Comparison

AuraHDR Camera vs Zeus Focus Stacking

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

Head to head
About

AuraHDR Camera

This app enhances mobile photography with advanced HDR and focus stacking capabilities. It allows users to capture detailed images in challenging lighting, achieve edge-to-edge sharpness for close-ups, and shoot in high resolutions like 48MP ProRAW. Tutorials are available to help master its professional-grade features.

Highlights
  • RAW HDR bracketing
  • 100-shot Focus Bracketing
  • 48MP ProRAW shooting
  • Moon Shooting Mode
  • Long exposure capabilities
  • Built-in HDR editing sliders
  • Low Light preset
Features
Read full description

AuraHDR Camera gives iPhone photographers advanced tools for capturing scenes that ordinary camera apps struggle with. Create detailed HDR images with up to 16-stop RAW exposure bracketing, achieve edge-to-edge sharpness with focus bracketing and automatic focus stacking, and shoot in Bayer RAW or Apple ProRAW—all from one powerful camera app. WHAT MAKES AURAHDR DIFFERENT? ADVANCED HDR CAMERA AuraHDR’s proprietary AuraEngine tone mapping recovers detail in challenging lighting conditions. Each scene is analyzed automatically, while built-in tone controls let you fine-tune the result. For darker scenes, the Low Light preset helps produce cleaner photographs with improved detail. 1. 16-STOP EXPOSURE BRACKETING Capture RAW or JPEG exposure brackets across a range of up to 16 stops for merging in your preferred HDR software. • Capture up to seven bracketed exposures. • Customize the number of exposures and interval between them. • High Quality Low Light mode uses a lower ISO for cleaner brackets. • Supports Bayer RAW and Apple ProRAW on compatible iPhones. 2. RAW FOCUS BRACKETING Capture tack-sharp close-ups and landscapes with greater depth of field. • Choose automatic or manual focus bracketing. • Capture up to 100 bracketed images. • Adjust the focus interval for different subjects. • Capture in RAW or JPEG. • Use the draggable magnifier and real-time focus peaking to identify areas of sharp focus. In Auto mode, select the nearest focus point and let AuraHDR capture the sequence. In Manual mode, tap different areas of the frame to choose each focus position. Import the frames into apps such as Affinity Photo or Luminar Neo to create images with edge-to-edge sharpness. 3. AUTOMATIC FOCUS STACKING CAMERA Automatic Focus Stacking combines bracketed images inside AuraHDR and saves the completed result—no external stacking software required. • Ideal for macro, product, and food photography. • Select the nearest focus point and press the shutter. • Both the bracketed sequence and focus-stacked image are saved. • Designed for use with the iPhone’s main camera. 4. BAYER RAW AND APPLE PRORAW CAPTURE Choose the RAW format that best suits your workflow. • Capture minimally processed Bayer RAW files for maximum editing flexibility. • Use Apple ProRAW for RAW flexibility with Apple’s computational processing. • Capture Apple ProRAW at up to 48MP on supported Pro iPhones. • Available formats and resolution depend on your iPhone model. 5. LONG EXPOSURE AND FRAME STACKING Create smooth long exposures of flowing water, moving lights, and other moving subjects directly inside AuraHDR. Frame Stacking captures a sequence of individual images for processing in compatible software. Blend them to simulate longer exposures or average them to reduce noise in static low-light scenes. 6. ADDITIONAL CAPABILITIES Moon Mode captures four exposures to help photograph visible lunar detail. A tripod is recommended for focus stacking, long exposures, frame stacking, and High Quality Low Light capture. Visit the AuraHDR YouTube channel for tutorials covering HDR merging, focus stacking, frame stacking, and other features.

About

Zeus Focus Stacking

This app transforms your iPhone into a macro photography studio. It captures multiple images at varying focus points and intelligently blends them into a single, razor-sharp photo from front to back. Advanced features allow for precise control over capture and editing, with an optional Pro upgrade for enhanced capabilities.

Highlights
  • Precision focus bracketing
  • Automatic focus sweep
  • Intelligent alignment engine
  • Built-in adjustable editor
  • AI object removal (Pro)
  • 2x Super Resolution (Pro)
  • Full-resolution export (Pro)
Features
Read full description

Every Pixel. Razor Sharp. Zeus Focus Stacking turns your iPhone into a professional macro lab. Capture multiple frames at different focus distances, blend them into one perfectly sharp image — front to back. PRECISION CAPTURE • Focus Range — set Near and Far brackets on the live preview, so each stack sweeps only the depth you want • Tap to rack focus straight to any subject plane • Automatic focus bracketing — sweep from near to far in seconds • 10 or 20 frames per stack (20 with Pro) • Linear or macro-biased focus distribution for optimal coverage (macro with Pro) • Capture Speed — Max Speed, Balanced, or Max Quality for the focus bracket (Pro) • Ultra 48 MP — capture the whole bracket at the sensor's full resolution, on iPhones with a 48 MP-class sensor (Pro) • Lossless 12 MP zoom via the wide camera • Shoot in portrait or landscape — your photo always comes out the right way up INTELLIGENT ENGINE Advanced focus-stacking built for iPhone. Smart alignment holds your frames in register through hand-held movement, lens breathing and focus shifts, and the engine renders them into a single image with finer detail and cleaner edges than any Zeus release before it — clean outlines where your subject meets the background, no glow around bright points, and no doubling when something shifts between shots. Core stacking runs on-device; optional iCloud sync and showcase uploads stay under your control. BUILT-IN EDITOR • Exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, color and vignette — every change stays adjustable, and your original stays safe • Crop and straighten • AI object removal — paint over a distraction and it disappears (Pro) • 2× Super Resolution — double the resolution for galleries and large prints (Pro) PRO • Capture Speed — pick Max Speed for near-instant brackets (lighter per-frame processing) or Max Quality for the most per-frame detail; every stack exports at full resolution • iCloud Sync — projects and original frames across all your devices GALLERY THAT KEEPS UP • Original frames preserved for every project — re-stack with newer engines anytime • HEIC and JPEG export, native Photos sharing • Picture of the Week — submit your best focus stacks to the gallery TUNED TO EACH iPHONE Each iPhone model gets its own calibration profile, so the stacking engine knows exactly how your lens behaves. Sharper alignment, no manual tweaks. Macro photography. Product shots. Jewelry. Watches. Coins. Insects. Botanical specimens. Forensic detail. Whatever the subject — Zeus Focus Stacking handles depth so you don't have to. Free to download. Pro upgrade unlocks full-resolution export, Ultra 48 MP capture, AI object removal, 2× Super Resolution, iCloud sync, Capture Speed control, and 20-frame brackets. Privacy Policy: https://zeusfocusstacking.com/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://zeusfocusstacking.com/terms

Screenshots

AuraHDR Camera4 screens
Zeus Focus Stacking4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Zeus Focus Stacking at 5.0 against AuraHDR Camera's 2.1. Zeus Focus Stacking also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (18.5 vs 26.0). AuraHDR Camera's advantage is ratings volume (8 vs 1). On price, ads, 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. AuraHDR Camera sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Zeus Focus Stacking sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Zeus Focus Stacking holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AuraHDR Camera has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AuraHDR Camera ships an update every 2 months, Zeus Focus Stacking weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
AuraHDR Camera versus Zeus Focus Stacking: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAuraHDR CameraZeus Focus Stacking
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.1 (8 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews17.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings8 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS26.018.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB84 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAppJudRoberto Sartori

Customer experience

AuraHDR Camera

All ratings8 ratings
Positive12.5%
Neutral37.5%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive17.6%
Neutral29.4%
Negative52.9%

Zeus Focus Stacking

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

AuraHDR Camera

One-time1
  • Unlock Features$24.99
2 purchases

Zeus Focus Stacking

Subscriptions2
  • Zeus Pro · Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Zeus Pro · Yearly$24.991 Year

Questions

Is AuraHDR Camera free?
AuraHDR Camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Zeus Focus Stacking free?
Zeus Focus Stacking is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, AuraHDR Camera or Zeus Focus Stacking?
Zeus Focus Stacking is rated higher. AuraHDR Camera averages 2.1 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Zeus Focus Stacking averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do AuraHDR Camera or Zeus Focus Stacking have ads?
Neither AuraHDR Camera nor Zeus Focus Stacking shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AuraHDR Camera or Zeus Focus Stacking?
AuraHDR Camera ships an update every 2 months, and Zeus Focus Stacking weekly. Most recently, AuraHDR Camera was updated on September 23, 2026 and Zeus Focus Stacking on October 1, 2026.

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