Face swap · Comparisons

Best Face Swap Apps in 2026: Photo vs Video, and Which to Use

By Bolly teamPublished September 29, 20269 min read

Goobermeister template clip — The Goobermeister template. Remix it with your photo

The best face swap app depends on the job: a photo tool for one still, a video tool for a clip, a live tool for a webcam. This guide sorts nine entries by that job, two of them ours, and says where each falls short.

Bolly makes Face Swap and Mix, so the order follows a stated rule, not a ranking. Prices and features are as of late September 2026; confirm them on each app's page. It covers the face and character swap tools in Bolly's compare pages, not every app.

Four kinds of swap, and why the label matters

App stores use one name for four different jobs. Pick the kind first.

Photo swap. One face goes into a still image. It suits profile pictures, mock-ups and memes.
Video swap. A face or a whole person goes into a moving clip that keeps its motion and scene. Start with a clip of one person facing the camera.
Real-time swap. A webcam drives a character image live, for streams and calls. Viggle Live is the one here, and its page states a 1 to 2 second delay.
Character replacement. The whole person changes, not only the face. Higgsfield describes Recast this way, and OpenArt, Runway and Bolly's Mix work at character level too.

Photo and template tools are ordered by how little it takes to try them: no sign-up first, then a native app, then web-only tools with an account. Own-footage tools go by how directly they swap a person into an uploaded clip. By that rule Bolly is last of three for photos and second of two for template video.

Quick picks

No sign-up: OpenArt, which says you can try its character swap free without an account.
A native phone app: Pollo AI, Viggle, Runway or Kling, which all list iOS and Android apps.
A live webcam character: Viggle Live.
A trending clip with your face in it: Viggle or Bolly Mix.
One person replaced in your own clip: Higgsfield Recast, Runway or Pika Swap Anything.
A still character moved by real motion: Kling Motion Control.
The lowest price to start on video: not Bolly, whose video swaps start at $19 a month, above most entry plans here.

Photo swaps: a face into a still image

OpenArt AI Character Swap

Strength: its page says you can try it free without an account, and it works on images or videos from a reference image or a written description.
Limit: it's a character swap, not a face-only tool, so more than the face can change. The page states no limits or consent rules, so read OpenArt's terms first. Paid plans start at $14 a month.
Suits: a first try with no sign-up, or describing the swap in words.
Compare: Bolly vs OpenArt or OpenArt alternatives.

Pollo AI Photo Face Swap

Strength: native iOS and Android apps, with a photo face swap page and a face swap video page.
Limit: its free plan is 20 credits, downloads without a watermark need a subscription, and Lite starts at $15 a month. Pollo's swap pages wouldn't load when this guide was checked, so per-swap cost, consent rules and upload handling are unconfirmed. Check them.
Suits: a phone app with photo and video swaps in one place.
Compare: Bolly vs Pollo AI or Pollo AI alternatives.

Bolly Face Swap

Strength: attach the photo to change first and the face you want second. It runs Google's Nano Banana 2 model, starting at a 1:1, 1K setting, and works on the Free plan, whose 10 daily credits cover two swaps a day.
Limit: it's a prompt on a general image model, not a dedicated face-swap engine, so how closely the result matches depends on the two photos.
Suits: a quick browser photo swap, with private results on a paid plan.
Try it: open the Face Swap app.

Video swaps from templates, trends and a webcam

These tools start from a template, a trending clip or a live feed. You bring the face and they bring the scene.

Viggle: Meme Maker, Multi-Editor and Live

Strength: native iOS and Android apps, a free plan of 5 videos a day, and Multi-Editor, which replaces several characters in one clip. Live maps your webcam onto a character image and works with OBS, Twitch, Zoom and Discord.
Limit: free-plan videos are watermarked and Live states a 1 to 2 second delay. Its pricing and Live pages give no consent or minors rule, so read its terms first. Paid plans start at $9.99 a month, or $7.99 billed yearly.
Suits: a phone app, several characters in one clip or a live character on stream.
Compare: Bolly vs Viggle or Viggle alternatives.

Bolly Mix

Strength: pick a Bolly template or paste a public TikTok link, add one photo per person, two at most, and Mix swaps them in with Kling's O3 video-edit model. The scene and moves stay, and Kling O3 keeps the clip's audio. Failed runs are refunded.
Limit: Mix needs the Starter plan or higher, from $19 a month, and takes templates and TikTok links only, so you can't upload your own file to it.
Suits: trend clips and memes where you want a result without editing.
Try it: start on Mix.

Swapping into a clip you already have

These tools work on footage you already have. They're more open-ended than a template flow, and more work.

Higgsfield Recast

Strength: upload a video and a clear photo of the character you want. Its page says Recast replaces the whole character with body and motion consistency, in 30 seconds to 2 minutes depending on plan and queue. It runs in a desktop or mobile browser.
Limit: it's one app inside a paid creative suite, with Starter at $19 a month, so check the current free allowance. The page states a strict policy against non-consensual content but lists no minors, labeling or watermark rules.
Suits: swapping one person in a clip you already shot.
Compare: Bolly vs Higgsfield or Higgsfield alternatives.

Runway Character Swap

Strength: Runway has listed a Character Swap app that places a character into a scene, plus Act-Two, which animates a character from a performance video. It also has iPhone and Android apps.
Limit: the free plan is 125 one-time credits with a Runway watermark, and Standard is $15 a month. Character Swap didn't show on the app list read on Sep 29, 2026, so confirm it's available on your plan before you subscribe.
Suits: editors who already work in Runway and want the swap inside one project.
Compare: Bolly vs Runway or Runway alternatives.

Pika Swap Anything

Strength: it recasts a clip you upload and can also change wardrobe, setting or props, so it goes beyond faces.
Limit: the Free plan has no monthly credits, so you buy credit packs, and Starter is $10 a month. Pika relaunched on September 17, 2026, so check which apps are live. Its consent and retention terms aren't confirmed here.
Suits: changing more than the face in a clip you already have.
Compare: Bolly vs Pika or Pika alternatives.

Kling AI: 3.0 Omni and Motion Control

Strength: 3.0 Omni replaces subjects in footage you upload, and Motion Control copies a reference clip's movement and expressions onto a still character. Kling has web, iOS, Android, macOS and Windows apps.
Limit: Motion Control isn't a swap into existing video. It supports one primary subject, has no lip-sync and works best with a clear, front-facing image. The free Basic plan has no monthly credits, a watermark and non-commercial use.
Suits: animating a still character with real movement, or editing footage in Kling's own app. Bolly also runs Kling's O3 video-edit model for your own clips, from Plus at $59 a month.
Compare: Bolly vs Kling AI or Kling AI alternatives.

Where Bolly is weaker

No native app or real-time mode. Bolly is an installable web app, not an App Store or Google Play app, and it has no live webcam swap.
Video swaps cost more to start. Mix needs a plan from $19 a month. Most tools above list a cheaper entry plan, and Viggle has a free plan whose videos are watermarked.
Mix is narrow. It takes Bolly templates and public TikTok links, two people at most, first 15 seconds only. Your own file needs the O3 video-edit model on Plus, which is prompt-based, not one-click.
Runs take a while. A Mix run takes about 5 to 10 minutes, so it isn't for a same-minute turnaround.
Results are public by default. On Free they're always public and can appear in Explore, so don't use anyone else's face there. Paid plans can make them private.

Before you upload someone's face

A face swap uses a real person's likeness, so the permission behind an upload matters more than the app. Check four things in any tool: consent, minors, labeling and watermarks.

Warning: Consent comes first

Upload only a photo of yourself or of someone who has clearly agreed to this use. Permission to post a photo isn't permission to put that person into a new video. Bolly's consent rules also bar uploading anyone under 18, even with a parent's permission, and that's a sound rule in any app.

Note: Say it's AI

Label realistic swaps as AI-generated and use your platform's AI label (Bolly's disclosure rules). Don't remove, blur or edit watermarks, provenance data or AI labels. Some models embed invisible provenance data, and Google's SynthID is one example.

What each app says about consent. On the pages read on Sep 29, 2026, only Higgsfield's Recast page states a policy against non-consensual content, and the Viggle, OpenArt and Kling pages state no consent rule. For Pollo, Runway and Pika it isn't confirmed. Each app's terms may cover it, so read them.
Where the upload goes. Bolly sends an upload to the provider of the model you chose, under that provider's terms, and never sells it, uses it for ads or trains models on it. Ask any other app who receives the file, how long it's kept and whether it trains models.
Who can see the result. On Bolly, results are public by default, always on Free, and can appear in Explore with the prompt and, where shown, your display name and profile picture. Paid plans can make them private. Look for the same setting elsewhere.
Whose clip it is. A template or a TikTok clip can belong to someone else, and remixing it isn't the same as owning it (Bolly's IP rules).

Where to go next

For a photo, open the Face Swap app. For a clip, start from Mix and read how to make a face swap video first. To animate a still image instead, see how to animate a photo, and for costs across video tools, the AI video generator pricing guide.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a swap cost on Bolly?

A photo swap costs 4 credits at 1K (3, 5 and 7 at 0.5K, 2K and 4K), and a credit is worth $0.05. Mix costs 26, 51 or 76 credits for a 5, 10 or 15 second clip and needs Starter or higher. See the pricing page for plans and packs.

What photo gives the cleanest swap?

A sharp, well-lit, front-facing photo of one face with nothing covering it. Kling's and Higgsfield's pages both ask for a clear source image. Bolly's Face Swap prompt asks the model to match skin tone, lighting and head angle, so pick a target photo at a similar angle to your face photo.

Does Bolly build face data from my photos?

No. Its privacy policy says it doesn't extract face geometry, faceprints or other biometric identifiers from uploads. Uploads and results stay in your library until you delete them or your account. Account deletion removes your data within 30 days, though backups, caches and model providers follow their own schedules. Bolly is for people aged 18 and over.

Can I use a swapped clip commercially?

Only with permission from everyone shown and from whoever owns the source clip. Bolly asks you to keep template remixes personal and non-commercial unless the rights holders agree. Other apps set their own terms, so check each one's commercial-use rules.

Is face swapping legal?

It depends on the country and on what you do with the result, because likeness, impersonation and AI-disclosure rules vary by place and platform. This isn't legal advice. If a swap could make viewers believe a real person said or did something they didn't, don't publish it.

Does a video swap change the voice?

Not in Mix's default engine, Kling O3, which keeps the source clip's audio. A run retried on the backup engine regenerates the clip, so check the audio in the result. Bolly's rules also bar imitating a real person's voice without their permission.

Try the Goobermeister template

Upload a photo and Bolly swaps you into the clip. Mix comes with every paid plan, from Starter at $19 a month, and failed runs are refunded automatically.

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