered by editing depth |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | iOS, Android | Windows, macOS |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Photography).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Lensa
- Magic Avatars
- Photo retouching
- Sky and background replacement
- Portrait enhancement
- Multiple avatar style packs
- Selfie upload and processing
Only in Narrative Select
- Standalone AI culling
- Focus and eyes-open detection
- Burst and duplicate grouping
- Tiered AI editing
- Multi-user studio plans
- Export to any editor
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Lensa
- Someone wanting to generate stylised AI avatars from their own selfies, understanding those selfies are uploaded for AI processingnot Narrative Select
- A user comfortable with the documented training-data provenance concerns around the underlying Stable Diffusion model choosing to proceed anywaynot Narrative Select
- Someone wanting general photo retouching tools separate from the avatar featurenot Narrative Select
- A user comfortable cancelling a free trial through phone app store settings before it converts to a paid chargenot Narrative Select
Narrative Select
- A photographer who wants to cull a shoot before deciding which RAW editor to send selects tonot Lensa
- A studio wanting several people to share one subscription editing profiles on the Ultra plannot Lensa
- Someone who wants culling only, at the lowest entry tier, without paying for AI editing they will not usenot Lensa
- A Capture One user who wants AI culling without being locked into a Lightroom-only plugin ecosystemnot Lensa
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Lensa
- The underlying Stable Diffusion model was trained on images scraped from the internet, including copyrighted artwork, without direct consent from the original artists, and Lensa avatar outputs have been criticised for replicating identifiable artist styles without attribution or compensation.
- Users and journalists reported the Magic Avatars feature generating sexualised images from ordinary selfies, including reported cases involving photos of minors, without the user requesting that style, raising documented concerns about model behaviour and safeguards.
- Magic Avatars typically requires a separate one-time purchase on top of any Pro subscription, so the total cost of trying the feature is not covered by a single subscription fee alone.
- The free trial converts automatically into a paid recurring subscription unless cancelled beforehand, following the same pattern of complaints about unexpected charges seen across comparable apps in this category.
- Generating avatars requires uploading a set of personal selfies for AI processing; Prisma Labs states these are deleted after processing and not used for further model training, but this relies on the company's own stated policy rather than independently verifiable proof.
Narrative Select
- The cheap 10 US dollar entry tier covers culling only, so most photographers who also want AI editing end up on the 20 to 40 US dollar tiers instead.
- There is no perpetual licence option; the subscription must stay active to keep using current AI models.
- It is a separate standalone catalogue rather than a Lightroom plugin, which adds an extra application and import step to an existing workflow rather than embedding into one.
- Multi-user studio pricing is only available on the most expensive Ultra tier, so smaller studios cannot get shared seats at a lower cost.
- As with any AI culling tool, judgement calls on close eyes, expression and framing still need a manual review pass, so it reduces rather than removes culling time.
Pricing, plan by plan
Lensa
Free- FreeFree
- Very limited basic editing tools
- Trial access to Pro features for a short period
- Magic Avatars sold separately per pack in most cases
- Lensa Pro$35.99/year
- Access to enhancement and retouching tools
- Auto-renews annually unless cancelled before the trial or renewal date
- Magic Avatars typically purchased as a separate one-time pack fee on top
Narrative Select
On request- Lite$10/month
- Basic AI culling only
- No AI editing included
- Standard$20/month
- Advanced culling
- Basic AI editing
- Premium$40/month
- Advanced culling
- Advanced AI editing
- Ultra$60/month
- More AI editing profiles
- Unlimited advanced culling and editing for up to four users
Which should you pick?
Choose Lensa if
- You need magic avatars.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on iOS, Android.
- You also want photo retouching.
Choose Narrative Select if
- You need standalone ai culling.
- You work on Windows, macOS.
- You also want focus and eyes-open detection.
Questions people ask
- Is Lensa or Narrative Select better?
- Neither clearly leads. Lensa starts at Free and Narrative Select at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Lensa or Narrative Select?
- Lensa has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Lensa and On request for Narrative Select.
- Does Lensa or Narrative Select run on more platforms?
- Lensa runs on iOS, Android. Narrative Select runs on Windows, macOS.
- Can I use Lensa for free?
- Yes. Lensa has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Narrative Select starts at On request.
- What is Lensa best used for?
- Lensa is most often used for someone wanting to generate stylised ai avatars from their own selfies, understanding those selfies are uploaded for ai processing, a user comfortable with the documented training-data provenance concerns around the underlying stable diffusion model choosing to proceed anyway, someone wanting general photo retouching tools separate from the avatar feature, a user comfortable cancelling a free trial through phone app store settings before it converts to a paid charge. Of those, someone wanting to generate stylised ai avatars from their own selfies, understanding those selfies are uploaded for ai processing and a user comfortable with the documented training-data provenance concerns around the underlying stable diffusion model choosing to proceed anyway are not what Narrative Select is typically brought in for.
- What can Lensa do that Narrative Select cannot?
- Lensa covers Magic Avatars, Photo retouching, Sky and background replacement, Portrait enhancement. Narrative Select covers Standalone AI culling, Focus and eyes-open detection, Burst and duplicate grouping, Tiered AI editing.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Lensa: Is Lensa Magic Avatars feature the same as photo editing?
No, Magic Avatars is a separate AI portrait generation feature using the Stable Diffusion model, distinct from the app's standard photo retouching tools.
Narrative Select: Is Narrative Select a Lightroom plugin?
No, it is a standalone application that culls a shoot independently and then exports selects to whichever editor you use.
Lensa: Did Lensa face criticism over its AI avatars?
Yes, documented criticism covered the underlying model training data being scraped without artist consent, and reports of the feature generating sexualised images from ordinary selfies without the user requesting that style.
Narrative Select: What is the cheapest way to use it?
The Lite tier at around 10 USD a month covers basic culling only, with no AI editing.
Lensa: What happens to my selfies after generating an avatar?
Prisma Labs states uploaded selfies are deleted after processing and not used to further train the underlying model, though this relies on the company's own disclosed policy.
Narrative Select: Can multiple people share one subscription?
Only on the Ultra tier, which supports up to four users on a studio plan.
Related pages
More on Narrative Select
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