Comparison

iLightningCam AI vs Compass Camera

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Real-time lightning detection
  • Full AUTO mode
  • Manual ISO adjustment
  • Original photo resolution
  • Double-shot blending
  • Modern design
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Compass Camera

Record videos or take photos with embedded directional and environmental data. Features include compass, time, date, level, and pitch angle indicators. Save original photos and access media easily from your library.

Highlights
  • Embed compass, time, date, level, pitch angle
  • Capture photos with embedded info
  • Capture videos with embedded info
  • Show/Hide info overlays
  • Pinch to zoom
  • Save original photo option
Features
Read full description

Compass Cam – Easy Scene Documentation Get scene direction quickly and easily with a compass indicator and more. Compass Cam lets you record videos or take photos with useful information embedded directly into them. The embedded info includes Compass, Time, Date, Level, and Pitch Angle. Standard Camera Features: • Pinch to zoom • Rear camera with auto exposure/focus mode • Supports both landscape and portrait modes App Features: • Capture photos with embedded info • Capture videos with embedded info • Show/Hide time and date • Show/Hide compass • Show/Hide grid • Show/Hide level gauge • Show/Hide pitch angle indicator • Option to save the original photo in photo capture mode Usage Examples: • Travel journaling – record your journey with embedded data • Monitor object direction and orientation • And many more uses, limited only by your imagination This is a fast and easy way to capture photos or videos with direction and date embedded — just snap, and your photo will include all the info automatically. Notes * Video and photo captures are saved to your photo library for fast and easy access * Supported pitch angle range: -60° to 60° Thank you for your support! Visit nitrio.com for more great apps for your iOS devices.

Screenshots

iLightningCam AI4 screens
Compass Camera4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: iLightningCam AI at 3.9 against Compass Camera's 2.5. iLightningCam AI also leads on update cadence (every 4 months vs every 49 months) and review sentiment (67% vs 50%). Compass Camera's advantage is chart position (#186 vs unranked) and price ($2.99 vs $3.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

iLightningCam AI costs $3.99 and Compass Camera $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

iLightningCam AI holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iLightningCam AI has 95 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of iLightningCam AI's written reviews are positive against 50% of Compass Camera's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iLightningCam AI ships an update every 4 months, Compass Camera every 49 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
iLightningCam AI versus Compass Camera: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriLightningCam AICompass Camera
Price$3.99$2.99 — better
Rating3.9 (95 ratings) — better2.5 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews67.2% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings95 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 49 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#186 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.013 — better
Further details — not scored
Size51 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFlorian StiassnyHeng Jia Liang

Customer experience

iLightningCam AI

All ratings93 ratings
Positive73.1%
Neutral4.3%
Negative22.6%
Written reviews122 reviews
Positive67.2%
Neutral6.6%
Negative26.2%

Compass Camera

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

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
Show 17 more
  • 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
Show 10 more
  • 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

Compass Camera

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

iLightningCam AI

No in-app purchases

None

Compass Camera

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iLightningCam AI free?
iLightningCam AI costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Compass Camera free?
Compass Camera costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iLightningCam AI or Compass Camera?
iLightningCam AI is rated higher. iLightningCam AI averages 3.9 out of 5 from 95 ratings, while Compass Camera averages 2.5 from 4 ratings.
Do iLightningCam AI or Compass Camera have ads?
Neither iLightningCam AI nor Compass Camera shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iLightningCam AI or Compass Camera?
iLightningCam AI ships an update every 4 months, and Compass Camera every 49 months. Most recently, iLightningCam AI was updated on October 29, 2026 and Compass Camera on October 27, 2026.

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