Comparison

PhotoPills vs ShutterCount Pro Mobile

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

Head to head
About

PhotoPills

Plan and capture stunning photos of the sun, moon, and Milky Way. This app helps you visualize celestial events and landscape compositions with advanced planning tools and augmented reality.

Highlights
  • 2D Map-Centric Planner (Sun, Moon, Milky Way)
  • 3D Augmented Reality Views
  • Celestial Event Finder
  • Photo Plans Manager
  • Location Scouting Tool
  • Calculators (Long Exposure, Timelapse, etc.)
Features
Read full description

Unlock your creative potential! Discover how to easily turn any Sun, Moon and Milky Way scene you imagine into a real picture… and start shooting truly legendary photos every time you pick up the camera! Whether your passion is to capture beautiful landscapes, immortalize the infinite night sky, surprise the bride and the groom in their happiest day... or to travel the world, PhotoPills will make you love exploring new artistic possibilities to tell visual stories in a way it wasn’t possible before. * All in one app PhotoPills is your iPhone and iPad personal assistant in all photographic matters. It provides tasty remedies to answer most of the questions when planning and shooting your creative ideas: - The First 2D Map-Centric Planner: Sun, Moon, Milky Way - Sun, Moon Alignments Fast Finder - 3D Augmented Reality: Sun, Moon, Milky Way, Celestial Equator, Polaris, DoF, FoV - Photo Plans Manager - Location Scouting Tool - Key information: Sunrise/set, Twilights, Golden Hour, Blue Hour, Moonrise/set, Supermoon dates, Moon Calendar - Calculators: Long Exposure, Timelapse, Spot Stars, Star Trails, Hyperfocal Table, DoF, FoV - Widgets: Sun, Moon, Milky Way - PhotoPills Awards… and much more! * Endorsed by Masters “PhotoPills is an invaluable tool which I use every time I plan a shoot.” – Mark Gee, Astronomy Photographer of the Year. “A tool every photographer should have.” – Kevin Raber, Luminous-landscape.com. “It pays off! Using such a tool ensures that we are repeatedly capable of quickly planning powerful shots; leaving maximum opportunity for more creative ruminations.” – José B. Ruiz, Innovation Award, Wildlife Photographer of the Year. * How it works Have you ever walked around a place and thought: "What a pity the Moon isn't EXACTLY right there... I would have captured a great photo!"? What about the Sun? And the Milky Way? Well, now you can let your imagination fly and calculate when this specific magic moment happens in just a few seconds: - IMAGINE: the Milky Way arching over a powerful landscape, a giant full Moon appearing from behind a nearby hill or a sunset between two rocks on a magic beach... The only limit is your imagination! - PLAN: easily calculate the exact date and time the scene you’ve imagined happens. Work smarter, not harder! - SHOOT: just get out there, immerse yourself in the great outdoors, and enjoy living and capturing unique moments. * Become a Legend Because we know the huge amount of time, energy and love you put in your photos. We want to HONOR them, SHOW them to the World, and REWARD you with up to $6,600 in cash prizes. It's easy and FREE! Just submit your creative photos from PhotoPills and join the Legacy! * Never waste an unmissable scene again Create a To-Do list of planned photos and get to the location on time. * Get it right Adjust your frame for the best composition before you shoot. Use the 3D Augmented Reality Views to see whether Sun, Moon and Milky Way will be at the desired position when pressing the shutter. * Explore, discover great places and create your own database of locations If you come across a location you’d like to remember, save it as a Point of Interest. * Enjoy all daily information in just one swipe with the Widgets Just swipe down from the top of the screen to get all the Sun, Moon and Milky Way events for your current location and date, in addition to your upcoming photo plans. * Get more than an app Our goal is not only to help you plan your shots, but also to help you nail them. Whenever you need help, take a look at our How-To articles and videos, join our free online courses or just contact us! “This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take PhotoPills – you stay in Wonderland and we show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes. Remember: all we’re offering are Legendary Photos and Goosebumps in your skin, nothing more.”

About

ShutterCount Pro Mobile

This app reads the shutter count directly from compatible Canon, Nikon, and Pentax digital cameras. It helps determine a camera's usage, saving service center trips and verifying if a pre-owned item is truly new. Features include unlimited readings, wear indicators, and history logging.

Highlights
  • Reads shutter count from Canon, Nikon, Pentax
  • USB or image file reading
  • Unlimited readings
  • Wear indicator and shutter life percentage
  • History logging in CSV format
  • Live View and electronic shutter counters
  • Graphing and shutter life forecasting
Read full description

*** The original, most feature-rich and only iOS shutter count reader that works with all new Canons *** ShutterCount displays the number of shutter actuations (the shutter count) of your Canon EOS, Nikon or Pentax digital camera - see the complete list of certified models below. The shutter count is read directly from USB or Wi-Fi connected Canons, and from image files for Nikon and Pentax cameras. With ShutterCount you can easily check whether a newly purchased camera is really new, or how heavily used a pre-owned item is. And you can save a trip to a service center by doing the reading for yourself. BASE FEATURES • Unlimited readings • Counter for still photos • Wear indicator with numeric and graphical rated shutter life percentage display • History logging to track camera usage; logs are stored in CSV format that can be imported into Numbers or Excel for further processing • Reports in plain text format • Wizard to guide you through the reading process LIVE VIEW PACK (included, supports select Canon models) • Counters for live view/videos and electronic shutter • Distribution chart PLUS PACK (included) • Graphing • Shutter life forecasting (not available for some Nikon and Pentax models) • History deduplication • Canon EOS camera management (date/time sync, owner name editing, copyright information setting, outdated firmware warning, IPTC export/import) • Raw copyright information display and secure personal data wiping for Canons CERTIFIED CAMERAS USB connection (requires a Lightning to USB Camera Adapter or a USB-C equipped iPad; Wi-Fi on the camera must be disabled): • Canon 1D4/1DC/1DX/1DX2/1DX3/5D2/5D3/5D4/5DS/5DSR/6D/6D2/7D/7D2/40D/50D/60D/60Da/70D/77D/80D/90D/100D/200D/200D2/250D/450D/500D/550D/600D/650D/700D/750D/760D/800D/850D/1000D/1100D/1200D/1300D/1500D/2000D/3000D/4000D/8000D/9000D/C50/M6II/M50/M50II/R/R1/R3/R5/R5C/R5II/R6/R6II/R6III/R7/R8/R10/R50/R100/Ra/RP; Kiss F/M/M2/X2/X3/X4/X5/X6i/X7/X7i/X8i/X9/X9i/X10/X10i/X50/X70/X80/X90; Rebel SL1/SL2/SL3/T1i/T2i/T3/T3i/T4i/T5/T5i/T6/T6i/T6s/T7/T7i/T8i/T100/XS/XSi Wi-Fi/Ethernet connection is supported using built-in networking or Canon transmitters on the above cameras having the "EOS Utility" function. The camera must be paired directly with ShutterCount using this function. Image files: • Nikon D2H/D2X/D2Xs/D3/D3S/D3X/D4/D4S/D5/D6/D40/D40X/D50/D60/D70/D70s/D80/D90/D200/D300/D300S/D500/D600/D610/D700/D750/D780/D800/D800E/D810/D850/D3000/D3100/D3200/D3300/D3400/D3500/D5000/D5100/D5200/D5300/D5500/D5600/D7000/D7100/D7200/D7500/Df/Z5/Z5II/Z6/Z6II/Z6III/Z7/Z7II/Z8/Z9/Z30/Z50/Z50II/Zf/Zfc/ZR; 1 AW1/J1/J3/J4/J5/V1/V2/V3; Coolpix A • Pentax *istDL/*istDL2/645D/645Z/K1/K1II/K3/K3II/K3III/K3IIIMono/K5/K5II/K5IIs/K7/K10D/K20D/K30/K50/K70/K100D/K100D Super/K200D/K500/K2000/Km/KP/Kr/KS1/KS2/Kx Cameras not listed here are not supported. FOR DETAILED COMPATIBILITY INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT: https://www.direstudio.com/shuttercount/tech-specs Questions? Problems? Check out the Getting Started Guide (https://www.direstudio.com/shuttercount/getting-started), the FAQ (https://www.direstudio.com/shuttercount/faq), or contact our support by tapping Report a Problem on the More tab! DISCLAIMER: The app displays the camera's internal counter. DIRE Studio is not responsible for how well and accurately the camera maintains that counter. The forecast is calculated based on your previous usage, and will change if you use the camera differently in the future.

Screenshots

PhotoPills4 screens
ShutterCount Pro Mobile4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PhotoPills at 4.7 against ShutterCount Pro Mobile's 3.8. PhotoPills also leads on price ($10.99 vs $19.99) and ratings volume (1.5K vs 6). On review sentiment, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

PhotoPills costs $10.99 and ShutterCount Pro Mobile $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PhotoPills holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PhotoPills has 1.5K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of PhotoPills's written reviews are positive against 78% of ShutterCount Pro Mobile's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PhotoPills ships an update every 2 months, ShutterCount Pro Mobile every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
PhotoPills versus ShutterCount Pro Mobile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhotoPillsShutterCount Pro Mobile
Price$10.99 — better$19.99
Rating4.7 (1.5K ratings) — better3.8 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews84.8% of reviews — better77.8% of reviews
Number of ratings1.5K — better6
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#3 — better#195
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB4 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperPhotoPills S.L.DIRE Studio

Customer experience

PhotoPills

All ratings1,525 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral1.5%
Negative6.0%
Written reviews481 reviews
Positive84.8%
Neutral4.2%
Negative11.0%

ShutterCount Pro Mobile

All ratings6 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive77.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative22.2%

Bugs and requests

PhotoPills

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes when using depth of field calculator
  • Location settings not persisting between sessions
  • Milky Way position not aligning correctly

Requested features

5 requests
  • User guide in multiple languages
  • Improved integration with other apps
  • More customization options
  • Weather forecast integration
  • Apple Watch companion app

ShutterCount Pro Mobile

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

PhotoPills

No in-app purchases

None

ShutterCount Pro Mobile

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PhotoPills free?
PhotoPills costs $10.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ShutterCount Pro Mobile free?
ShutterCount Pro Mobile costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PhotoPills or ShutterCount Pro Mobile?
PhotoPills is rated higher. PhotoPills averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while ShutterCount Pro Mobile averages 3.8 from 6 ratings.
Do PhotoPills or ShutterCount Pro Mobile have ads?
Neither PhotoPills nor ShutterCount Pro Mobile shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PhotoPills or ShutterCount Pro Mobile?
PhotoPills ships an update every 2 months, and ShutterCount Pro Mobile every 3 months. Most recently, PhotoPills was updated on September 26, 2026 and ShutterCount Pro Mobile on September 18, 2026.
Which is more popular, PhotoPills or ShutterCount Pro Mobile?
PhotoPills currently peaks at #3 in the App Store charts, and ShutterCount Pro Mobile at #195. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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