# Obscura vs mood.camera

The clearest difference is rating: mood.camera at 4.8 against Obscura's 4.0. mood.camera also leads on review sentiment (93% vs 52%) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks). Obscura's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Obscura sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per 7 days and mood.camera sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

mood.camera holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 276 and 546 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of Obscura's written reviews are positive against 93% of mood.camera's.

Obscura ships an update every 2 weeks, mood.camera every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Obscura | mood.camera |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (276 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obscura-pro-camera/id1579306989/reviews) | **[4.8 (546 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/moodcamera/id6472954208/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 276 | **546** |
| Positive reviews | 52.5% of reviews | **93.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 174 MB | 46 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ben McCarthy](https://appshunter.io/developer/893264216) | [Alex Fox](https://appshunter.io/developer/1718131576) |

## What reviewers say

### Obscura

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obscura-pro-camera/id1579306989)

This camera app offers advanced manual controls and professional formats like ProRAW for enhanced photo and video capture. Its intuitive design and tactile interface allow for precise adjustments, while features like focus peaking and histograms aid in achieving stunning results.

**Highlights:** Manual exposure, focus, and white balance controls, ProRAW, RAW, HEIC, and JPEG capture formats, Live filters and multiple aspect ratios, Histogram, focus peaking, and exposure clipping highlights, Integrated photo library with editing and sharing, Video and Live Photo capture

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Obscura Ultra - Weekly | $1.49 | per 7 days |
| Obscura Ultra - Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Obscura Ultra | $24.99 | per year |
| Obscura Ultra Upgrade | $24.99 | per year |
| Obscura Ultra - One Time | $74.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful manual controls
- 👍 Intuitive and clean interface
- 🎨 Customizable presets and filters
- 💡 Unique camera gestures and UI
- 🎥 Supports video recording

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription-based model
- 🔒 Locked features behind paywall
- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🤔 Unintuitive controls and settings
- 🤷‍♂️ Lack of support for newer iPhone lenses

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when trying to use Pro Raw mode
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between lenses
- Manual settings randomly resetting
- Photos not saving properly
- Freezing and black screen issues

**Requested features**

- Ability to save custom camera settings
- Variable zoom function in pro mode
- Separate manual control for exposure and ISO
- Dedicated selfie button
- Live audio capture for Live Photos


### mood.camera

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/moodcamera/id6472954208)

Capture natural, character-filled photos with a unique processing pipeline that mimics film. This app encourages spontaneous shooting without live previews or editing tools, focusing on bringing soul and serendipity back to mobile photography.

**Highlights:** Realistic film grain, Cinematic halation effect, Expressive color emulation, Custom presets, Next-level portraits, Custom frames, No live filter preview

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly pass | $1.99 | per month |
| Lifetime Access | $14.99 | one-time |
| Early Adopter Access | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Smooth interface
- 👍 Great presets and customization
- 👍 Realistic film emulations
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 👍 Convenient mobile photography

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
- 🐛 Exposure issues (underexposure)
- 🔋 Processing times could be improved
- 🚫 Cannot import or edit existing photos

**Reported bugs**

- Focus issues with telephoto lens
- Inconsistent color rendering, especially for skin tones

**Requested features**

- Live preview of filters
- Manual shutter speed control
- Ability to apply filters to existing photos
- Option to save original and filtered photos
- Video mode with film-style effects


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Obscura free?

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

### Is mood.camera free?

mood.camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Obscura or mood.camera?

mood.camera is rated higher. Obscura averages 4.0 out of 5 from 276 ratings, while mood.camera averages 4.8 from 546 ratings.

### Do Obscura or mood.camera have ads?

Neither Obscura nor mood.camera shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Obscura or mood.camera?

Obscura ships an update every 2 weeks, and mood.camera every 4 days. Most recently, Obscura was updated on October 27, 2026 and mood.camera on October 25, 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.*