# PhotoPills vs Alpha Focus Bracketing

The clearest difference is price: PhotoPills at $10.99 against Alpha Focus Bracketing's $29.99. PhotoPills also leads on ratings volume (1.5K vs 1) and review sentiment (85% vs 67%). Alpha Focus Bracketing's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

PhotoPills costs $10.99 and Alpha Focus Bracketing $29.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Alpha Focus Bracketing holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PhotoPills has 1.5K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 85% of PhotoPills's written reviews are positive against 67% of Alpha Focus Bracketing's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

PhotoPills ships an update every 2 months, Alpha Focus Bracketing every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PhotoPills | Alpha Focus Bracketing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$10.99** | $29.99 |
| Rating | [4.7 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photopills/id596026805/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alpha-focus-bracketing/id6504301194/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.5K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **84.9% of reviews** | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#4** | — |
| Size | 41 MB | 14 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.2** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [PhotoPills S.L.](https://appshunter.io/developer/596026808) | [LEONARDO TAZZINI](https://appshunter.io/developer/1751785749) |

## What reviewers say

### PhotoPills

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photopills/id596026805)

**Currently charting:** #4 Top Paid · Photo & Video, #46 Top Paid (US App Store)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Comprehensive planning tools
- 🚀 Powerful features for astrophotography
- 💡 Excellent tutorials and support
- 🌟 Indispensable for photographers
- ⭐ Incredible value for money

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤔 Steep learning curve
- 🤯 Overwhelming complexity
- 🤖 Confusing user interface
- 🔋 Battery drain issues
- 🗺️ Inaccurate location tracking

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


### Alpha Focus Bracketing

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alpha-focus-bracketing/id6504301194)

This app enables remote focus bracketing for Sony cameras, allowing you to capture a series of images with precise focus shifts from your smartphone. Achieve stunning depth of field and create timelapse sequences with advanced control over focus steps and camera settings.

**Highlights:** Remote focus bracketing, Timelapse sequence creation, Depth of field control, Highly customizable settings, Focus rewind and test modes, Flash compatibility

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PhotoPills free?

PhotoPills costs $10.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Alpha Focus Bracketing free?

Alpha Focus Bracketing costs $29.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, PhotoPills or Alpha Focus Bracketing?

Alpha Focus Bracketing is rated higher. PhotoPills averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while Alpha Focus Bracketing averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do PhotoPills or Alpha Focus Bracketing have ads?

Neither PhotoPills nor Alpha Focus Bracketing shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PhotoPills or Alpha Focus Bracketing?

PhotoPills ships an update every 2 months, and Alpha Focus Bracketing every 4 days. Most recently, PhotoPills was updated on October 26, 2026 and Alpha Focus Bracketing on October 25, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*