Comparison

AfterFocus vs NightCap Camera

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

Head to head
About

AfterFocus

Create professional-looking photos with DSLR-style background blur. Easily select focus areas and apply realistic filter effects for stunning images. Share your creations instantly on social media.

Highlights
  • Smart focus area selection
  • Realistic background blur effects
  • Motion blur effect
  • Professional filter effects
  • Bokeh effect
  • Double photo feature
  • Easy sharing
Features
Read full description

PC World: "5 essential iOS apps for photographers" AppAdvice: "AfterFocus Brings DSLR-Like Photography To Your iPhone" With AfterFocus, you can create DSLR-style background blurred photo by simply selecting focus area. Also, various filter effects offer you to create the most natural and realistic photo. Selecting a focus area more precisely, you can achieve more natural and professional image. Just mark the areas you want, AfterFocus automatically recognizes the focus area precisely even for an object with complex shapes. This auto function allows you to work faster on smart phones with small screen. Also, background blur effect of AfterFocus gives a photo the realistic look between the edge of the background and the focus area. With our realistic filter effects, you will enjoy photographing and photo editing even more, and share them on SNS easily. 1. Smart focus area selection Simply draw some lines inside a focus area and the background, then AfterFocus will automatically recognize the focus area. You can also select the area with traditional finger painting. 2. Background Blur effect You can create the most realistic blur effect with various aperture styles just like DSLR camera. To emphasize that certain things move, Motion blur effect is also available. 3. Filter effect AfterFocus offers from basic effects to professional effects like Cross Process without looking artificial. Also, you can emphasize the spot light on the background using Bokeh effect. 4. Double photo Take a picture of one object and move slightly to the right to take another picture of the same object, and it will analyze the images and recognize the nearest object, so there is no need to draw the focus area. (Make sure that the background and the distance of the object are far enough and have clear texture to get a great result.) 5. Easy share You can share through e-mails and SNS easily and simply. Please, visit and like https://www.facebook.com/AfterFocus Thank you!

About

NightCap Camera

Capture stunning low-light and night photos and videos with advanced features like long exposure, AI-powered controls, and specialized astrophotography modes. Achieve DSLR-like results and unlock your device's full potential in challenging lighting conditions.

Highlights
  • Low light and night photo/video capture
  • Long exposure and motion blur effects
  • Astrophotography modes (stars, aurora, ISS, meteors)
  • AI camera control for automatic settings
  • Manual gesture-based adjustments
  • 4K time lapse recording
  • ISO Boost for brighter low-light shots
Features
Read full description

Photograph star trails or stunning smooth waterfalls. Capture a meteor mid-streak or traffic with light trails. And clear, detailed photos where there’s barely any light at all. One-time purchase, no subscription. ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY Four modes that automatically set the camera up for you. - Star Trails: watch the stars draw circles overhead - Meteors: automatic capture of shooting stars - ISS: the International Space Station passing over - Stars: starry skies and the Milky Way - New in version 10: Aurora, a time-lapse mode for the Northern and Southern Lights LONG EXPOSURE Hold the shutter open for seconds or minutes and movement becomes light. - Long Exposure: motion blur, or a cleaner shot when you hold still - Light Trails: traffic at night, fireworks, light painting - Both as time-lapse too, up to 4K with adjustable speed LOW LIGHT - ISO Boost for up to 4x beyond the standard camera range - Light Boost - Noise Reduction - Night Mode video and timelapse HANDHELD New in version 10. NightCap steadies and aligns every frame as you shoot, so long exposures no longer need a tripod. MANUAL CONTROL - Swipe to adjust exposure, ISO, focus and white balance - Camera Control on iPhone 16 and later - Zoom to 16x - Black and white mode Also includes an interval programmer, self-timer, and an Apple Watch app with live preview and remote control.

Screenshots

AfterFocus4 screens
NightCap Camera4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: NightCap Camera at 4.3 against AfterFocus's 3.1. NightCap Camera also leads on ratings volume (3K vs 77) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). AfterFocus's advantage is review sentiment (65% vs 51%) and price ($0.99 vs $2.99). On ads, 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

AfterFocus costs $0.99 and NightCap Camera $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NightCap Camera holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NightCap Camera has 3K ratings behind it against 77, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of AfterFocus's written reviews are positive against 51% of NightCap Camera's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AfterFocus ships an update every 2 months, NightCap Camera every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
AfterFocus versus NightCap Camera: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAfterFocusNightCap Camera
Price$0.99 — better$2.99
Rating3.1 (77 ratings)4.3 (3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews65.4% of reviews — better51.0% of reviews
Number of ratings773K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#17 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMotionOne Co.,Ltd.RTD

Customer experience

AfterFocus

All ratings78 ratings
Positive48.7%
Neutral5.1%
Negative46.2%
Written reviews283 reviews
Positive65.4%
Neutral7.4%
Negative27.2%

NightCap Camera

All ratings2,959 ratings
Positive83.5%
Neutral4.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews676 reviews
Positive51.0%
Neutral7.5%
Negative41.4%

User reviews

AfterFocus

From 77 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Produces professional-looking photos
  • 💡 Unique masking/selection method
  • 👍 Decent value for the price

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
  • 🔍 Limited precision in selecting focus areas
  • 🔍 Overly aggressive blurring/loss of image quality
  • 🔍 Inconsistent results

NightCap Camera

From 3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great for astrophotography
  • 👍 Excellent night/low light photography
  • 💡 Powerful manual controls
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 👍 Produces high-quality results

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes on newer devices
  • 🐛 Focus issues on iPhone 7+
  • 🔋 Drains battery quickly
  • 👎 Unintuitive user interface
  • 👎 Disappointing results for some users

Bugs and requests

AfterFocus

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes when trying to save photos
  • Incompatibility with newer iOS versions
  • Blank screens when using the 'take photo' option

Requested features

4 requests
  • Full-resolution image output
  • More advanced blur controls and customization
  • Improved masking tools with zoom/pan functionality
  • iPad support

NightCap Camera

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Photos not saving properly
  • Meteor mode not working as expected
  • Compatibility issues with iOS 8 and iPhone 6 Plus

Requested features

5 requests
  • RAW image support
  • Bluetooth remote shutter control
  • Ability to save settings
  • More exposure options
  • Improved timelapse features

In-app purchases

None

AfterFocus

No in-app purchases

None

NightCap Camera

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AfterFocus free?
AfterFocus costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is NightCap Camera free?
NightCap Camera costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, AfterFocus or NightCap Camera?
NightCap Camera is rated higher. AfterFocus averages 3.1 out of 5 from 77 ratings, while NightCap Camera averages 4.3 from 3K ratings.
Do AfterFocus or NightCap Camera have ads?
Neither AfterFocus nor NightCap Camera shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AfterFocus or NightCap Camera?
AfterFocus ships an update every 2 months, and NightCap Camera every 3 weeks. Most recently, AfterFocus was updated on October 31, 2026 and NightCap Camera on October 29, 2026.

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