# Microsoft Selfie vs Obscura

The clearest difference is rating: Obscura at 4.1 against Microsoft Selfie's 3.2. Obscura also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). Microsoft Selfie's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 18). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Obscura sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per 7 days. Microsoft Selfie asks for nothing beyond the download.

Obscura holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 386 and 277 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 54% of Microsoft Selfie's written reviews are positive against 52% of Obscura's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Microsoft Selfie ships an update every 2 months, Obscura every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Microsoft Selfie | Obscura |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.2 (386 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-selfie/id1064676206/reviews) | **[4.1 (277 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obscura-pro-camera/id1579306989/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **386** | 277 |
| Positive reviews | **53.9% of reviews** | 52.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 76 MB | 174 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 18 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Microsoft Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/298856275) | [Ben McCarthy](https://appshunter.io/developer/893264216) |

## What reviewers say

### Microsoft Selfie

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-selfie/id1064676206)

Enhance your selfies and portraits with intelligent, one-click adjustments. This application uses computer vision to automatically optimize photos based on various factors like lighting and skin tone, transforming average shots into ideal portraits quickly.

**Highlights:** Intelligent portrait enhancement, Automatic noise reduction, Auto exposure correction, Photo clarifying, One-click adjustments

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💫 Impressive automatic photo enhancement
- 🤩 Surprisingly effective and free
- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🌟 Fantastic for selfies

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🤖 Doesn't work with recent iOS updates
- 🔒 Unable to access photo library
- 🤷‍♀️ Inconsistent performance

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when selecting photos
- Unable to save edited photos
- Permissions issues with iOS 11 and later
- Incompatibility with newer iPhone models

**Requested features**

- Update app for latest iOS versions
- Add option to edit existing photos
- Improve photo saving and sharing functionality
- Introduce more advanced editing tools


### Obscura

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obscura-pro-camera/id1579306989)

This camera app offers advanced manual controls for photography and videography. It provides a range of capture formats, live filters, and viewing aids to enhance your creative process. An optional subscription unlocks premium features.

**Highlights:** Manual exposure, focus, and white balance controls, RAW, ProRAW, HEIC, and JPEG capture formats, Live filters and custom preset creation, Grid, histogram, and focus peaking view aids, Video and Live Photo recording, Integrated photo library browsing and editing

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Obscura Ultra - Weekly | $1.49 | per 7 days |
| Obscura Ultra - Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Obscura Ultra | $24.99 | per year |
| Obscura Ultra Upgrade | $24.99 | per year |
| Obscura Ultra - One Time | $74.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful manual controls
- 👍 Intuitive and clean interface
- 🎨 Customizable presets and filters
- 💡 Unique camera gestures and UI
- 🎥 Supports video recording

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription-based model
- 🔒 Locked features behind paywall
- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🤔 Unintuitive controls and settings
- 🤷‍♂️ Lack of support for newer iPhone lenses

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when trying to use Pro Raw mode
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between lenses
- Manual settings randomly resetting
- Photos not saving properly
- Freezing and black screen issues

**Requested features**

- Ability to save custom camera settings
- Variable zoom function in pro mode
- Separate manual control for exposure and ISO
- Dedicated selfie button
- Live audio capture for Live Photos


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Microsoft Selfie free?

Microsoft Selfie is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Obscura free?

Obscura is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Microsoft Selfie or Obscura?

Obscura is rated higher. Microsoft Selfie averages 3.2 out of 5 from 386 ratings, while Obscura averages 4.1 from 277 ratings.

### Do Microsoft Selfie or Obscura have ads?

Neither Microsoft Selfie nor Obscura shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Microsoft Selfie or Obscura?

Microsoft Selfie ships an update every 2 months, and Obscura every 2 weeks. Most recently, Microsoft Selfie was updated on November 5, 2026 and Obscura on November 8, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*