Comparison

Spectre Camera vs Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI)

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

Head to head
About

Spectre Camera

This app uses AI to create stunning long exposure photographs, making it easy to capture professional-quality shots. Remove crowds, create light trails, and achieve silky smooth water effects effortlessly.

Highlights
  • AI-powered long exposures
  • Crowd removal
  • Light trail creation
  • Silky water effects
  • Live Photos and video support
  • Automatic scene detection
Read full description

Apple iPhone App of the Year, 2019 Introducing Spectre, from the makers of Halide, one of the top camera apps in the App Store. Spectre uses AI to help you make amazing long exposure photographs. Spectre can remove crowds, turn city streets into rivers of light, make waterfalls look like paintings, and much more. Until now, it was difficult to take long exposures: from keeping the camera steady to guessing the amount of light you need. Spectre takes care of all of that! WHAT YOU CAN DO • MAKE CROWDS DISAPPEAR: Spectre helps take photos of crowded, touristy places. Simply set a medium or long duration and take a shot to erase the crowd from a location. Capture the those special moments like you remember them. • RIVERS OF LIGHT: At night, AI scene detection automatically switches modes to draw beautiful light trails, for stunning nighttime city photography or light painting. • GORGEOUS WATER: Capture waterfalls, ocean waves, fountains and more with beautiful ghostly water. LIVE PHOTOS AND VIDEO Spectre’s intelligent computational shutter takes hundreds of shots over the span of a few seconds, and saves them in an accompanying live photo. That means you can pick a different frame as your photo, apply live-photo effects, and even use the long exposure as a live-wallpaper! ENDLESS SMARTS Spectre is a packed with powerful technology from by the team that brought you Halide. From machine learning-based scene detection to computer vision aided image stabilization, Spectre is jammed full of impressive technologies to get the best possible image. DESIGNED FOR HUMANS Spectre is meticulously designed. Its dark UI is gentle on the eyes when you shoot at night. Gorgeous glowing highlights infuse it with a unique style. Custom typefaces and iconography combined with unique, smooth controls make it as tactile and delightful as an actual physical camera. Like its sister app Halide, the app is easily usable with one hand, even on the largest iPhones. HIGH-TECH SHOWCASE Build with the latest tech, Spectre isn't just a long exposure camera — it’s the cutting edge technology showcase of one of the App Store’s foremost camera apps, Halide. Here’s just a few of the latest technologies that we use in Spectre: - DCI-P3 Wide Color Pipeline - Live Photos - Metal Graphics Acceleration - Tripod Detection - Siri & Shortcuts - AI Stabilization - Machine Learning & CoreML - Computer Vision COMPATIBILITY: Spectre’s smart Automatic Scene Detection requires iOS 12. AI-based stabilization features are available on iPhone 6S and later.* For the best experience, we recommend iPhone 8 or later. On iPhone 6, Spectre captures in lower resolution. ABOUT US We’re Ben and Sebastiaan, two friends living in the San Francisco Bay Area that love building fantastic apps for photography. We hope you love Spectre! We’d love your feedback to make it even better or any reports of bugs you run into. You can always contact us directly via email: support@halide.cam, on our Twitter: @halidecamera or Instagram: @halideapp Don’t forget to share your amazing results by tagging them with #SpectreShot so we can share them on our growing social media accounts!

About

Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI)

Capture stunning photos in any lighting with advanced AI and computational photography. Offers extreme HDR, noise reduction, macro, and high-resolution zoom. Includes manual controls and a powerful editor for professional-level results.

Highlights
  • AI-powered computational photography
  • Extreme HDR (> 20-stop range)
  • Detail-enhancing denoising
  • Macro shooting and 6/8x zoom
  • 110-megapixel resolution
  • Manual camera controls
  • High-fidelity photo editor
Features
Read full description

Hydra is a camera app for iPhone & iPad with innovative capture technology that lets you take gorgeous and unique pictures even in challenging lighting conditions. Making use of the latest advances in artificial intelligence & image processing, Hydra’s independent computational core offers to overcome the physical limits of small sensors, with features such as over 20-stop extreme HDR, detail-enhancing denoising, macro shooting, crisp 6/8x zooming, and a whopping 110-megapixel resolution. But there's more. Hydra now features a new highly capable manual mode for photo enthusiasts, an improved faster shooting for reduced artifacts, and the addition of a new normal capture mode for everyday photos. It also comes with a number of presets to define your own style as well as a completely new high-fidelity photo editor. Last but not least, Hydra’s constantly evolving photo capabilities are your best asset to continue enjoying picture quality improvements after device purchase and to obtain state-of-the-art camera innovations all through its lifetime. “The Hydra app […] is one of the more interesting iOS camera apps we have seen in the recent past.” — Lars Rehm (DPReview) “Hydra is for people who enjoy iPhone photography at a higher and more rewarding level.” — David Robinson (iPhonographer) “The user interface is particularly well made […] If Apple were to purchase this app, they wouldn't have to change anything in its design.” — Florian Innocente (Mac Génération) “Hydra […] is a well thought out and terrific performing photo app with solid features that will improve your images in challenging lighting conditions.” — Mel Martin (Engadget) KEY FEATURES • Refined camera experience for iPhone & iPad. • Computational photography with artificial intelligence (AI). Neural processing & fusion of RAW sensor data. • Unique capabilities: extreme HDR (> 20-stop range) to accommodate lighting conditions, superior detail-enhancement and denoising for low-light & macro, up-to-6/8x zooming, and a whopping 110-megapixel resolution. New normal camera mode. • Versatile viewfinder: approachable ergonomics, tactile input & sensory feedback (1-stop vibrations). “Zebra” exposure previewing. • Manual mode for precise camera control: focus, ISO, shutter speed, white balance. • Rich capture options: Apple Watch remote, timer, flash & selfie, geotagging, grid overlay… • Photo style presets (tonal intent, color rendition…). • Powerful photo editor for 32-bit non-degrading edits, including tone mapping, detail boosting, precise colorimetry, and Apple ProRAW editing. • Side-by-side pixel-level comparison with unprocessed RAW input. • Exhaustive output options with varied file formats, including pro options (JPEG, HEIC, TIFF, TIFF-32, OpenEXR, Radiance, DNG, Apple ProRAW, and next-gen JPEG XL) & color spaces (sRGB, Display P3, ROMM ProPhoto). • Aftershot: saving to HyperRAW for deferred photo development, including Bracket and Fusion containers. • Improved saving to Files (iCloud & 3rd-party apps) including shared folders for professional use cases, and folder management. • Redesigned photo gallery. • Lock screen and home screen widgets. • Optimized for latest iOS, Metal, CoreML, and Apple Neural Engine (ANE) for high-speed AI computations on Apple Silicon. • Privacy first: full on-device processing, privacy filter for social sharing. PRICING The free app offers unrestricted shooting in normal mode (auto & manual), including RAW, HyperRAW & Apple ProRAW (compatible devices only). Other capture modes & restrictions can be unlocked either with the Pro Pack 3 one-time purchase, or with the Pro Plan subscription. Upgrade pricing is available within the app for previous version owners. MORE INFO Website: https://creaceed.com/ihydra Privacy Policy: https://creaceed.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://creaceed.com/terms Feedback: hydra@creaceed.com

Screenshots

Spectre Camera4 screens
Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI)4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Spectre Camera at 4.3 against Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI)'s 3.4. Spectre Camera also leads on review sentiment (46% vs 30%) and ratings volume (2.4K vs 254). Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI)'s advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs paid) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Spectre Camera sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI) sells 6 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

Spectre Camera holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spectre Camera has 2.4K ratings behind it against 254, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of Spectre Camera's written reviews are positive against 30% of Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI)'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Spectre Camera ships an update every 3 months, Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI) every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Spectre Camera versus Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI): the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpectre CameraHydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI)
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (2.4K ratings) — better3.4 (254 ratings)
Positive reviews45.6% of reviews — better29.5% of reviews
Number of ratings2.4K — better254
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB102 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLux Optics IncorporatedCreaceed SRL

Customer experience

Spectre Camera

All ratings2,408 ratings
Positive83.5%
Neutral3.7%
Negative12.7%
Written reviews439 reviews
Positive45.6%
Neutral10.7%
Negative43.7%

Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI)

All ratings254 ratings
Positive55.5%
Neutral13.4%
Negative31.1%
Written reviews281 reviews
Positive29.5%
Neutral14.6%
Negative55.9%

User reviews

Spectre Camera

From 2.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 🔍 Captures great long exposure shots
  • 👍 Convenient and intuitive
  • 🎨 Allows for creative photography
  • 💡 Innovative features

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Blurry images even with stabilization
  • 🔋 Battery draining issue
  • 🤔 Limited exposure time options
  • 🤷‍♀️ Inconsistent performance
  • 💰 Paid features not worth the cost

Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI)

From 254 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful features
  • 👍 Great photo quality
  • 💡 Innovative AI-powered processing
  • 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 👍 Excellent HDR and low-light performance

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
  • 🔋 Slow processing times
  • 👎 Watermark on free version photos
  • 👎 Worse quality than native camera app in some cases
  • 👎 Forced subscription model

Bugs and requests

Spectre Camera

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes and freezes on some devices
  • Compatibility issues with older iPhones
  • Focusing and stabilization problems

Requested features

5 requests
  • Longer exposure time options
  • More manual control over settings
  • Raw image format support
  • Apple Watch remote support
  • Improved low-light performance

Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI)

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes when taking 110MP photos
  • Unable to save RAW/HEIC files
  • Inconsistent behavior in different lighting conditions
  • Zoom and macro features not working as expected

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ultra-wide lens support
  • Allow editing of photos after capture
  • Improve low-light and macro performance
  • Optimize for latest iPhone hardware
  • Provide better value for paid version

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Spectre Camera

One-time1
  • Spectre Pro$4.99
6 purchases

Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI)

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Plan (Monthly)7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Pro Plan (Yearly)7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time4
  • Pro Pack 3 (Upgrade)$7.99
  • Pro Pack (Upgrade)$15.99
  • Pro Pack 3$23.99
Show 1 more
  • Pro Pack$23.99

Questions

Is Spectre Camera free?
Spectre Camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI) free?
Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI) is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Spectre Camera or Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI)?
Spectre Camera is rated higher. Spectre Camera averages 4.3 out of 5 from 2.4K ratings, while Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI) averages 3.4 from 254 ratings.
Do Spectre Camera or Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI) have ads?
Neither Spectre Camera nor Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI) shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Spectre Camera or Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI)?
Spectre Camera ships an update every 3 months, and Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI) every 5 weeks. Most recently, Spectre Camera was updated on October 29, 2026 and Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI) on October 30, 2026.

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