# Viewfinder Preview vs Positive View

The clearest difference is price: Positive View at Free against Viewfinder Preview's $4.99. Positive View also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Viewfinder Preview's advantage is ratings volume (300 vs 4) and device support (3 vs 1). On ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Positive View is free to download; Viewfinder Preview costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Positive View holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. 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.

Viewfinder Preview ships an update every 3 months, Positive View fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Viewfinder Preview | Positive View |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.7 (300 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/viewfinder-preview/id1216484605/reviews) | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/positive-view/id6799534399/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **300** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 86.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Size | 18 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adam Fowler](https://appshunter.io/developer/1216484604) | [Mikhail Rybakov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1888238166) |

## What reviewers say

### Viewfinder Preview

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/viewfinder-preview/id1216484605)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 📸 Excellent film emulation and visualization
- 💡 Comprehensive light meter functionality
- 📝 Useful note-taking and shot logging features
- 🎯 Customizable camera formats and focal lengths
- 👍 Intuitive interface and easy to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes and white screen issues
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 📱 Poor image resolution and quality
- ⚠️ Limited focal length range (35mm minimum)
- 🎬 Focal length accuracy issues on newer iPhones

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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)


### Positive View

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/positive-view/id6799534399)

Transform your phone into a live viewer for photographic negatives. Instantly see positive images from color or black-and-white film in real time. Ideal for quickly previewing, selecting, and referencing your film scans.

**Highlights:** Live negative viewing (color & B&W), Automatic color balancing, Brightness, contrast, warmth controls, Freeze, zoom, and pan frame, Save positive image to Photos, Calibration for illumination and lens, Use second device as light panel

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Viewfinder Preview free?

Viewfinder Preview costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Positive View free?

Positive View is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Viewfinder Preview or Positive View?

Positive View is rated higher. Viewfinder Preview averages 4.7 out of 5 from 300 ratings, while Positive View averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do Viewfinder Preview or Positive View have ads?

Neither Viewfinder Preview nor Positive View shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Viewfinder Preview or Positive View?

Viewfinder Preview ships an update every 3 months, and Positive View fortnightly. Most recently, Viewfinder Preview was updated on October 24, 2026 and Positive View on October 24, 2026.

---

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