Distant Surveillance vs Old School Camera Emulator
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Distant Surveillance
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Turn your iPhone and iPad into surveillance cameras that send you notifications with videos anytime they detect some changes, so you can feel safe at your place and can leave your house, rental, Airbnb with the mind at peace. Contrary to the other surveillance, security and CCTV apps, with Distant Surveillance you don't need to own several iPhone/iPad devices, to purchase another camera, nor need to download any third party software to watch your surveillance cameras; you already have everything you need! Just install the app on your iPhone/iPad, and you are ready to go! Absolutely no setting required to start the surveillance! Open the address internet provided by the surveillance camera, using any web browser on any platform, to watch it! Get notified of any change and receive videos of what has been detected on your iPhone/iPad, on any phones, tablets and computers. Download the videos and use them as evidence in case something happens. Special features: - Turn any iPhone and iPad into a video surveillance camera. Keeping an eye on your house, your baby sleeping or your pets has never been so easy. - Zero setting required to start the video surveillance wherever you are: just connect your device to internet and you are ready to go! - Watch your surveillance camera using any web browsers on any platform, or using app on another iPhone/iPad. - See all your surveillance cameras currently online at once. - Get notified on any platform of any change and receive videos of what has been detected. To receive notification on your iPhone/iPad, just scan the QR code of the camera using the app. If you use another device, share the QR code with your computer, or scan it with your phone or tablet camera and register, its web browser so it will be notified. - Select which devices the surveillance camera will send notifications to - The app record videos anytime it detects changes during the surveillance; the videos are saved locally in the device camera roll and also sent to the notified devices so they can also keep copies as eventual evidences. - Secure the connection to the surveillance camera with your own password - Up to Full HD 1080P video surveillance with audio If you have a question, an issue or a suggestion, just drop us an email at support@seb-appstore.com Notes: - it is recommended to keep your device plugged and charging while doing video surveillance, as it could drain its battery - the app detects all changes even the very subtile ones: the app detects fire flames, electric arcs but also curtains and trees/plants movements - the recorded videos are accessibles remotely with the web browsers only when the camera is currently doing surveillance.
Old School Camera Emulator
Recreate the distinct visual style of early 2000s mobile phone cameras. Apply classic presets to your photos and videos directly on your device for an authentic retro aesthetic.
- Early 2000s phone camera styles
- On-device processing
- Photo and video support
- Classic device presets
- New styles and updates
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Before touchscreens, cameras had character. Old School Camera makes a new photo or video look like it came from a phone in 2004. You shoot in the app, or you bring in something you already have. The picture you see is the picture that gets saved. There are old-school filters too, when a real phone is not quite strange enough. Some of them you can tune. VHS is the one with the most room: how worn the tape is, the old camcorder marks, and the sound wears with the picture. There aren't any ads. You open it and shoot. Have fun with it. If a phone or a filter is missing, tell me and I'll try to add it. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Old School Camera Emulator at every 2 weeks against Distant Surveillance's every 2 months. Distant Surveillance's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Distant Surveillance sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month and Old School Camera Emulator sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Distant Surveillance ships an update every 2 months, Old School Camera Emulator every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Distant Surveillance | Old School Camera Emulator |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 23 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sebastien BUET | Aleksandr Kichev |
In-app purchases
Distant Surveillance
- Monthly Subscription$1.991 Month
Old School Camera Emulator
- OldSchoolCameraEmulator Monthly$7.991 Month
- OldSchoolCameraEmulator Lifetime$14.99
Questions
Is Distant Surveillance free?
Is Old School Camera Emulator free?
Do Distant Surveillance or Old School Camera Emulator have ads?
Which is updated more often, Distant Surveillance or Old School Camera Emulator?
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