Comparison

CinePlay vs CamPlot Director's Viewfinder

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

Head to head
About

CinePlay

A professional media player designed for video professionals, offering features like timecode overlays, markers, and masking. It supports various import methods and cloud collaboration for seamless project review and feedback.

Highlights
  • Timecode overlays
  • Marker creation and export
  • Safe area guides (4:3, 16:9)
  • Masking to common aspect ratios
  • Multiple import sources (Camera Roll, iTunes, URL)
  • Cloud project access via Kollaborate
  • Synced collaborative viewing sessions
Features
Read full description

CinePlay is a professional media player with timecode overlays, markers, masking and safe areas. It is ideal for dailies, portfolios, client feedback, mobile note taking and much more. TIMECODE All timings are specified in timecode notation and CinePlay can read timecode stored in a movie file. You can even add a draggable timecode overlay to the movie. MARKERS Add markers during playback and export them to a range of common marker formats. SAFE AREAS View 4:3 and 16:9 title and action safe areas over your movie. MASKING Mask to a range of common aspect ratios. WIDE RANGE OF SOURCES CinePlay can import from Camera Roll, Videos app, iTunes file sharing, Kollaborate and direct web URL links. KOLLABORATE Access your cloud projects on the move, watch videos and sync notes with your colleagues. SYNCED SESSIONS Take part in collaborative viewing sessions with a colleague controlling the playhead via Kollaborate. MAINTAIN COLOR ACCURACY Upload a Color Decision List (CDL) to Kollaborate, link it as a CDL to a movie in the Relationship Editor and CinePlay will automatically color correct the movie according to the CDL. HOW TO IMPORT VIDEOS * Record videos with the Camera app * Drag videos into iTunes and sync them to your device * Connect your device to iTunes, click on the device in the left-hand bar and go to Apps. Under File Sharing, select CinePlay and click the Add button to add a movie. * In CinePlay, click the + button, select Web URL and enter the URL (e.g. http://www.example.com/movie.mp4). * Connect to your Kollaborate cloud account Note: all movies must be H.264. Supported audio formats are WAV, MP3 and AIFF.

About

CamPlot Director's Viewfinder

Simulate professional cinema cameras and lenses on your iPhone. Accurately view shots with real sensor geometry, a vast lens kit, and live LUT grading. Scout locations with sun path and LiDAR distance.

Highlights
  • Simulates real cinema camera bodies and sensors
  • Extensive lens kit with primes and zooms
  • Live LUT grading with 200+ cinema looks
  • Sun path visualization for location scouting
  • LiDAR distance measurement on Pro iPhones
  • Organized library of all captures and scans
  • Exportable shot lists with QR codes
Read full description

Hold up your iPhone and see the shot through the real camera. CamPlot Director's Viewfinder simulates professional cinema cameras and lenses with honest optics — the same tool built into CamPlot, as its own app. THE CAMERA, NOT AN APPROXIMATION Pick the body — ARRI Alexa, Sony FX6 and Venice, RED Komodo, Canon C-series, DJI Ronin 4D, and more — choose Full Frame, Super 35, or MFT, and set frame lines for 16:9, 2.35, 2.39, or 4:3. The image you see is computed from the real sensor geometry. YOUR LENS KIT ON A ROLL Swipe through your lenses on an endless roll — primes snap, zooms ride a focal-length wheel with real stops. Add your own primes and zooms, or sign in to CamPlot and your project's lens inventory appears automatically. A LUT LIBRARY THAT LEAVES WITH YOU Grade the image live with true 3D LUTs on the GPU: 200+ cinema looks in nine packs, plus your own .cube files. Press and drag the LUT dial to spin the whole library with the picture regrading under your finger. And every look exports for your actual camera — pick your log format and CamPlot composes the conversion, so what you saw on the phone is what you load into the camera. SUN PATH WHILE SCOUTING See the sun's arc drawn over your framed shot for any date, using your location and compass. Know exactly when golden hour lands where you want it — weeks before the shoot. LIDAR DISTANCE On Pro iPhones, a measure mode reads the exact distance to your subject — aim, tap, and get feet and inches. THE LIBRARY Every frame, take and room scan you have made, in one place — each with the readings that were live when you shot it: camera, sensor window, lens, ISO, shutter, aperture, white balance, LUT, bearing, horizon, distance and where you stood. Photos, videos and room scans on their own shelves. A shot takes the whole screen with its instruments riding on top — one tap clears them, one brings them back. SHOT LISTS Build a list, name every shot in it, and add rows for shots you have not taken yet. Export it as a PDF contact sheet: the frame, its name, its readings, and a QR code that opens where it was shot in Apple or Google Maps. CAPTURES THAT REMEMBER Every capture burns in the body, sensor mode, focal length, and heading, saves silently to a CamPlot album in Photos, and carries its full readings inside the file itself. FREE TO TRY The app runs free with a generic full-frame body and a demo lens range, so you can see the whole thing before deciding. CamPlot Plus or CamPlot Max unlocks every camera body, your lens kits, the LUT library and LUT export, sun path, LiDAR, and capture — one account across the Viewfinder, the Calculators, and all of CamPlot at camplot.studio. The CamPlot Calculators are free with any account, including the free one. SUBSCRIPTIONS CamPlot Max: $49.99/year or $4.99/month. CamPlot Plus: $29.99/year or $3.99/month. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your device Settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://camplot.studio/privacy.html

Screenshots

CinePlay3 screens
CamPlot Director's Viewfinder4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: CamPlot Director's Viewfinder at 89% against CinePlay's 33%. CamPlot Director's Viewfinder also leads on price (Free vs $9.99) and rating (4.8 vs 2.8). CinePlay's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On ads 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

CamPlot Director's Viewfinder is free to download; CinePlay costs $9.99 up front. CamPlot Director's Viewfinder sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. CinePlay asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

CamPlot Director's Viewfinder holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 18 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of CinePlay's written reviews are positive against 89% of CamPlot Director's Viewfinder's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CinePlay ships an update every 3 months, CamPlot Director's Viewfinder every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
CinePlay versus CamPlot Director's Viewfinder: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCinePlayCamPlot Director's Viewfinder
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating2.8 (4 ratings)4.8 (18 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews88.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings418 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDigital Rebellion LLCRomany Films Inc.

Customer experience

CinePlay

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral22.2%
Negative44.4%

CamPlot Director's Viewfinder

All ratings18 ratings
Positive94.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%

In-app purchases

None

CinePlay

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

CamPlot Director's Viewfinder

Subscriptions4
  • CamPlot View+ Monthly$3.991 Month
  • CamPlot Creator Monthly$4.991 Month
  • CamPlot View Plus Annual$29.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • CamPlot Creator Annual$49.991 Year

Questions

Is CinePlay free?
CinePlay costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is CamPlot Director's Viewfinder free?
CamPlot Director's Viewfinder is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, CinePlay or CamPlot Director's Viewfinder?
CamPlot Director's Viewfinder is rated higher. CinePlay averages 2.8 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while CamPlot Director's Viewfinder averages 4.8 from 18 ratings.
Do CinePlay or CamPlot Director's Viewfinder have ads?
Neither CinePlay nor CamPlot Director's Viewfinder shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CinePlay or CamPlot Director's Viewfinder?
CinePlay ships an update every 3 months, and CamPlot Director's Viewfinder every 2 days. Most recently, CinePlay was updated on October 23, 2026 and CamPlot Director's Viewfinder on October 12, 2026.

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