# Manual Camera vs illumeter

The clearest difference is review sentiment: illumeter at 100% against Manual Camera's 59%. illumeter also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and rating (4.6 vs 4.3). Manual Camera's advantage is ratings volume (456 vs 12) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Manual Camera sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per year. illumeter asks for nothing beyond the download.

illumeter holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Manual Camera has 456 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 59% of Manual Camera's written reviews are positive against 100% of illumeter's.

Manual Camera ships an update every 4 weeks, illumeter every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Manual Camera | illumeter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (456 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/manual-camera-focus-iso-wb/id1543743256/reviews) | **[4.6 (12 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/illumeter/id6474086258/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **456** | 12 |
| Positive reviews | 58.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 25 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Vladislav Dugnist](https://appshunter.io/developer/960734880) | [Seunghun Yang](https://appshunter.io/developer/1586944242) |

## What reviewers say

### Manual Camera

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/manual-camera-focus-iso-wb/id1543743256)

Take full control of your mobile photography with manual adjustments for focus, ISO, shutter speed, and white balance. Achieve professional-looking shots with reduced noise and creative motion blur effects.

**Highlights:** Manual focus control, Adjustable ISO sensitivity, Variable shutter speed, Customizable white balance, Long exposure photography, RAW photo capture

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Manual Camera PRO | $5.99 | per year |
| Manual Camera PRO | $11.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Useful for manual focus
- 👍 Good for astronomy photos
- 👍 Allows specific parameter settings
- 👍 Great for low light environments
- 👍 Free long exposure photos

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Free version HEIF format
- 👎 Requires access to all photos
- 👎 Aspect ratio issues in free version
- 👎 Difficult to use slow shutter
- 👎 Cannot take selfies

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to save photos
- Aspect ratio not saving correctly in free version
- Slow shutter not working as expected
- App crashes
- Cannot access selfie camera

**Requested features**

- Ability to turn on macro focus mode
- Option to switch to selfie camera
- Longer exposure times (e.g., 30 seconds)
- Support for ultra wide and telephoto cameras
- ND filter for daylight slow shutter speeds


### illumeter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/illumeter/id6474086258)

This app functions as a portable light meter, allowing users to measure exposure values like aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. It offers features for logging shots with location and settings, and provides customization options for a personalized user experience.

**Highlights:** Exposure measurement (Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO), Tap-to-focus exposure lock, Exposure compensation, Frame logging with location and settings, List and map view of logged frames, Customizable settings and appearance

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Manual Camera free?

Manual Camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is illumeter free?

illumeter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Manual Camera or illumeter?

illumeter is rated higher. Manual Camera averages 4.3 out of 5 from 456 ratings, while illumeter averages 4.6 from 12 ratings.

### Do Manual Camera or illumeter have ads?

Neither Manual Camera nor illumeter shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Manual Camera or illumeter?

Manual Camera ships an update every 4 weeks, and illumeter every 2 weeks. Most recently, Manual Camera was updated on November 7, 2026 and illumeter on November 4, 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.*