Comparison

Phocus vs ChaseLight

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

Head to head
About

Phocus

This AI-powered app creates DSLR-style portraits by simulating realistic background blur and offering advanced 3D relighting capabilities. It allows for precise control over depth, lighting, and scene atmosphere, transforming any photo into a cinematic masterpiece.

Highlights
  • DSLR-style portrait creation
  • Realistic background blur simulation
  • Advanced 3D relighting
  • AI-powered subject detection
  • DSLR lens emulation
  • Portrait video blur
Features
Read full description

Featured by Apple in “Powered by Apple Intelligence” and “Great Apps Updated for iOS 27” around the world, and in “Best New Apps and Updates” in the US and Canada. Phocus is a portrait camera and depth editor for iPhone, iPad, and iPhone Duo. See each lens's bokeh live before you shoot, or bring any photo from your library, even one taken without Portrait mode, and reshape its focus and depth with tools that understand distance, not just outlines. SHOOT - Eight lens characters, from clean and modern to swirly vintage and black and white, each with its own bokeh rendered live in the viewfinder - The blur you see is the blur you get, in the photo and the editor - Live AI depth for real-time blur even where the camera can't measure depth on its own - Live aperture and focus control - Manual ISO, shutter speed, white balance, exposure, and focus - Histogram, zebra, focus peaking, level, and timer - RAW and ProRAW capture - Import your own .cube LUTs, or choose from Daily, Film Looks, Vintage, Signature, and Mono - Lens and color look suggestions with Apple Intelligence, generated on device - Siri, Shortcuts, Lock Screen, and Control Center to open the camera you need EDIT - Change aperture, focus, blur falloff, and bokeh shape after the shot - Edit any photo in your library: AI depth adds realistic blur even to photos taken without Portrait mode - Edit the depth map directly: every color is a distance, so you can pick a depth and brush it over any area - Select a subject with a tap on iOS 27, then refine it with Brush, Erase, and Hardness - Masks in Portrait, Depth, and Select modes - Curves, adjustments, tone, and film grain - 3D Relight and 3D Scene Preview for depth-aware lighting - Copy a photo's look onto other photos, with undo and redo for every change - Save as Portrait keeps the depth with your photo - Export depth maps and portrait mattes - Portrait video blur - Built-in tutorials and Mask Help MADE FOR EVERY SCREEN Phocus adapts to iPhone, iPad, and iPhone Duo. Open your Duo for more room to shoot and edit, or partially fold it with the preview and controls on either side of the fold. "Looking for an app that not only adds the Portrait mode effect to your photos but does a bit more? Then Phocus is the one you're looking for." — iMore "The app is a fine example of technical and artistic craftsmanship." — iGeeksBlog PHOCUS PRO Unlock every lens, look, and tool with Phocus Pro. Subscriptions are billed weekly, monthly or annually at the rate selected depending on the subscription plan. Terms of use: https://rayinformatics.com/terms Privacy policy: https://rayinformatics.com/privacy Contact: https://rayinformatics.com/contact

About

ChaseLight

Features
Read full description

More photography opportunities. Less guesswork. ChaseLight is a shoot-planning app built specifically for landscape and astrophotography - not a general weather app repurposed for photographers. WHY CHASELIGHT Generic weather apps tell you the temperature and chance of rain. ChaseLight tells you whether the light is going to be worth chasing - and whether you'll get there in time. Every upcoming sunrise, sunset, blue hour and moonrise is analysed using photography-specific criteria - cloud structure, fog likelihood, wind, and light timing - and distilled into a score you can read in seconds. HOW IT WORKS • Next Chase & Upcoming Chases - see your best photography windows ranked and ready, not buried in a seven-day forecast. • Colour Score - a five-tier rating for every sunrise and sunset (Exceptional to Low Colour), with a short reason for each score: Clear sky, High cloud, Layered cloud, Fog potential, Rain, Blocked horizon and more. • Golden & Blue Hour timeline - see exactly when the light changes shape and colour potential, with tide levels shown alongside for coastal shoots. • Plan My Drive (Premium) - leave-by and arrive-by times built into every sunrise and sunset, so you know exactly when to go. • Moon planning - a week of nights at a glance, with Stars and Moon scored separately so you know which one's worth staying up for. • Notifications - get a reminder for Golden Hour, sunrise/sunset, Blue Hour and Stars/Moon "go now" on the chases you save, switched on per category and per chase. • Share Your Chase - turn any saved chase into an Instagram Story with your own photo and its forecast score, composed on your device. • Scout - nearby parking, cafés and toilets, an AI Scout summary of vantage points and access, and an indicative airport-proximity check for drone pilots (always verify with CASA and current NOTAMs). • Save your spots - pick any date and every saved location re-scores instantly; Premium extends how far ahead you can plan. FREE TO START ChaseLight is free to use, with your next 5 sunrise/sunset events, next 3 moon/stars nights, 1 saved location and 3 saved chases included at no cost - and saved locations can be checked up to 2 days ahead. ChaseLight Premium (monthly or yearly auto-renewing subscription) unlocks unlimited events, nights, saved locations and saved chases, the full 6-day planning window for saved locations, and Plan My Drive's leave/arrive times for every event. WHAT CHASELIGHT DOESN'T DO It doesn't promise a great photograph, a colourful sky, or a specific result. Conditions can shift after a forecast is made - that's true of any weather-based tool. What ChaseLight gives you is a photography-literate read on your odds, so you spend your mornings and evenings chasing the shoots most likely to be worth it. BUILT BY A PHOTOGRAPHER ChaseLight was built by a working landscape and event photographer who was tired of checking five different apps and still guessing. It's designed around one goal: fewer wasted sunrises, more shoots worth showing up for. Download ChaseLight and stop guessing when to shoot. ChaseLight Premium is an auto-renewing subscription (monthly or yearly). Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID account settings. Terms of Service: https://planner.struthersphoto.com/terms-of-service.html Privacy Policy: https://planner.struthersphoto.com/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Phocus4 screens
ChaseLight4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ChaseLight at every 6 days against Phocus's fortnightly. ChaseLight also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Phocus sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days and ChaseLight sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Phocus ships an update fortnightly, ChaseLight every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Phocus versus ChaseLight: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhocusChaseLight
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (6.8K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews49.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings6.8K — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size320 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRAY INFORMATICS YAZILIM TEKNOLOJI MEDYA DANISMANLIK VE EGITIM TICARET LIMITED SIRKETIDuncan Struthers

Bugs and requests

Phocus

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Can't save pictures
  • Photos don't download
  • Unable to save picture
  • Camera crashes when clicking portrait
  • App dies if you don't upgrade

Requested features

4 requests
  • Change bokeh shapes/effects
  • Add manual brush to control bokeh
  • Make it a photo extension in Photos app
  • Add more shadows and directional lighting

ChaseLight

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Phocus

Subscriptions4
  • Phocus AI Weekly2 variants$3.997 Days
  • Phocus AI Monthly2 variants$7.991 Month
  • Phocus AI Yearly3 Days trial$19.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Phocus AI Yearly$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Phocus AI Unlimited Access$49.99
2 purchases

ChaseLight

Subscriptions2
  • ChaseLight Premium$2.991 Month
  • ChaseLight Premium$24.991 Year

Questions

Is Phocus free?
Phocus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ChaseLight free?
ChaseLight is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Phocus or ChaseLight have ads?
Neither Phocus nor ChaseLight shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Phocus or ChaseLight?
Phocus ships an update fortnightly, and ChaseLight every 6 days. Most recently, Phocus was updated on October 24, 2026 and ChaseLight on October 22, 2026.

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