Comparison

Camera M vs Light Stack Camera

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

Head to head
About

Camera M

This app offers professional manual camera controls for capturing high-quality photos, akin to a DSLR. It provides advanced features like RAW and ProRAW support, precise manual adjustments for focus, exposure, and white balance, and various shooting modes for creative control.

Highlights
  • Fluid gesture-based manual controls
  • Zero-process RAW and ProRAW support
  • Max Image Processing for best quality
  • Manual focus, exposure, and white balance
  • Multiple shooting modes (Burst, Timer, Bracket)
  • Focus Peaking and 4x magnifier
  • Live RGB and luminance histograms
Features
Read full description

Camera M is a professional manual camera app designed to do one thing exceptionally well — help you capture beautiful photos at the highest possible quality with powerful, precise manual controls akin to a DSLR. HIGHLIGHTS • Fluid gesture-based native manual controls with Fine-Tuning feature • iOS 26 optimization with Liquid Glass design • Zero-process RAW support for the most natural look • Max Image Processing to ensure the absolute best image quality • ProRAW*, RAW, HEIF, JPEG, TIFF, and PNG image formats • Single, Burst, Timer, Live, Depth*, Dual Photo*, and Bracket shooting modes • Triple Photo mode with simultaneous ultra-wide, wide-angle, and telephoto camera capture* • Minimum focus distance display for macro photography • Intelligent Focus Tracking • Focus Peaking and 4x magnifier loupe with panning function • Live RGB and RGB luminance histograms • Manual gray card calibration • Great widgets for photography • Darkroom integration CAMERA CONTROLS – Manual focus – Macro and Scene focus presets – Exposure bias – Manual ISO & exposure duration adjustments – ISO & exposure duration semi-priority modes – Manual white balance temperature and tint – White balance presets – Gray card white balance calibration – Auto, on, and off flash modes – Manual torch brightness level – Manual switching between Ultra Wide, Wide, and Telephoto cameras* – Digital pinch zoom with 10x range – Camera Control support for all manual controls – Lock Screen camera capture support IMAGE FORMATS – Apple ProRAW* – RAW with stabilization – HEIF with optional minimum compression – JPEG with optional minimum compression – TIFF – PNG – Live Photo – P3 wide color support* SHOOTING MODES – Single – Burst – Timer – Depth* – Dual/Triple Photo* – Live Photo* – Bracket TOOLS – Exposure offset gauge – Intelligent Focus Tracking – Live focus peaking assistant – 4x magnifier loupe with panning function – Minimum focus distance display – Live RGB and RGB luminance histograms – Highlight & shadow alert display – Horizon level with available pitch tracking and flat options – Rule of Thirds, Golden Ratio, Quadrant, and Square grids – Siri Shortcuts and App Shortcuts – Detailed camera specifications display with PDF export MAX IMAGE PROCESSING – Deep Fusion and Smart HDR support for iPhone 11 and later. – Ensures maximum image quality with better noise reduction, image stabilization, and additional processing for all other iPhones and iPads ZERO-PROCESS RAW – Capture standard RAW files with no extra processing PHOTO LIBRARY – Summarized and full EXIF metadata display – Location data display with compass and elevation – RGB and RGB luminance histogram displays – Access to all photo albums and folders WIDGETS – Home Screen: Golden Hour, EXIF, and Cameras – Lock Screen: Cameras and Golden Hour – Control Center: Focus, exposure, and white balance APPLE WATCH SUPPORT – Shutter button control – Sunrise, sunset, and Golden Hour display with sun position indicator ERGONOMICS – True one-handed control on all iPhones – An uncompromising approach to user experience in landscape orientation ACCESSIBILITY – Dynamic Type support  – Bold Text support – Increase Contrast support TECHNOLOGY Camera M is powered exclusively by native APIs and frameworks. There are absolutely no dependencies on any outside sources. This makes it responsive and efficient — from its small download size to its quick app launch times. We hope you enjoy taking amazing photos with Camera M! Website: www.camera-m.com User manual: www.camera-m.com/manual Get in touch: contact@camera-m.com Follow us: @CameraMApp #CameraM * These features are available on supported devices only. * Depth capture for selfies requires an iPhone or an iPad with a TrueDepth camera system. * Apple ProRAW capture requires iPhone 12 Pro or later. * For more information on device and feature compatibility: www.camera-m.com/compatibility

About

Light Stack Camera

Capture incredibly sharp long exposure photos without a tripod. Advanced AI stabilization allows for handheld shots up to 30 seconds, providing natural-looking results. Unique features like true-to-motion preview and customizable failure responses ensure control and prevent ruined shots.

Highlights
  • AI-stabilized long exposures
  • Handheld shooting up to 30 seconds
  • True-to-motion live preview
  • Customizable failure response options
  • Full-resolution image pipeline
Features
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Capture sharp long exposures — no tripod required. With advanced AI stabilization, Light Stack lets you shoot handheld for up to 30 seconds — with consistently sharp, natural-looking results. To help you stay steady and in control, Light Stack offers some unique features: • True-to-Motion Preview: The live preview moves naturally with your hands, giving you intuitive feedback that helps you stay steady. No more fighting to keep a crosshair centered. • Failure Response: If motion tracking is lost, you choose what happens: temporarily pause the exposure, end it cleanly, or keep going without stabilization. No surprises, and no ruined shots when things don’t go as planned. • Full-Resolution Pipeline: Light Stack maintains full resolution from capture to final image. No cropping, and no upscaling to cover it up. Try it free and experience the convenience of Light Stack. --- Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Camera M4 screens
Light Stack Camera3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Light Stack Camera at Free against Camera M's $7.99. Light Stack Camera also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). Camera M's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (1.4K vs 28). On review sentiment, ads and iOS requirement 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

Light Stack Camera is free to download; Camera M costs $7.99 up front. Light Stack Camera sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Camera M asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Light Stack Camera holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Camera M has 1.4K ratings behind it against 28, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of Camera M's written reviews are positive against 73% of Light Stack Camera's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Camera M ships an update every 3 weeks, Light Stack Camera weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Camera M versus Light Stack Camera: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCamera MLight Stack Camera
Price$7.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (1.4K ratings)4.7 (28 ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.4% of reviews73.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.4K — better28
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#106 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS1616.0
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperbxbCogitap Software

Customer experience

Camera M

All ratings1,411 ratings
Positive88.4%
Neutral4.7%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews313 reviews
Positive68.4%
Neutral12.5%
Negative19.2%

Light Stack Camera

All ratings28 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral3.6%
Negative3.6%
Written reviews26 reviews
Positive73.1%
Neutral3.8%
Negative23.1%

Bugs and requests

Camera M

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Viewfinder freezes and app crashes
  • RAW images come out blurry
  • Depth mode has issues with focus and bokeh
  • Settings buttons become unresponsive
  • Shutter speed resets after each shot

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add video capture mode
  • Implement longer shutter speed options
  • Include focus bracketing and stacking
  • Add color grading tools for RAW images
  • Provide more aspect ratio options
Show 1 more
  • Integrate with external photo editing apps

Light Stack Camera

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Camera M

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Light Stack Camera

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription$4.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Access$34.99

Questions

Is Camera M free?
Camera M costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Light Stack Camera free?
Light Stack Camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Camera M or Light Stack Camera?
Light Stack Camera is rated higher. Camera M averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.4K ratings, while Light Stack Camera averages 4.7 from 28 ratings.
Do Camera M or Light Stack Camera have ads?
Neither Camera M nor Light Stack Camera shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Camera M or Light Stack Camera?
Camera M ships an update every 3 weeks, and Light Stack Camera weekly. Most recently, Camera M was updated on October 16, 2026 and Light Stack Camera on October 14, 2026.

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