Comparison

HDReye vs HDRI Studio

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

HDRI Studio

Features
Read full description

Light your 3D scenes with real light. HDRI Studio turns the place you are standing in into a relative scene-linear, 32-bit OpenEXR (.exr) environment map for image-based lighting, realistic reflections, VFX, archviz, and product rendering. HDRI Studio guides your iPhone through 26 positions around a full sphere and automatically captures RAW exposure brackets when you are aimed and steady. Hosted processing merges the brackets, corrects the ultra-wide lens, and stitches a 360° equirectangular panorama. Save the finished .exr to Files or export it for use in any 3D or compositing tool that supports OpenEXR. No chrome ball, dedicated panorama camera, or capture rig is required. OUTPUT YOU CAN USE • RGB, 32-bit floating-point OpenEXR (.exr) • Exact 2:1 equirectangular 360° panorama • PIZ compression with linear Rec.709/D65 color metadata • 4K (4096 × 2048), with 8K (8192 × 4096) where available • Standard float channels for environment and world textures CAPTURE WITH CONFIDENCE • Guided 26-point coverage, including zenith and nadir • Configurable RAW exposure brackets and dynamic range • Automatic capture only when aimed and steady • Locked focus and white balance across the sphere • Lens calibration and measured device pose for stitching PREVIEW, INSPECT, EXPORT • Explore results in a swipe- and gyro-controlled 360° viewer • Adjust preview exposure from −4 to +6 EV without changing the EXR • Inspect dimensions, channels, compression, file size, peak and mean radiance, and contrast EV • Open compatible .exr files from Files and inspect them in your Library • Review every capture position and its brackets in the shot gallery • Reprocess a saved capture at another available resolution • Keep finished EXRs in your private iCloud Drive with iCloud Library (RAW brackets stay on device) • Export the complete original RAW bracket set plus capture metadata with Pro FOR REAL 3D WORKFLOWS Import the .exr as an environment or world texture for: • Image-based lighting and realistic reflections • Look development and rendering • VFX and compositing • Architecture and product visualization Use it in Blender, Unreal Engine, Nuke, Houdini, Cinema 4D, Maya, and other OpenEXR-compatible tools. Your captures remain yours to use in personal or commercial projects. NO ACCOUNT REQUIRED Capture, Library access, previews, and downloaded EXRs do not require a subscription. Two starter render credits are included. Additional hosted renders use one-time render credits or Pro. 4K uses one credit; 8K uses four. Failed or cancelled renders return reserved credits. Processing requires an internet connection. Captures and downloaded EXRs remain on your iPhone until you delete them. If you enable iCloud Library, finished EXRs, thumbnails, and Library metadata are also stored in your private iCloud Drive so they can be restored; original RAW brackets are not uploaded to iCloud. Temporary hosted results are retained privately for up to 7 days so interrupted downloads can resume. REQUIREMENTS • iOS 17 or later • An iPhone with a RAW-capable ultra-wide camera • Internet connection for processing Privacy Policy: https://hdristudio.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://hdristudio.app/terms Apple Standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

HDReye4 screens
HDRI Studio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: HDRI Studio at weekly against HDReye's monthly. HDReye's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, 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 HDRI Studio sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HDReye ships an update monthly, HDRI Studio weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
HDReye versus HDRI Studio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHDReyeHDRI Studio
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (771 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews28.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings771 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size90 MB71 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHDReye Technologies Inc.Gianluca Gatto

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

HDRI Studio

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
3 purchases

HDRI Studio

Subscriptions1
  • Pro$19.991 Month
One-time2
  • 4K Render Credit$2.99
  • 8K Render Credit$7.99

Questions

Is HDReye free?
HDReye is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HDRI Studio free?
HDRI Studio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do HDReye or HDRI Studio have ads?
Neither HDReye nor HDRI Studio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HDReye or HDRI Studio?
HDReye ships an update monthly, and HDRI Studio weekly. Most recently, HDReye was updated on October 16, 2026 and HDRI Studio on October 10, 2026.

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