Comparison

Virtual Night Vision vs Brighten View

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

Head to head
About

Virtual Night Vision

Enhance your camera's low-light capabilities with powerful image boosting and zoom. Explore fun visual effects and capture HD photos in dark conditions, though not complete blackness.

Highlights
  • Live, adjustable night vision enhancement
  • 3 operating modes (Fast, High, Max)
  • 8x live zoom
  • Multiple live color modes
  • Thermal image effect
  • HD photo capture
Read full description

Virtual Night Vision combines powerful image enhancement, camera control that lets in up to 15x more light, powerful 8x zoom and many fun effects like thermal imaging, green mode, binoculars and more. It won't work in complete blackness because the iPhone lacks special night cameras, but Virtual Night Vision works in pretty dark conditions. How dark? It depends on the iPhone but moonlight is enough. On any iPhone it will still work when the iPhone Camera app only sees black. How does it work? It uses a live camera view and special photo enhancement techniques to boost light levels, plus 3 special camera modes (Fast, High and Max). Fast produces good results when you’re on the move, Max produces amazing results when you’re still, and High is balanced between the two. And you can take HD photos with enhancement and effects. == 3 powerful modes: == • Fast: best results with fast motion • High: balanced between speed and performance for all-purpose use • Max: for stationary use. Ultimate enhancement! == Features: == • Live, adjustable night vision enhancement. Enhance as much or as little as you want to get the picture just right • 3 operating modes ensure best results in any situation • Smooth, fast, live fullscreen display • Powerful 8x live zoom • Multiple live color modes: Full Color, Black and White, Red, Green and Blue filters • Multiple live effects: - Thermal Image (this is an effect, not real thermal imaging) - Monochrome shade: Highlights patterns of light and shadow - False Color - Posterize: See the world in a limited palette of colors • Negative. Sometimes produces better images, also makes a cool X-Ray effect! • Built-in camera, captures exactly what you see on screen and saves automatically to your photo library at HD resolution • Built-in image viewer • Built-in binocular simulation == Please note: == • Night vision in extremely dark or pitch black conditions is impossible with the iPhone camera • Thermal imaging is a video effect only! • Virtual NightVision is compatible with iPhone 4S and later, iPod Touch with camera and iPad with camera. It requires iOS 8.

About

Brighten View

This app provides a real-time color filter camera, enabling clear, vibrant vision in low-light conditions. It transforms dark scenes into vivid memories, eliminating grainy black-and-white night shots. Perfect for nighttime adventures and capturing the beauty of the dark.

Highlights
  • Real-time color filter camera
  • Enhanced low-light vision
  • Vivid night shots
  • Crisp, colorful vision
  • Supports iPhone and iPad
Features
Read full description

Cat's Eye Camera is a real-time filter camera that lets you see clearly in color, even in the dark—just like a cat. Whether you're exploring starry skies, camping, or wandering through mysterious night spots, this app turns low-light moments into vivid memories. Enjoy crisp, colorful vision in real time—no more grainy black-and-white night shots. Download Cat's Eye Camera now and discover the beauty of the night in full color. To record video, please use the standard iOS screen recording function. https://support.apple.com/HT207935

Screenshots

Virtual Night Vision4 screens
Brighten View2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Brighten View at Free against Virtual Night Vision's $0.99. Brighten View also leads on rating (4.3 vs 3.5) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 6 months). Virtual Night Vision's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and chart position (#183 vs unranked). On ratings volume, in-app purchases and device support 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

Brighten View is free to download; Virtual Night Vision costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Brighten View holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 21 and 23 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Virtual Night Vision ships an update every 6 months, Brighten View every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Virtual Night Vision versus Brighten View: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVirtual Night VisionBrighten View
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating3.5 (21 ratings)4.3 (23 ratings) — better
Positive reviews44.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings2123 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidAd-supported — better
Best chart rank#183 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRTDMasaharu Tsukamoto

Customer experience

Virtual Night Vision

All ratings20 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative35.0%
Written reviews152 reviews
Positive44.7%
Neutral3.9%
Negative51.3%

Brighten View

All ratings23 ratings
Positive87.0%
Neutral4.3%
Negative8.7%

Bugs and requests

Virtual Night Vision

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • App crashes or won't open on some devices
  • Not supported on iPad 2 despite App Store listing
  • Settings persist on screen making interface cluttered
  • Incompatibility with iPhone 5 and older models
  • Enhancement and zoom features don't work properly
Show 1 more
  • App crashes after updates

Requested features

7 requests
  • Video recording capability instead of photos only
  • In-app tutorial or help menu explaining controls
  • Improved user interface and user-friendly GUI
  • Brightness adjustment slider
  • Real-time video capture at 30FPS
Show 2 more
  • Better zoom functionality
  • Screenshot functionality documentation

Brighten View

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Virtual Night Vision

No in-app purchases

None

Brighten View

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Virtual Night Vision free?
Virtual Night Vision costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Brighten View free?
Brighten View is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Virtual Night Vision or Brighten View?
Brighten View is rated higher. Virtual Night Vision averages 3.5 out of 5 from 21 ratings, while Brighten View averages 4.3 from 23 ratings.
Do Virtual Night Vision or Brighten View have ads?
Brighten View shows ads; Virtual Night Vision does not.
Which is updated more often, Virtual Night Vision or Brighten View?
Virtual Night Vision ships an update every 6 months, and Brighten View every 5 weeks. Most recently, Virtual Night Vision was updated on November 6, 2026 and Brighten View on November 2, 2026.

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