Comparison

Capture One vs CardRunner

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

Head to head
About

Capture One

Edit and organize RAW photos on your mobile device, tethering directly to your camera. Collaborate with clients in real-time, apply edits instantly, and maintain incredible color quality. Seamlessly transfer your work to desktop for final touches.

Highlights
  • Retouch Faces
  • Sessions Support
  • External Storage backup
  • Tether camera to mobile
  • Real-time image review
  • Instant sharing and collaboration
  • Apply edits as you shoot
  • RAW conversion and color editing
Features
Read full description

GREAT IMPROVEMENTS TO MOBILE * With Retouch Faces, you can complete your post-work on the fly and deliver your images on location. * Sessions Support enables you to stay organized with nested folders and track your selections. * Work and backup as you please with External Storage, so you’re not limited by your mobile storage. SHOOT INTO MOBILE & SHOWCASE YOUR STYLE Forget the heavy laptop. Tether your camera directly to your iPhone or iPad, wired or wirelessly. Shoot, review, and showcase your images in real time. Impress clients and make sure you get the perfect shot on the spot. SHARE, RATE, COLLABORATE Share shots instantly with teams and clients, get comments, star ratings, and color tags, and keep all feedback in one place, no matter where everyone is. APPLY EDITS AS YOU SHOOT Turn RAWs into near-final images instantly. Make quick edits and auto-apply the same look as you shoot for faster, clearer client feedback during the session. INCREDIBLE COLOR QUALITY Get our renowned RAW conversion and hand-calibrated colors right on your mobile screen, for true-to-life tones and perfect skin every time. STYLE & EDIT ON THE FLY AirDrop your favorite presets and Styles, or create your own. Apply them in a tap, auto-create complex masks, correct perspective, straighten shots, and edit freely on the go. DELIVER ANYWHERE Export to an external SSD, or send your work to Capture One Pro with all edits and ratings intact, so you can start on mobile and finish on desktop seamlessly. WORK WITH ANY CAMERA Supports 550+ cameras from Canon, Sony, Nikon, FUJIFILM, Leica, and more. Control your camera, fire the shutter, and adjust settings right from your device. PRICING & PLANS Start with a 7-day free trial of Capture One Mobile. Continue with a mobile subscription, or go All in One to get: * Capture One Pro (desktop) * Capture One Mobile * Capture One Live Unlimited * Priority support Upgrade to All in One and get the complete photo workflow, from capture to delivery.

About

CardRunner

This app helps photographers quickly transfer selected images from memory cards. It identifies protected or star-rated photos for easy saving or sharing directly from the field, with options for full-size or optimized exports.

Highlights
  • Smart scanning by star rating or lock status
  • RAW file import/export (Pro)
  • Full-size or optimized image export
  • Real-time photo streaming to editors
  • Geotagging for imported images (Pro)
  • EXIF data viewer
Read full description

For photographers who need a fast field workflow, CardRunner helps you get the right images off your camera or memory card quickly so you can stay focused on the action. CardRunner detects connected cameras and cards, searches for photos in the background, and lets you import everything for free! You can upgrade to Pro to pull only protected (locked) or star-rated shots. Once selected photos are copied locally, CardRunner clearly confirms that it’s safe to remove your card and get back to shooting. Your imported collections stay available after relaunch, can be archived for later review, and prevent accidental duplicate imports. Save to your camera roll, share with an editor, client, or friend, or send photos straight to your editor with Photostream. -- KEY FEATURES -- • Automatic Camera Detection — Connect a camera or memory card and CardRunner prepares new photos for import • Free Unlimited Import — Import as many images as you want, free forever • Fast Field Ingest — See how many new images are ready and know when it’s safe to remove your card • Persistent Collections — Review imports later, archive older collections, and avoid duplicate imports • Smart Filtering — Import only protected (locked) or star-rated images (Pro) • RAW Support — Import, save, and share ARW, CR2, CR3, NEF, ORF, PEF, RW2, and more (Pro) • Full Size or Optimized — Save originals or compress for faster transfers on slow connections • Photostream — Stream photos to your editor’s gallery with a simple join code, automatically or when you choose • Pro via Photostream — Photostream-connected users unlock Pro features automatically • Geotagging — Tag imports with your current location so every shot knows where it was delivered (Pro) • Favorites — Mark your best shots and see them on a home screen widget • EXIF Viewer — Camera, lens, ISO, aperture, shutter speed, and more at a glance • iPad Support — Works natively on iPhone and iPad -- BUILT FOR THE FIELD -- Shooting on location with limited connectivity? CardRunner keeps the card workflow focused: connect, import the photos you need, remove the card, and get back to shooting. Save full-size originals or optimized copies for faster sharing over cellular or limited connectivity while keeping your originals intact. With Photostream, your editor can see photos as soon as you import them. Prefer more control? Turn off automatic uploads and send individual photos when you’re ready. -- FREE + PRO -- Import unlimited images for free. Upgrade to CardRunner Pro for rated-only and protected-only imports, RAW support, geotagging, and additional optimization controls. If you work with Photostream, Pro features unlock automatically while connected. CardRunner is built by an independent developer and college football photographer (Go Tigers!) Feedback is always welcome — find me in Settings > Send Feedback.

Screenshots

Capture One4 screens
CardRunner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: CardRunner at 5.0 against Capture One's 3.5. Capture One's advantage is ratings volume (329 vs 4). 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. Capture One sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $10.99 per month and CardRunner sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

CardRunner holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Capture One has 329 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Capture One ships an update fortnightly, CardRunner every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Capture One versus CardRunner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCapture OneCardRunner
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (329 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews18.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings329 — better4
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.2 GB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCapture One A/SDavid Platt

Customer experience

Capture One

All ratings329 ratings
Positive59.0%
Neutral5.2%
Negative35.9%
Written reviews456 reviews
Positive18.0%
Neutral14.5%
Negative67.5%

CardRunner

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Capture One

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to log in due to keyboard not appearing
  • Inconsistent behavior when importing and exporting photos
  • Crashes when attempting to use certain editing features
  • Issues with wireless tethering and connection stability

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add layers, masks, curves, and other advanced editing tools
  • Enable direct import from camera/SD card, not just cloud sync
  • Allow opening and editing desktop Capture One sessions/catalogs
  • Improve tethering functionality with live view and camera control
  • Provide option to purchase app outright instead of subscription

CardRunner

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Capture One

Subscriptions4
  • Capture One mobile7 Days trial$10.991 Month
  • All in One7 Days trial$39.991 Month
  • Capture One mobile7 Days trial$109.001 Year
Show 1 more
  • All in One7 Days trial$294.991 Year
2 purchases

CardRunner

Subscriptions2
  • All Access7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • All Access7 Days trial$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Capture One free?
Capture One is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CardRunner free?
CardRunner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Capture One or CardRunner?
CardRunner is rated higher. Capture One averages 3.5 out of 5 from 329 ratings, while CardRunner averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Capture One or CardRunner have ads?
Neither Capture One nor CardRunner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Capture One or CardRunner?
Capture One ships an update fortnightly, and CardRunner every 9 days. Most recently, Capture One was updated on October 15, 2026 and CardRunner on October 9, 2026.

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