Comparison

Carousel Camera vs Obscura

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

Head to head
About

Carousel Camera

This app offers a unique circular video recording format that adapts to any screen orientation. Capture footage in high resolution and easily switch between full frame views with a simple double tap.

Highlights
  • Circular video recording
  • Adapts to any screen orientation
  • High-resolution capture (4K compatible)
  • Double-tap for full frame view
  • Ratioless video format
Features
Read full description

Designed by wearedot.agency, Carousel Camera is a beautifully designed, innovative camera solution that gets rid of an old problem: aspect ratio. By using a circular video (ratioless), it can be adapted to any screen! Using a 4K-compatible phone is yields a better than HD image*, that is vertical, horizontal, any angle you want... Double tap to see a complete view of the frame, both horizontal and vertical! *Final image is "1215p" (2160x1215) in 4K phones. 607.5p in 1080p phones.

About

Obscura

This camera app offers advanced manual controls and professional formats like ProRAW for enhanced photo and video capture. Its intuitive design and tactile interface allow for precise adjustments, while features like focus peaking and histograms aid in achieving stunning results.

Highlights
  • Manual exposure, focus, and white balance controls
  • ProRAW, RAW, HEIC, and JPEG capture formats
  • Live filters and multiple aspect ratios
  • Histogram, focus peaking, and exposure clipping highlights
  • Integrated photo library with editing and sharing
  • Video and Live Photo capture
Features
Read full description

Obscura V is a camera app packed full of features to help you take incredible photos. Obscura pairs a stunning design with intuitive controls that make taking photos a delight. — Over its 10+ years on the App Store, Obscura has been featured numerous times around the world, including as Editors’ Choice and App of the Day. — Design Obscura squeezes a bunch of powerful features into simple controls anyone can master. The interface balances aesthetics, ergonomics, and intuitiveness. You won’t want to use anything else. Controls can be reached with one thumb, and gestures and haptics combine to create a tactile experience that lets you stay focused on your subject. — Capture Modes & Formats Obscura captures photos, videos, Live Photos, and portraits. Photos can be captured in RAW, ProRAW, HEIC, and JPEG (on supported devices, see http://obscura.camera/compatibility). Capture images in multiple different aspect ratios, or apply filters live in camera for a wide variety of styles. — Camera Settings Obscura gives you control over exposure, focus, white balance, ISO, shutter speed, and flash, with intuitive controls that make you feel in control of your device’s camera. — Live Filters Obscura includes a bunch of great filters to give your photos instant style but you can also create your own and use them live in-camera. It’s very cool and very powerful. — View Options Obscura lets you display a grid, a spirit level, a histogram, focus peaking, a focus loupe, and exposure clipping highlights to help you understand every detail of what you’re shooting. — Photo Library Obscura has its own interface for browsing, rating, editing, and sharing images, but it’s fully integrated with your system photo library, so images captured with Obscura are available everywhere. — Obscura Ultra Obscura is free to use, with an annual subscription for premium features. See http://obscura.camera/ultra for full details. — I hope you love using Obscura as much as I’ve loved designing and building it. If you do, please consider subscribing to Ultra, leaving a review, or just sharing with a friend. All the best, Ben ———— Privacy Policy: http://obscura.camera/privacy Terms of use: http://obscura.camera/terms

Screenshots

Carousel Camera3 screens
Obscura4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Obscura at 4.0 against Carousel Camera's 2.7. Obscura also leads on ratings volume (274 vs 3). Carousel Camera's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 18). On price, review sentiment, 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. Carousel Camera sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Obscura sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Obscura holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Obscura has 274 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Carousel Camera's written reviews are positive against 52% of Obscura's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Carousel Camera ships an update every 10 days, Obscura every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Carousel Camera versus Obscura: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCarousel CameraObscura
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.7 (3 ratings)4.0 (274 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews52.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3274 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS10.0 — better18
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB174 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRafael CostaBen McCarthy

Customer experience

Carousel Camera

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral16.7%
Negative33.3%

Obscura

All ratings274 ratings
Positive72.6%
Neutral8.4%
Negative19.0%
Written reviews204 reviews
Positive52.5%
Neutral15.2%
Negative32.4%

Bugs and requests

Carousel Camera

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Obscura

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes when trying to use Pro Raw mode
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between lenses
  • Manual settings randomly resetting
  • Photos not saving properly
  • Freezing and black screen issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to save custom camera settings
  • Variable zoom function in pro mode
  • Separate manual control for exposure and ISO
  • Dedicated selfie button
  • Live audio capture for Live Photos

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Carousel Camera

One-time1
  • Carousel Camera Pro$0.99
5 purchases

Obscura

Subscriptions4
  • Obscura Ultra - Weekly$1.497 Days
  • Obscura Ultra - Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Obscura Ultra7 Days trial$24.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Obscura Ultra Upgrade1 Year trial$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Obscura Ultra - One Time$74.99

Questions

Is Carousel Camera free?
Carousel Camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Obscura free?
Obscura is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Carousel Camera or Obscura?
Obscura is rated higher. Carousel Camera averages 2.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Obscura averages 4.0 from 274 ratings.
Do Carousel Camera or Obscura have ads?
Neither Carousel Camera nor Obscura shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Carousel Camera or Obscura?
Carousel Camera ships an update every 10 days, and Obscura every 2 weeks. Most recently, Carousel Camera was updated on October 24, 2026 and Obscura on October 25, 2026.

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