Comparison

HDRI Prep vs Scantic

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

Head to head
About

HDRI Prep

Features
Read full description

HDRI Prep is a small utility for use in visual effects for creating HDRI bracketing sets for RICOH THETA 360 cameras, specifically, the V, Z1 and X. (If you don't know what all that is than this app probably isn't for you.) Different bracket settings are needed for different production situations. The THETA cameras does do multi-image exposure bracketing that you can set with the iPhone THETA app, but modifying them is painfully slow and difficult and you can't save sets and reuse them later. I wrote this to fill that need and speed up use of the THETA on set for taking HDRIs. With HDRI Prep you can: • Define brackets as X number of photos (3 to 19, always odd numbers) taken X stops apart (1 to 3) rather than setting each photo’s parameters individually • Pick the camera and you can set the Aperture, ISO and Color Temperature for all the photos at once with the settings limited to what the camera can actually execute • Pick a Center Shutter Speed and the bracket extends exposures equally higher and lower • Custom name brackets, organize by show, drag and drop reorder them, move between shows, and duplicate them as needed • View the photos taken read from the camera Quickly modify the Camera’s speaker volume and time it takes to auto-sleep (up to 60 minutes so watch your battery) HDRI Prep is not intended to be a full featured replacement for other THETA iPhone apps. It is designed only to fill a hole in the current functionality of the official THETA app (and what 3rd party apps I've played with): to make a library of Bracket settings, a method of organizing them, and a way to call them up and use them quickly on set. As such you will find it is missing various functions of the official THETA app. Those extended features may be added at some later date, but I make no promises. I recommend using it in conjunction with other apps as needed. Some limitations of the app: • Currently this only works with a direct Wifi connection to the camera (camera hosting Wifi) and it assumes the ip address is 192.168.1.1. • Image viewing is minimal. You can see what is on the camera (heads up, it's slow to load) but I am leaving the downloading and deleting of images up to other apps. You can use the official THETA app or you can manage them on a Mac using Image Capture (you're on your own with Windows). • Be aware that adjusting the camera shutter sound volume and the sleep delay time writes these changes to the camera, overwriting any previous camera setting. If you change the sleep time to 10 minutes it will stay that way even when HDRI Prep isn't connected or running. • If you want to see a live count of the images as they are taken you can actually switch to the official THETA app after beginning a capture. I hope to add this to my interface in the future.

About

Scantic

Transform your iPhone into a powerful 3D scanner. Capture rooms, objects, or environments and create interactive 3D models directly on your device without needing cloud processing or an account. Inspect and navigate your creations privately.

Highlights
  • 3D scanning with iPhone camera
  • On-device Gaussian Splat generation
  • Interactive 3D scene inspection
  • Private captures stored locally
  • Fast experimentation and documentation
Features
Read full description

Scantic turns your iPhone into a fast 3D scanning tool. Capture a room, object, or environment and generate an interactive 3D Gaussian Splat directly on your device. The complete reconstruction process runs on the iPhone, without requiring cloud processing or an account. With Scantic you can: • Capture scenes using your iPhone camera • Generate detailed 3D Gaussian Splats • Process scans directly on-device • Inspect and navigate the reconstructed scene in 3D • Keep your captures private on your device Scantic is designed for fast experimentation, visual documentation, creative projects, spatial capture, and anyone interested in turning real-world scenes into interactive 3D content. For best results, move slowly around the subject, keep it well lit, and capture it from multiple angles.

Screenshots

HDRI Prep4 screens
Scantic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Scantic at Free against HDRI Prep's $9.99. Scantic also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 months). HDRI Prep's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On 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

Scantic is free to download; HDRI Prep costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HDRI Prep ships an update every 6 months, Scantic every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
HDRI Prep versus Scantic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHDRI PrepScantic
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSquirrel FX LLCSEBASTIAN BEYER

In-app purchases

None

HDRI Prep

No in-app purchases

None

Scantic

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HDRI Prep free?
HDRI Prep costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Scantic free?
Scantic is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do HDRI Prep or Scantic have ads?
Neither HDRI Prep nor Scantic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HDRI Prep or Scantic?
HDRI Prep ships an update every 6 months, and Scantic every 2 weeks. Most recently, HDRI Prep was updated on September 10, 2026 and Scantic on September 8, 2026.

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