# Capture One vs CardRunner

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Capture One | CardRunner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.5 (329 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/capture-one/id1514081672/reviews) | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cardrunner-image-transfer/id6476503178/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **329** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 18.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 1.2 GB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Capture One A/S](https://appshunter.io/developer/404906438) | [David Platt](https://appshunter.io/developer/1708838724) |

## What reviewers say

### Capture One

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/capture-one/id1514081672)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Capture One mobile | $10.99 | per month |
| All in One | $39.99 | per month |
| Capture One mobile | $109.00 | per year |
| All in One | $294.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent tethering capability
- 👍 Intuitive and easy-to-use interface
- 🚀 Fast image rendering
- 👍 Great for culling and rating photos on the go
- 👍 Seamless integration with desktop Capture One

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- 🔒 Requires separate subscription even for desktop users
- 👎 Severely limited editing features compared to desktop version
- 👎 Slow cloud sync and lack of external storage support
- 👎 Unintuitive file management and export workflow

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cardrunner-image-transfer/id6476503178)

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| All Access | $4.99 | per month |
| All Access | $49.99 | per year |


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