Kepla vs Optyx

Kepla is a Mac app that sorts photo cards as they copy, flagging frames for the photographer to review rather than making the final selection. It groups burst duplicates and flags similar shots, out-of-focus frames, closed eyes, very dark or blown frames, and images with nobody in them. The maker says it does not delete, move, rename, or add reject flags to photo files; decisions are recorded in XMP sidecars. Processing runs on the Mac, works offline, and does not upload photo frames, according to the maker. Supported formats include CR3, NEF, ARW, RAF, DNG, ORF, JPEG, and HEIF. Kepla provides a Lightroom Classic plugin; the maker says Capture One and Bridge read the same sidecars. It requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later and runs on Apple silicon and Intel Macs. The app is in private preview, with the preview plan listed at free and billing starting when version 2.0 ships. Solo is listed at $15 a year, billed $15 a month yearly. A separate Solo monthly option costs $19 a month.

Optyx is an AI photo-culling application for grouping similar images and helping photographers choose which shots to keep. It can rate images using facial expression, sharpness, composition, exposure, and other criteria; face analysis checks expression, blinking, and focus, and can identify and group common subjects. Fast previews support manual review, including of large RAW files. Optyx writes culling information as XMP metadata and lets users drag selected files into Lightroom. For other editors, users can work with XMP or organize selected photos into filesystem folders. It supports a range of camera RAW formats, including CR2/CR3, ARW, NEF/NRW, RAF, RW2, PEF, ORF, and DNG. Optyx is intended to accompany another editor, not edit photos automatically. The maker says face-based AI works best when people are the main subject, while sharpness features suit almost any photography. The Free plan is free; Pro is $6.99 a month billed annually or $9.99 a month billed monthly.