Comparison

CameraPixels Lite vs Manual Camera

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

Head to head
About

CameraPixels Lite

This app offers advanced manual controls for mobile photography and videography. It provides features like bracketing, slow shutter, and time-lapse modes, along with tools for macro and HDR photography. The intuitive interface helps users focus on capturing the perfect shot.

Highlights
  • Manual photography and videography controls
  • Exposure and focus bracketing
  • Slow shutter and time-lapse modes
  • Macro photography support
  • Professional HDR capabilities
  • ISO/Shutter priority modes
  • Histogram and clipping warnings
Features
Read full description

CameraPixels is a unique manual photography app. The premium tools and intuitive UI make CameraPixels the best choice for professional mobile photographers. CameraPixels participated in Berkley Eclipse Megamovie 2017 thanks to its extensive raw bracketing. All-in-one ============= CameraPixels is all-in-one capture solution, that supports multiple photo and video capture modes. Among them are Bracketing, Slow Shutter and Time-lapse modes. CameraPixels has the most advanced bracketing available on the iOS platform, which includes exposure and focus bracketing. Best for macro photography ============= With CameraPixels you can capture the best macro shots, be it a single image or a series of images, called focus bracketing, which can later be combined into one all-in-focus photo (requires external app for focus stacking). If you have an external macro lens, let CameraPixels save its name to the EXIF data for you, so later you can always remember which lens was used. Currently CameraPixels supports Olloclip™, Loupe System™ and Moment™ lenses. Best for professional HDR photography ============= CameraPixels has the most advanced exposure bracketing on iOS. With up to 15 images per bracket you can capture even the most difficult lighting situations. CameraPixels support auto-, iso and shutter-brackets, with an optional flash frame. The captured images can be used to create stunning HDR photos using your favorite professional HDR software. Intuitive UI ============= CameraPixels has a simple and efficient UI. The most important information is always in front of your eyes, and this allows you to avoid surprises like an unexpected flash fire or the wrong output photo or video format. Stop being distracted by the uncertainty of the settings, concentrate on your capture! ISO/Shutter priority modes ============= CameraPixels is among a few photography apps that support advanced exposure modes like ISO and Shutter priority. These modes are indispensable during dynamic photography when there is no time for adjusting manual exposure. Histogram and clipping warnings ============= The histogram is a great tool to estimate your exposure. It can show you if the photo has under-exposed or over-exposed areas. Clipping warnings, on the other hand, can show you exactly where those under and over-exposed areas in your photo are. Depth capture ============= On dual/triple-camera devices, CameraPixels can capture depth information alongside the colour photo. If the photo has depth information, in the preview window, two additional buttons appear (depth and portrait) that allow you to inspect the depth of the image and apply it to simulate an aperture. Presets ============= CameraPixels was designed for professional photographers that value efficiency of their workflow. The unlimited presets, including the possibility to expose them to Widget make CameraPixels the ultimate photography tool. Features overview ============= - UI optimized for manual capture - RAW and ProRAW (on supported devices) photo capture - Auto, manual and semi-automatic (ISO- and Shutter-priority) exposure modes - Photo, Burst, Portrait, Slow Shutter, Exposure Bracket, Focus Bracket, Video and Time-lapse - Clipping warnings to highlight under- and over-exposed areas in real time - Focus peaking and loupe during the manual focus adjustments - Single or series of Exposure Brackets with up to 15 images per bracket. AEB, ISO- and Shutter-brackets are available. - Single or series of Focus Brackets with up to 100 images per bracket - Adjustable photo and video resolution - Adjustable photo and video quality - Advanced photo processing (Smart HDR and Deep fusion on supported devices) - Unlimited presets with the possibility of exposing them to the widget - Advanced intervalometer - Multiple framing options

About

Manual Camera

Take full control of your mobile photography with manual adjustments for focus, ISO, shutter speed, and white balance. Achieve professional-looking shots with reduced noise and creative motion blur effects.

Highlights
  • Manual focus control
  • Adjustable ISO sensitivity
  • Variable shutter speed
  • Customizable white balance
  • Long exposure photography
  • RAW photo capture
Features
Read full description

With mcamera you can control parameters that are not available in the standard camera app: - Focus distance - ISO sensitivity - Shutter speed - White balance With manual control of shutter speed you can keep ISO as low as possible which will give you less noise on the photos. Long shutter speed would also give you opportunity to take photos with smeared elements such as car lights or smooth river water. Terms of service: https://vdugnist.com/mcamera_tos.html

Screenshots

CameraPixels Lite4 screens
Manual Camera3 screens

Verdict

The call

CameraPixels Lite and Manual Camera both sit at 4.3 stars, but that hides the real split: 74% of CameraPixels Lite's written reviews are positive against 59% of Manual Camera's. CameraPixels Lite also leads on device support (4 vs 2). Manual Camera's advantage is ratings volume (456 vs 46) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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

Both are free to download. CameraPixels Lite sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Manual Camera sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for CameraPixels Lite against 4.3 for Manual Camera. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Manual Camera has 456 ratings behind it against 46, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 74% of CameraPixels Lite's written reviews are positive against 59% of Manual Camera's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CameraPixels Lite ships an update every 6 weeks, Manual Camera every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
CameraPixels Lite versus Manual Camera: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCameraPixels LiteManual Camera
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (46 ratings)4.3 (456 ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.8% of reviews — better58.7% of reviews
Number of ratings46456 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNatalya PetrenkoVladislav Dugnist

Customer experience

CameraPixels Lite

All ratings46 ratings
Positive78.3%
Neutral4.3%
Negative17.4%
Written reviews84 reviews
Positive73.8%
Neutral7.1%
Negative19.0%

Manual Camera

All ratings440 ratings
Positive83.9%
Neutral4.5%
Negative11.6%
Written reviews46 reviews
Positive58.7%
Neutral2.2%
Negative39.1%

Bugs and requests

CameraPixels Lite

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Manual Camera

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Unable to save photos
  • Aspect ratio not saving correctly in free version
  • Slow shutter not working as expected
  • App crashes
  • Cannot access selfie camera
Show 3 more
  • EXIF data not displayed in native Photos app
  • ISO value discrepancy between slider and display
  • Cannot save photos due to photo access settings

Requested features

8 requests
  • Ability to turn on macro focus mode
  • Option to switch to selfie camera
  • Longer exposure times (e.g., 30 seconds)
  • Support for ultra wide and telephoto cameras
  • ND filter for daylight slow shutter speeds
Show 3 more
  • Ability to change lenses on iPhone 12Pro
  • More settings and controls
  • Fix alignment issue with aperture symbol

In-app purchases

1 purchases

CameraPixels Lite

One-time1
  • Full resolution pack$7.99
2 purchases

Manual Camera

Subscriptions2
  • Manual Camera PRO7 Days trial$5.991 Year
  • Manual Camera PRO7 Days trial$11.991 Year

Questions

Is CameraPixels Lite free?
CameraPixels Lite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Manual Camera free?
Manual Camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, CameraPixels Lite or Manual Camera?
Manual Camera is rated higher. CameraPixels Lite averages 4.3 out of 5 from 46 ratings, while Manual Camera averages 4.3 from 456 ratings.
Do CameraPixels Lite or Manual Camera have ads?
Neither CameraPixels Lite nor Manual Camera shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CameraPixels Lite or Manual Camera?
CameraPixels Lite ships an update every 6 weeks, and Manual Camera every 4 weeks. Most recently, CameraPixels Lite was updated on November 1, 2026 and Manual Camera on November 3, 2026.

Other comparisons