Comparison

HDReye vs Simulon

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

Head to head
About

HDReye

Create custom 360° HDRi images for realistic 3D lighting and compositing directly from your phone. Capture bracketed panoramas and generate 32-bit EXR files for seamless integration with 3D software and AR development.

Highlights
  • Create 360° HDRi images
  • Shoot bracketed multi-exposure panoramas
  • Generate 32-bit .EXR files
  • Realistic 3D lighting and compositing
  • Image-based lighting solution
  • Access to crowdsourced HDRi collection
Features
Read full description

Finally, an app to shoot 360° HDRis with your phone. HDReye is the first and only iOS app for creating custom 360° HDRi images for realistic 3D lighting and compositing. Just select your desired dynamic range, follow the prompts to shoot a bracketed multi-exposure panorama of your location, and HDReye will stitch and generate a 32-bit (.EXR format) HDRi of your location. HDReye is an essential app for combining 3D animation realistically with footage or capturing lightmaps of any location. What used to require an expensive 360° camera or chrome ball light probe, now can be done conveniently on your phone with HDReye. Whether you are an independent 3D artist, VFX studio, AR developer, NFT artist, content creator, or just a hobbyist - HDReye is here to make your workflow simpler and renders more realistic. HDReye is your image-based lighting solution. Compatible with all 3D packages and render engines including Cinema 4D, Blender, Houdini, Maya, 3D Studio Max, Adobe After Effects, Element 3D, OTOY Octane Render, Redshift, V-ray, Arnold, Unreal Engine, Unity, Spark AR, and more. HDReye users also have access to the largest crowdsourced collection of HDRi images in the world. HDReye also works well for capturing 360° panoramas similar to the Google Street View app. Terms of Use: http://hdreye.app/terms/ Privacy Policy: http://hdreye.app/privacy/

About

Simulon

Create studio-quality visual effects by integrating photorealistic 3D elements into live-action footage. This tool offers an end-to-end VFX workflow on iPhone, from capture to render, adapting to all skill levels. Preview 3D assets in-camera as you film and reconstruct environments in 3D for precise compositing.

Highlights
  • End-to-end VFX workflow on iPhone
  • In-camera CG preview while filming
  • Instant 32-bit HDR lighting
  • Reconstruct reality in 3D
  • Camera-accurate realism
  • Import industry-standard 3D files
  • Cloud render farm integration
Read full description

Simulon. The camera for your imagination. Bring imagined characters, real objects and your own designs into the world around you. Compose with your camera, capture a lifelike image and turn it into a video by describing what happens next. No 3D or animation experience needed. CREATE FROM AN IDEA Start with words, a photo or your own design. Turn a sketch into a character or take a concept off the page and into a real setting. CLONE REALITY Create from photos of something real, whether it's your pet, a favourite car or a sculpture. Keep its familiar look or imagine something different. Give your pet a new outfit, shrink a car onto your desk or bring a statue to life. MAKE THE WORLD YOUR SET Place your subject in augmented reality. Adjust its size and position, then move around to find your angle. AI rendering brings it into the scene with lifelike lighting, shadows and reflections. DIRECT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT Describe how your subject moves and what happens in the scene to create a video. From a small gesture to an unexpected adventure, you direct the action without animating by hand. Keep your subjects in a personal library and return to them in new locations and new stories. Make something just for fun, develop an idea or create something to share with the world. GET STARTED Try Simulon with starter assets and included free usage. Creating custom assets requires a paid plan. Simulon Plus and Pro offer additional features and monthly usage. Usage limits apply. Shape reality.

Screenshots

HDReye4 screens
Simulon4 screens

Verdict

The call

HDReye and Simulon both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 67% of Simulon's written reviews are positive against 29% of HDReye's. Simulon also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly). HDReye's advantage is ratings volume (771 vs 31) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, 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. HDReye sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Simulon sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $15.00 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for HDReye against 4.4 for Simulon. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HDReye has 771 ratings behind it against 31, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 29% of HDReye's written reviews are positive against 67% of Simulon's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HDReye ships an update monthly, Simulon every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
HDReye versus Simulon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHDReyeSimulon
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (771 ratings) — better4.4 (31 ratings)
Positive reviews28.6% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings771 — better31
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size90 MB65 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperHDReye Technologies Inc.Simulon

Customer experience

HDReye

All ratings771 ratings
Positive88.2%
Neutral2.7%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews189 reviews
Positive28.6%
Neutral5.3%
Negative66.1%

Simulon

All ratings31 ratings
Positive87.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.9%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Bugs and requests

HDReye

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Account deletion issues
  • Stuck on processing/uploading
  • Disappearing credits

Requested features

4 requests
  • Free trial or preview option
  • Ability to stitch locally on device
  • One-time purchase option
  • Improved stitching algorithm

Simulon

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

HDReye

Subscriptions3
  • HDReye Pro$6.991 Month
  • HDReye Pro3 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • HDReye Pro$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Asset unlock$2.99
16 purchases

Simulon

Subscriptions8
  • Lite7 Days trial$15.001 Month
  • Plus7 Days trial$24.991 Month
  • Core$29.001 Month
Show 5 more
  • Pro7 Days trial$55.001 Month
  • Lite7 Days trial$143.991 Year
  • Studio$200.001 Month
  • Plus7 Days trial$239.001 Year
  • Pro7 Days trial$529.001 Year
One-time8
  • 10,000 Credits$5.00
  • 20,000 Credits$10.00
  • 30,000 Credits$15.00
Show 5 more
  • 50,000 Credits$25.00
  • 80,000 Credits$40.00
  • 90,000 Credits$45.00
  • 180,000 Credits$90.00
  • 200,000 Credits$100.00

Questions

Is HDReye free?
HDReye is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Simulon free?
Simulon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, HDReye or Simulon?
HDReye is rated higher. HDReye averages 4.5 out of 5 from 771 ratings, while Simulon averages 4.4 from 31 ratings.
Do HDReye or Simulon have ads?
Neither HDReye nor Simulon shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HDReye or Simulon?
HDReye ships an update monthly, and Simulon every 5 days. Most recently, HDReye was updated on October 16, 2026 and Simulon on October 11, 2026.

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