Comparison

Obscura vs zerocam

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

Head to head
About

Obscura

This camera app offers advanced manual controls for photography and videography. It provides a range of capture formats, live filters, and viewing aids to enhance your creative process. An optional subscription unlocks premium features.

Highlights
  • Manual exposure, focus, and white balance controls
  • RAW, ProRAW, HEIC, and JPEG capture formats
  • Live filters and custom preset creation
  • Grid, histogram, and focus peaking view aids
  • Video and Live Photo recording
  • Integrated photo library browsing and editing
Features
Read full description

Obscura V is a camera app packed full of features to help you take incredible photos. Obscura pairs a stunning design with intuitive controls that make taking photos a delight. — Over its 10+ years on the App Store, Obscura has been featured numerous times around the world, including as Editors’ Choice and App of the Day. — Design Obscura squeezes a bunch of powerful features into simple controls anyone can master. The interface balances aesthetics, ergonomics, and intuitiveness. You won’t want to use anything else. Controls can be reached with one thumb, and gestures and haptics combine to create a tactile experience that lets you stay focused on your subject. — Capture Modes & Formats Obscura captures photos, videos, Live Photos, and portraits. Photos can be captured in RAW, ProRAW, HEIC, and JPEG (on supported devices, see http://obscura.camera/compatibility). Capture images in multiple different aspect ratios, or apply filters live in camera for a wide variety of styles. — Camera Settings Obscura gives you control over exposure, focus, white balance, ISO, shutter speed, and flash, with intuitive controls that make you feel in control of your device’s camera. — Live Filters Obscura includes a bunch of great filters to give your photos instant style but you can also create your own and use them live in-camera. It’s very cool and very powerful. — View Options Obscura lets you display a grid, a spirit level, a histogram, focus peaking, a focus loupe, and exposure clipping highlights to help you understand every detail of what you’re shooting. — Photo Library Obscura has its own interface for browsing, rating, editing, and sharing images, but it’s fully integrated with your system photo library, so images captured with Obscura are available everywhere. — Obscura Ultra Obscura is free to use, with an annual subscription for premium features. See http://obscura.camera/ultra for full details. — I hope you love using Obscura as much as I’ve loved designing and building it. If you do, please consider subscribing to Ultra, leaving a review, or just sharing with a friend. All the best, Ben ———— Privacy Policy: http://obscura.camera/privacy Terms of use: http://obscura.camera/terms

About

zerocam

Capture authentic photos without AI overprocessing. This app offers a clean image pipeline for natural results, letting you shoot with simplicity and preserve your phone's full hardware potential. It includes subtle color grades and multi-exposure for artistic shots.

Highlights
  • No AI overprocessing
  • Natural distortion-free look
  • Simple interface, no settings
  • Native lens support
  • Zero Looks color grades
  • Multi-exposure mode
  • Pro-grade RAW & JPG
Read full description

Zerocam 2.0: Camera for Real Photos. Zero Processing. Zero Filters. Most phone cameras today rely on aggressive computational processing that can over-sharpen images and create a flat, artificial look. Zerocam 2.0 strips away the digital makeup. We built a clean, high-quality image pipeline to capture life as you see it. No fake HDR, no “beauty” filters, and zero over-processing. Why Zerocam? While most camera apps add more controls and processing tricks, Zerocam removes distractions and focuses on the soul of photography: - A natural, distortion-free look. Say goodbye to strange halos around buildings and skin that looks like plastic. - Pure simplicity. No settings to tweak. No menus to get lost in. Open the app and shoot. - Full hardware potential. Get the most out of your iPhone camera system. What’s New in 2.0? - Native Lens Support. Easily switch between Wide, Ultra Wide, and Telephoto on supported iPhone models. - Zero Looks (Natural Color Grades). Subtle, film-inspired color profiles applied in real time. These are not heavy filters, but carefully crafted professional color grades, updated monthly. - Multi-Exposure Mode. Create artistic shots by instantly merging two frames into one. - iPhone-Optimized Interface (Beta). A redesigned UI that feels native, fast, and intuitive across supported iPhone sizes. - Pro-Grade RAW & JPG. A rebuilt image pipeline delivers cleaner tones and more reliable RAW files, giving you greater flexibility in post-production. Built for Intentional Photography Zerocam is designed for photographers who want to stay present, not buried in settings. It’s fast, intentional, and built to treat your phone like a real pocket camera. Designed by Dmitry Novikov Developed by Sergio Rodríguez Rama Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Obscura4 screens
zerocam4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Obscura at 3 against zerocam's 1. On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Obscura sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per 7 days and zerocam sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Obscura holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 277 and 148 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 52% and 53% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Obscura ships an update every 2 weeks, zerocam every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Obscura versus zerocam: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterObscurazerocam
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (277 ratings) — better3.9 (148 ratings)
Positive reviews52.4% of reviews52.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings277 — better148
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS1818.0
Further details — not scored
Size174 MB43 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBen McCarthyZero Camera Ltd

Customer experience

Obscura

All ratings277 ratings
Positive72.6%
Neutral8.7%
Negative18.8%
Written reviews206 reviews
Positive52.4%
Neutral15.0%
Negative32.5%

zerocam

All ratings148 ratings
Positive69.6%
Neutral10.8%
Negative19.6%
Written reviews170 reviews
Positive52.9%
Neutral11.8%
Negative35.3%

User reviews

Obscura

From 277 App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

zerocam

From 148 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Simplicity and minimalism
  • 👍 Natural, unprocessed photos
  • 💡 Bypasses iPhone's over-processing
  • 🎨 Great color and lighting
  • 👍 Charming, playful UI

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes
  • 💰 Subscription-based pricing
  • 🤔 Lack of features (no tap to focus, flash, etc.)
  • 🤔 Distracting shutter button text
  • 🤔 Lens switching not intuitive

Bugs and requests

Obscura

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

zerocam

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Photos not saving
  • Viewfinder not working
  • Inconsistent performance

Requested features

10 requests
  • Tap to focus
  • Camera flash
  • Front camera support
  • Higher resolution capture
  • More zoom options
Show 5 more
  • Customizable shutter button
  • In-app lens switching
  • Viewfinder aspect ratio matching output
  • Disable auto macro mode
  • Custom white balance presets

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Obscura

Subscriptions4
  • Obscura Ultra - Weekly$1.497 Days
  • Obscura Ultra - Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Obscura Ultra7 Days trial$24.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Obscura Ultra Upgrade1 Year trial$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Obscura Ultra - One Time$74.99
6 purchases

zerocam

Subscriptions5
  • Zerocam ∞$1.997 Days
  • Monthly Zerocam + Mono Bundle3 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Zerocam ∞1 Month trial$3.391 Month
Show 2 more
  • Annual Zerocam + Mono Bundle7 Days trial$17.991 Year
  • Zerocam ∞1 Year trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Zerocam Infinite$34.99

Questions

Is Obscura free?
Obscura is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is zerocam free?
zerocam is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Obscura or zerocam?
Obscura is rated higher. Obscura averages 4.1 out of 5 from 277 ratings, while zerocam averages 3.9 from 148 ratings.
Do Obscura or zerocam have ads?
Neither Obscura nor zerocam shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Obscura or zerocam?
Obscura ships an update every 2 weeks, and zerocam every 8 days. Most recently, Obscura was updated on October 31, 2026 and zerocam on October 27, 2026.

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