# HDReye vs Simulon

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | HDReye | Simulon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (771 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hdreye/id1566721813/reviews)** | [4.4 (31 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simulon/id6670765943/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **771** | 31 |
| Positive reviews | 28.6% of reviews | **66.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 90 MB | 65 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [HDReye Technologies Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1691298419) | [Simulon](https://appshunter.io/developer/1767457094) |

## What reviewers say

### HDReye

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hdreye/id1566721813)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| HDReye Pro | $6.99 | per month |
| HDReye Pro | $6.99 | per month |
| HDReye Pro | $39.99 | per year |
| Asset unlock | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 High-quality stitching
- 💡 Convenient for VFX work
- 🚀 Fast processing
- 👍 Intuitive workflow

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Paywall to preview/download
- 🐛 Inconsistent stitching quality
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🐛 Crashes and server issues
- 🔒 No offline processing

**Reported bugs**

- Account deletion issues
- Stuck on processing/uploading
- Disappearing credits

**Requested features**

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


### Simulon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simulon/id6670765943)

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

**In-app purchases (16)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lite | $15.00 | per month |
| Plus | $24.99 | per month |
| Core | $29.00 | per month |
| Pro | $55.00 | per month |
| Lite | $143.99 | per year |
| Studio | $200.00 | per month |
| Plus | $239.00 | per year |
| Pro | $529.00 | per year |
| 10,000 Credits | $5.00 | one-time |
| 20,000 Credits | $10.00 | one-time |
| 30,000 Credits | $15.00 | one-time |
| 50,000 Credits | $25.00 | one-time |
| 80,000 Credits | $40.00 | one-time |
| 90,000 Credits | $45.00 | one-time |
| 180,000 Credits | $90.00 | one-time |
| 200,000 Credits | $100.00 | one-time |


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