iLightningCam AI vs ThunderCam
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
iLightningCam AI
Capture stunning lightning strike photos in real-time with your iPhone or iPad. This app automatically detects and photographs lightning, offering both fully automatic and manual ISO controls for expert users. Enjoy high-resolution images without interpolation.
- Real-time lightning detection
- Full AUTO mode
- Manual ISO adjustment
- Original photo resolution
- Double-shot blending
- Modern design
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iLightningCam AI – photograph lightning without pressing the shutter. Set up your iPhone and point it at the storm. The app watches the camera image and takes the shot automatically at every strike. Each detected strike appears as a card with all images of that moment and a combined image that brings all phases together. Save the images you choose to the Photos app. iLightningCam AI is the successor to iLightningCam 2 and to iLightningCam, the first lightning app for iOS, available on the App Store since 2011. Existing owners of iLightningCam 2 receive iLightningCam AI as an update. Why “AI”: the parameters for lightning detection and for post-processing in the Studio were determined with artificial intelligence, using thousands of real lightning images from iLightningCam 2 and iLightningCam AI. iLightningCam AI is a genuine photo app. It uses no generative AI to create images. The Studio, too, only optimizes and enhances your own shots and never creates artificial lightning. WHAT THE APP DOES • Real-time lightning detection, day and night, with images at photo resolution • More phases per strike: high temporal resolution captures how a strike develops across several individual images • Much improved detection, especially in daylight against a bright sky, with few false triggers • Higher image quality thanks to the new engine and the HEIC format • Automatic exposure, frame rate and capture mode, tuned for lightning and for your iPhone • Modes for every storm: Auto, Normal, Near Lightning, Distant Lightning, Sheet Lightning and Manual, with your own ISO range • Horizon line: nothing below it is analyzed, so cars and streetlights don’t interfere • Focus calibration for every lens, optimized for storm photography • Detailed in-app manual in eight languages, including the basics of lightning photography iLightningCam Studio (in-app purchase) The optional add-on brings editing tools to the app: • Choose the best phases of a strike and combine them into an image of your own • Lightning Repair: bring out the bolt, remove dark edges along it, soften the bright horizontal band the camera can produce. Many image defects can be reduced considerably this way, but not all. • Crop and fine-tune light and color • Save as an image, Live Photo or video clip • Time-lapse of the entire storm, with separate speed settings for the strikes and the storm One-time purchase, Family Sharing included, no subscription. Your originals stay untouched. The Studio only works with strikes captured with iLightningCam AI. Images from iLightningCam 2, from other apps or from the Photos app cannot be imported. REQUIREMENTS iPhone with iOS 17 or later, iPad with iPadOS 17 or later. For good results, use a tripod or steady support and make sure you have a clear view of the storm. SAFETY Thunderstorms are life-threatening. Seek shelter immediately as soon as a storm can be seen or heard, and never stay outdoors. Only take photos from inside an enclosed building, through a window. You are responsible for your own actions and for any resulting damage. The app is not intended for children or for people who cannot protect themselves from thunderstorms. The full safety information is in chapter 1 of the in-app manual.
ThunderCam
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ThunderCam is a camera app that automatically triggers your camera shutter when lighting occurs in the sky. Put your iPhone on a tripod, point it at the sky and let it do the work! Shutter is released at significant change of brightness between following frames. An app can shoot still and Live Photo, and it supports all available iPhone rear lenses. LivePhoto is recommended as you can manually pick the best captured frame. Features: - automatic photo taking at significant changes in brightness - still and Live Photo - wide, ultra wide and telephoto lens
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: iLightningCam AI at every 4 months against ThunderCam's every 39 months. iLightningCam AI also leads on chart position (#133 vs unranked). ThunderCam's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $3.99) and iOS requirement (14.1 vs 17.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
iLightningCam AI costs $3.99 and ThunderCam $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
iLightningCam AI ships an update every 4 months, ThunderCam every 39 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iLightningCam AI | ThunderCam |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | $2.99 — better |
| Rating | 3.9 (95 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 67.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 95 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 39 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | #133 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 14.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 51 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Florian Stiassny | Tomasz Lukaszyk |
Bugs and requests
iLightningCam AI
Reported bugs
22 issues- White bar across the top of the image
- Pictures are blurry on newer iPhone models
- App captures nothing or everything is overexposed
- Auto setting not getting lightning, only brightness and out of focus
- Large lightning setting gets nothing
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- Misses a lot of strikes, ones caught are out of focus
- Constantly out of focus on 13 pro max
- Only 2x zoom works, other cameras are blurry
- White bar showing up
- App takes 4 pics but captures nothing
- Weird pink light but no lightning strike
- Focus not working on iPhone 12 max pro
- Took a lot of blank pictures and lots of duplicates
- Out of focus on iPhone 12
- Every photo is out of focus on 13 pro max
- App freezes
- Not triggering camera on newest version
- Tells user to upgrade to iOS 10 when on iOS 11
- App freezes after a minute
- App not saving photos despite access rights
- App not working well on iPhone 5
- App not capturing lightning bolts, only sheet lightning
Requested features
15 requests- Vertical mode
- RAW format output
- More control over aperture and shutter speed
- Higher resolution output (24MP)
- HEIC or RAW format saving
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- Option to choose more than 2 shots for composite
- Timelapse/Video/Live Photo mode
- Way to review shots within the app
- 5x zoom
- Daytime lightning capture
- German language support
- Tutorial for settings
- Improve UI/UX
- Higher resolution camera optimization
- Fix bug with x0.5 lens focus
ThunderCam
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
iLightningCam AI
No in-app purchases
ThunderCam
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is iLightningCam AI free?
Is ThunderCam free?
Do iLightningCam AI or ThunderCam have ads?
Which is updated more often, iLightningCam AI or ThunderCam?
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