Comparison

Simple RAW 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

Simple RAW Camera

Capture professional-grade photos with RAW image support, offering Apple ProRAW or Adobe DNG formats. Easily share your high-resolution images via email or file sharing with your computer.

Highlights
  • RAW image capture
  • Apple ProRAW support
  • Adobe DNG format
  • HEIC capture
  • Email file sharing
  • Mac/PC file sharing
Read full description

This is the simplest but professional use camera. RAW capture available, file format is Apple ProRAW or adobe DNG. Apple ProRAW format is available for iPhone 12 Series and later. Once you capture photo, then you can send raw file through mailer. Or File Sharing is available where your iPhone and Mac/PC connected. Open Finder to find your iPhone, then you can drag and drop to pull RAW data. And also, HEIC capture is available.

About

Obscura

This camera app offers advanced manual controls for photography and videography. It provides a range of capture formats, live filters, and viewing aids to enhance your creative process. An optional subscription unlocks premium features.

Highlights
  • Manual exposure, focus, and white balance controls
  • RAW, ProRAW, HEIC, and JPEG capture formats
  • Live filters and custom preset creation
  • Grid, histogram, and focus peaking view aids
  • Video and Live Photo recording
  • Integrated photo library browsing and editing
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

Simple RAW Camera4 screens
Obscura4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Obscura at none against Simple RAW Camera's shown. Obscura also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (277 vs 83). Simple RAW Camera's advantage is rating (4.3 vs 4.1). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Simple RAW 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

Simple RAW Camera holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 83 and 277 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of Simple RAW Camera's written reviews are positive against 52% of Obscura's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simple RAW Camera ships an update every 2 months, Obscura every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Simple RAW Camera versus Obscura: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple RAW CameraObscura
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (83 ratings) — better4.1 (277 ratings)
Positive reviews54.8% of reviews — better52.4% of reviews
Number of ratings83277 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better18
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB174 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKANAME OHARABen McCarthy

Customer experience

Simple RAW Camera

All ratings83 ratings
Positive84.3%
Neutral4.8%
Negative10.8%
Written reviews73 reviews
Positive54.8%
Neutral5.5%
Negative39.7%

Obscura

All ratings277 ratings
Positive72.6%
Neutral8.7%
Negative18.8%
Written reviews206 reviews
Positive52.4%
Neutral15.0%
Negative32.5%

Bugs and requests

Simple RAW 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

Simple RAW Camera

One-time1
  • Full feature option$4.99
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 Simple RAW Camera free?
Simple RAW 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, Simple RAW Camera or Obscura?
Simple RAW Camera is rated higher. Simple RAW Camera averages 4.3 out of 5 from 83 ratings, while Obscura averages 4.1 from 277 ratings.
Do Simple RAW Camera or Obscura have ads?
Simple RAW Camera shows ads; Obscura does not.
Which is updated more often, Simple RAW Camera or Obscura?
Simple RAW Camera ships an update every 2 months, and Obscura every 2 weeks. Most recently, Simple RAW Camera was updated on November 3, 2026 and Obscura on November 3, 2026.

Other comparisons