RICOH THETA vs The Simple Camera
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
RICOH THETA
Capture, view, and share immersive 360° photos and videos with a compatible camera. Control your camera remotely, preview shots in live view, and experience your spherical images by spinning, enlarging, or shrinking them. Easily share your creations on social media.
- Remote camera control
- Live view preview
- 360° image and video viewing
- Spherical image sharing
- Switch between photo and video modes
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Make life fun and work convenient with the 360° camera RICOH THETA The 360° camera RICOH THETA greatly surpasses your field of view to capture the entire surroundings with a single shutter click. You can view and share on a computer or smartphone the images and videos you shoot. This app enables you to do every task, specifically taking images and videos, viewing them and also sharing them, on your smartphone. * A separately sold RICOH THETA series camera is required to shoot spherical images. ◊ RICOH THETA and Wi-Fi connection Be sure to install this app onto your smartphone and connect it to a RICOH THETA series camera. Using this app will enable you to capture images remotely and view spherical images. - Remote shooting In still image mode, you can shoot while checking images in live view. You can also switch between still image mode and video mode by the app. - Viewing Captured images and videos can be viewed using this app. Spin around, enlarge, or shrink... Experience the fun of seeing the entire space around you in a spherical image. ◊ Sharing on Social Networking Services You can share on Twitter, Facebook, and other social network services the spherical images you shoot. Show the world a new way of enjoying photos by 360° images that provide a feeling of being where the image was taken. ◊ Note * Not compatible with iPod Touch devices. * Please visit www.theta360.com for additional compatibility information. * Compatibility is not guaranteed for all devices. * Compatibility is not guaranteed for devices without GPS capabilities. * Compatibility information may be changed at any time.
The Simple Camera
Capture high-quality photos and videos with a minimalist interface. This app offers intuitive controls, supports multiple camera lenses, and integrates with Apple Watch for quick access.
- High quality photos (48MP)
- Live photos and videos
- Minimal User Interface
- Support UltraWide/Wide/Telephoto
- Apple Watch support
- Lock screen widget launch
- Lockable focus and exposure
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SIMPLE IS THE BEST. This is the most simple camera on our planet. - High quality photos(48MP), live photos and videos. - Minimal User Interface and sophisticated feature. - Easy and Intuitive to use. - Support UltraWide / Wide / Telephoto camera - Launch-able from Lock screen widget. - Lockable focus and exposure. - Free App but almost no ads.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: RICOH THETA at none against The Simple Camera's 1. RICOH THETA also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (1.9K vs 206). The Simple Camera's advantage is review sentiment (55% vs 23%) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). On price and rating 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
Both are free to download. The Simple Camera sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. RICOH THETA asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for RICOH THETA against 4.5 for The Simple Camera. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RICOH THETA has 1.9K ratings behind it against 206, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 23% of RICOH THETA's written reviews are positive against 55% of The Simple Camera's.
RICOH THETA ships an update every 2 months, The Simple Camera weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | RICOH THETA | The Simple Camera |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (1.9K ratings) — better | 4.5 (206 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 23.5% of reviews | 55.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.9K — better | 206 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 33 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ricoh Co., Ltd. | KANAME OHARA |
Customer experience
RICOH THETA
The Simple Camera
User reviews
RICOH THETA
From 1.9K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Gold standard in camera companion software
- 👍 Clear layout and professional controls
- 👍 Supports every Ricoh Theta model
- 👍 Frequent updates with no unnecessary features
Room to improve
- 🐛 Constant error message when trying to link to social media
- 🐛 Crashes on launch, not working with latest iOS
- 🐛 Erratic WiFi connectivity, disconnects frequently
- 🐛 EXIF data lost when saving 360 images
The Simple Camera
From 206 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and user-friendly interface
- 📸 High photo quality
- 🤫 Silent shooting capability
- 🚀 Fast performance
- 💡 Useful features like gridlines and Live Photo
Room to improve
- ❌ Ads in free version
- 📉 Quality not as good as native app
- ❓ Inconsistent silent mode functionality
- 😵 Occasional crashes and freezes
- 📱 Compatibility issues with newer devices
Bugs and requests
RICOH THETA
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes on launch after recent updates
- Unable to connect to camera after firmware updates
- Interval shooting not working on iOS
- Incompatible with newer iOS versions
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to batch select and share images
- Option to store photos within the app without cluttering device gallery
- Offline viewing of 360 photos with 3D effects
- Timer and interval shooting functionality
The Simple Camera
Reported bugs
23 issues- App crashes on startup
- Camera access button not working
- Cannot switch between front and rear cameras
- App freezes or closes unexpectedly
- Photos not saving
Show 18 moreShow fewer
- App not launching after permission granted
- Feature broken: no longer goes to landscape with Apple TV
- Focus problems, blurry photos
- 48MP setting disables zoom
- Vertical/horizontal orientation detection issues
- Widget icon disappeared after update
- Video focus issues
- Shutter button placement issues
- Volume buttons not working for shutter
- App reverts to free mode after purchase
- App crashes after update
- Silent mode not working
- Shutter sound randomly plays
- Ads appearing during critical moments
- In-app purchase not unlocking full version
- App not saving photos after processing
- Accelerometer metadata corrupted, causing orientation issues in other apps
- 1:1 square shooting results in vertical shift
Requested features
14 requests- Add 24MP resolution option
- Improve zoom functionality and buttons
- Option to switch between main, telephoto, and ultra-wide lenses at 48MP
- Add option to always have shutter sound on or off
- Allow saving to custom albums
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Implement portrait mode
- Add Timelapse and Panorama features
- Add option to toggle adjustable exposure/brightness square
- Support for cinematic mode
- Add option to change app icon
- Mirror effect for front camera
- VGA resolution setting
- Improve QR code reader functionality
- Allow setting as default camera app
In-app purchases
RICOH THETA
No in-app purchases
The Simple Camera
- Full feature option$5.99
Questions
Is RICOH THETA free?
Is The Simple Camera free?
Which has better reviews, RICOH THETA or The Simple Camera?
Do RICOH THETA or The Simple Camera have ads?
Which is updated more often, RICOH THETA or The Simple Camera?
Other comparisons
