Viewfinder Preview vs VIEWFINDR
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Viewfinder Preview
Preview camera framing for any camera and lens combination. Select film/sensor size and focal length to visualize framing before setting up your main camera. Ideal for photographers and filmmakers for pre-visualization, location scouting, and storyboarding.
- Camera and lens framing preview
- Customizable film/sensor formats
- Configurable light meter
- Photo capture with metadata
- Photo gallery with data display
- Album and PDF creation
- Film stock emulation
Read full descriptionHide full description
Viewfinder Preview is an iPhone app for previewing camera framing for any combination of camera and lens. Instead of spending all that time setting up your big camera, just choose your desired film/sensor size and focal length in the app and point the iPhone camera at what you want to photo to verify framing. If you are happy with the framing then you can get the big camera out. The app has a large database of camera sensors details and film formats but if the format you desire isn’t there you can add your own custom format. The app is targeted at stills photographers or film makers working in either film or digital. If you don’t have your big camera with you, Viewfinder Preview is still great for photo sketching, location scouting or story boarding. The app includes - Customisable menus so you can include the film/sensor formats and focal lengths you care about. - A fully configurable light meter. - You can take photos with it, so you have a record of shots you were framing. - Photos taken with the app include additional data that describe the film format, focal length and lighting meter settings at the time the shot was taken - Add notes to your photos - A photo gallery for viewing photos taken with the app which also displays the additional data - Share images in emails, messages - Create albums of photos from the same project, trip etc - Create PDF documents of albums - Film stock emulation - Wide angle lens adapter support
VIEWFINDR
Get personalized weather alerts for your favorite photography locations. Receive notifications for optimal light and weather conditions, helping you save time, money, and reduce your environmental impact. Plan your shoots like a pro with detailed forecasts for fog, red skies, and more.
- Personalized weather alerts for photo spots
- Forecasts for fog, red skies, golden hour, and more
- Automatic GPS tracking for local alerts
- 80% forecast accuracy
- Drone weather safety checks
- Hourly weather forecasts with subscription
Read full descriptionHide full description
Set up a detailed weather alert for your photo spots in 1min! Receive warnings when weather & light on your photo spots is favourable. The 80% forecast accuracy lowers your carbon footprint and saves your money & time. Our algorithm hides sensitive places to prevent destruction. Get the experience in location, weather & light planning of professional landscape photographers by your hands. Developed for the needs of those seeking the most favourable weather conditions on their photo spots. Yes, our subscription is not cheap. VIEWFINDR depends on high-resolution, not free accessible weather data. That’s why we get the forecast right in 80% of the time. Imagine the fuel prices. If we safe you from one trip with bad weather conditions per month, we save you more money than VIEWFINDR costs while also lowering your carbon footprint. In just 1min you will setup a personalized weather alert for your chosen photo spots. We also automatically track your GPS (in a data safe way) and send you weather alerts for your area so that you don’t miss out nice weather & light conditions. We forecast: - Veil of mist (flatlands) - Dense fog/high fog (Valleys and mountains) - Precise height of fog layer - Red Skies (Afterglow before sunrise, after sunset) - Golden clouds (While golden hour) - Clear Night Sky (For Milkyway, Aurora) - Blue Hour (Cloudless sky) - Water Reflections (On lakes and calm rivers) - Cloud Layers - Drone weather (is it safe to fly) The VIEWFINDR subscription gives you access to the following functions: - Details of active weather alerts - Hourly weather forecasts - More details about the photo spots such as the exact position Terms and conditions: https://www.iubenda.com/terms-and-conditions/90053319
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: VIEWFINDR at Free against Viewfinder Preview's $4.99. VIEWFINDR also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 months). Viewfinder Preview's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 3.8) and in-app purchases (none vs 6). On review sentiment, ads 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
VIEWFINDR is free to download; Viewfinder Preview costs $4.99 up front. VIEWFINDR sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Viewfinder Preview asks for nothing beyond the download.
Viewfinder Preview holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Viewfinder Preview has 300 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of Viewfinder Preview's written reviews are positive against 80% of VIEWFINDR's.
Viewfinder Preview ships an update every 3 months, VIEWFINDR every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Viewfinder Preview | VIEWFINDR |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (300 ratings) — better | 3.8 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 86.4% of reviews — better | 80.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 300 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #135 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 169 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Adam Fowler | ImagoTerra UG (haftungsbeschränkt) |
Customer experience
Viewfinder Preview
VIEWFINDR
Bugs and requests
Viewfinder Preview
Reported bugs
11 issues- White screen on startup
- App crashes repeatedly
- Exposure offset resets when app closes
- Notes and shot data disappear after weeks
- In-app purchase screen loops indefinitely
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- Focal length inaccuracy on iPhone 14 Pro
- Manual metering mode shows darker frame than preview
- Tiny 1px border on cropped images
- Battery drains excessively
- App not loading on iOS 16
- Glitches requiring app restart
Requested features
20 requests- Embed camera/lens metadata directly in saved images
- Save custom film stock names
- Persistent exposure offset settings
- More film stock options (Kodak Gold 200, Fuji 400H, Catlabs 320 Pro, Ilford XP2, etc.)
- Lower ISO settings (support for ISO 0.5 and below)
Show 15 moreShow fewer
- Additional aspect ratios (6x17, 65x24)
- Save images with exposure data as overlay or separate versions
- Grid lines and level indicators
- Focus distance display
- Telephoto lens support (65mm-400mm)
- Wider focal lengths (below 35mm)
- Camera profile presets for quick switching
- Custom aperture values (e.g., f/3.5)
- Shift lens simulation for architectural photography
- Watermark saved photos with camera data
- Toggle HDR on/off for better film simulation
- Video tutorial or in-app help guide
- Ability to disable auto-display of config on images
- Telephoto lens compatibility
- Correct focal length rendering for newer iPhone models
VIEWFINDR
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Viewfinder Preview
No in-app purchases
VIEWFINDR
- Monthly subscription7 Days trial$0.991 Month
- Monthly subscription7 Days trial$4.991 Month
- Monthly subscription1 Month trial$4.991 Month
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Annual subscription7 Days trial$9.991 Year
- Annual subscription7 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Annual subscription1 Month trial$49.991 Year
Questions
Is Viewfinder Preview free?
Is VIEWFINDR free?
Which has better reviews, Viewfinder Preview or VIEWFINDR?
Do Viewfinder Preview or VIEWFINDR have ads?
Which is updated more often, Viewfinder Preview or VIEWFINDR?
Other comparisons















