Smart Trigger vs Pulse Camera Control
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Smart Trigger
Control your compatible DSLR camera wirelessly from your smartphone. Offers modes for regular shots, long exposures, and time-lapses, allowing for advanced photography techniques up to 50 feet away.
- Wireless camera shutter release
- Timed photography tasks
- Delay starting moment
- Manage exposure time
- Set shooting interval
- Control up to 50 ft away
- Regular, Manual, and Timed Shot modes
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Note: Smart Trigger apps requires Bluetooth 4.0 Smart Trigger hardware that is available through: http://www.satechi.net/smart-trigger Smart Trigger is an advanced DSLR camera shutter release app which can be used to release camera shutter, as well as to be programmed to run timed photography task, etc. Delay the starting moment, manage exposure time, set shooting interval or organize numbers of shots. It allows you to control camera shutter up to 50 ft away from a compatible DSLR camera. Using Bluetooth technology to link your DSLR camera to your smart phone, the Smart Trigger allows for precise control of your pictures with three different shooting modes: Regular Shot mode allows your smart phone to act as a wireless shutter for your camera. Simply touch the button on your smart phone to capture a picture – perfect for including the photographer in group shots! Manual Shot mode allows you to take long exposures in bulb mode. Featuring a focus button and a shutter lock, use Manual Shot for photographic techniques like star trails and light painting. Timed Shot mode converts your smart phone to a full-featured intervalometer. Use this mode to perform advanced photography techniques like time-lapses.
Pulse Camera Control
Control your Canon or Nikon DSLR wirelessly from your smartphone or tablet. Take photos, videos, and time-lapses with instant feedback and creative control from up to 100 feet away.
- Wireless DSLR control
- Remote photo/video capture
- Time-lapse with exposure ramping
- ISO, shutter speed, aperture control
- Instant image thumbnails & histograms
- Control up to 3 devices
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This is the smartphone control app for Pulse. Pulse is a device that attaches to your Canon or Nikon DSLR and allows you to wirelessly take photos, videos and time-lapses from your phone or tablet and get instant feedback. With Pulse you get complete creative control all while staying free to use your phone or tablet. From the mountains to the studio Pulse handles everything from your biggest projects to impromptu street photography. With its small size and intuitive features, you'll never want to leave it behind. Pulse Features : -Wirelessly control ISO, shutter speed and aperture from up to 100 feet -Receive image thumbnails and histograms within seconds -Take 'Holy Grail' timelapses with exposure ramping -Control up to 3 Pulses at once -Free up WiFi and Internet as Pulse uses Bluetooth and BLE -Extend your session with 24 hours of battery (USB rechargeable)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Pulse Camera Control at 3.0 against Smart Trigger's 1.0. Pulse Camera Control also leads on ratings volume (23 vs 1) and review sentiment (45% vs 29%). Smart Trigger's advantage is iOS requirement (7.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Pulse Camera Control holds the better App Store score, 3.0 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pulse Camera Control has 23 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 29% of Smart Trigger's written reviews are positive against 45% of Pulse Camera Control's.
Smart Trigger ships an update every 6 weeks, Pulse Camera Control every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Smart Trigger | Pulse Camera Control |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.0 (1 ratings) | 3.0 (23 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 28.6% of reviews | 44.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 23 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 7.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Satechi | Tangy Laboratories Inc |
Customer experience
Smart Trigger
Pulse Camera Control
Bugs and requests
Smart Trigger
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Pulse Camera Control
Reported bugs
58 issues- Endless bugs
- Bluetooth connectivity issues
- Disconnects frequently
- App can't find device
- Occasional clipping with onscreen text
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- Connection unreliable depending on camera settings
- Unit needs to be disconnected and reconnected
- Bluetooth connection reset and deleted
- Bluetooth keeps cutting out
- Incorrect camera mode detection
- HDR option not working
- Bug report submission failure
- Firmware update issues
- Camera lockups
- App unable to update firmware
- GUI outdated
- Bluetooth dropping out
- Live view not available
- No preview on D800E
- Inability to connect to D3s
- Special cable needed for some Canon models
- Awkward app navigation
- Missing camera settings information
- Disconnection between app and pulse
- Disconnection between pulse and camera
- Camera stuck in busy mode
- Camera error messages
- Device not found by app
- Thumbnails not displaying correctly
- USB cable port compatibility issues
- Firmware update bricked device
- Firmware update makes device useless
- Device will not stay connected via Bluetooth
- Intermittent disconnects
- Vibration when tripping shutter
- Playback on camera's LCD issue
- Inability to see image output
- App not working on iPhone 7+
- Training video not accessible
- Inability to control shutter speed, aperture, and ISO
- Thumbnail feature not working
- Video to photo transition issues
- App is broken
- Disconnects after trying to load thumbnail
- Bluetooth connection issues
- App does not connect to Pulse
- Number scrollers unresponsive
- Dialogue box annoyance with thumbnails
- Menu options missing on iPhone 4
- Camera settings not always propagating
- App not connecting to device
- Device not recognized by app
- HDR exposure sequencing incorrect
- Thumbnails not working
- Company unresponsive to problems
- Does not work with Canon 5D Mark IV
- App does not connect to Pulse Controller
- Shows up in Bluetooth list but app says not connected
Requested features
18 requests- Apple Watch support
- Image preview
- Histogram
- Ability to disable vibration when tripping shutter
- Retainment of playback on camera's LCD (Nikon) while Pulse is plugged in
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- Directly download images to phone from app
- See lens output
- Live view
- Focus point control
- Ability to see ISO, f, and t of the pic just taken
- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard
- Full image display for thumbnails
- Ability to turn off LED
- Fix bugs and improve reliability
- Improve app navigation
- Add shutter speed, aperture, and ISO settings control
- Make training video accessible again
In-app purchases
Smart Trigger
No in-app purchases
Pulse Camera Control
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Smart Trigger free?
Is Pulse Camera Control free?
Which has better reviews, Smart Trigger or Pulse Camera Control?
Do Smart Trigger or Pulse Camera Control have ads?
Which is updated more often, Smart Trigger or Pulse Camera Control?
Other comparisons
