# Carousel Camera vs Obscura

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Carousel Camera | Obscura |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carousel-camera/id1247608843/reviews) | **[4.0 (274 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obscura-pro-camera/id1579306989/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 3 | **274** |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | **52.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 30 MB | 174 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 18 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Rafael Costa](https://appshunter.io/developer/1107410699) | [Ben McCarthy](https://appshunter.io/developer/893264216) |

## What reviewers say

### Carousel Camera

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carousel-camera/id1247608843)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Carousel Camera Pro | $0.99 | one-time |


### Obscura

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obscura-pro-camera/id1579306989)

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:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Obscura Ultra - Weekly | $1.49 | per 7 days |
| Obscura Ultra - Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Obscura Ultra | $24.99 | per year |
| Obscura Ultra Upgrade | $24.99 | per year |
| Obscura Ultra - One Time | $74.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful manual controls
- 👍 Intuitive and clean interface
- 🎨 Customizable presets and filters
- 💡 Unique camera gestures and UI
- 🎥 Supports video recording

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription-based model
- 🔒 Locked features behind paywall
- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🤔 Unintuitive controls and settings
- 🤷‍♂️ Lack of support for newer iPhone lenses

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


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