Emulsify vs CDNC
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Emulsify
Instantly transform your iPhone videos into cinematic masterpieces with authentic film stock emulation. Apply professional color grading, diffusion, and grain effects with a single tap. Export in stunning 4K quality while preserving audio and frame rate.
- One-tap film stock application
- Real-time preview
- Professional color adjustments
- Diffusion and Halation effects
- Add Grain and Dust
- Save Presets
- Export in 4K
Read full descriptionHide full description
Transform Your Apple Log footage and Standard iPhone video footage Into Cinematic Film in 1 click for posting and viewing. Converts Apple Log footage with physically accurate Film Stock emulation. Emulsify brings film emulation to your iPhone. Import your Apple Log or normal Camera videos and instantly apply authentic film stock looks with professional color grading. FEATURES - Easy conversion to Film Stock so you can post straight to social media - One-tap film stock application - Real-time preview with live playback - Professional color adjustments - Exposure control - Tonal Adjustments - Color Wheels - HSL Adjustments - Touch and hold to compare before/after - Diffusion and Halation effects - Add Grain and Dust - Rounded cinematic film gate toggle - Save Presets - Export in original 4K quality - Preserves frame rate and audio FILM STOCKS Standard Film Stock: - Kodak Vision3 - Professional cinema film Premium subscription ($1.99/month): - Fuji Eterna - Soft, muted tones - Kodak Portra - Beautiful skin tones - CineStill 800T - Tungsten cinema look - Ilford HP5 - Classic black & white - Agfa Vista - Warm consumer film - Kodak Ektar 100 - Vivid, fine grain - Fuji Pro 400H - Creamy pastels - Kodak Gold 200 - Nostalgic warmth - Fuji Velvia 50 - Ultra-saturated landscapes PERFECT FOR - Filmmakers and content creators - iPhone 15, 16, 17 Pro & Pro Max users - Apple LOG video enthusiasts - Anyone wanting the film aesthetic REQUIREMENTS - iPhone running iOS 17.0 or later - Apple LOG footage import - Works with any video format SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION - Premium subscription: $1.99/month - Payment charged to iTunes Account at confirmation - Auto-renews unless turned off 24 hours before period ends - Manage subscriptions in Account Settings - Try all LUTs before subscribing - export requires subscription Transform your videos with authentic film looks. Download Emulsify today. Not compatible with iPad or Apple Watch. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
CDNC
This app offers professional video capture with manual controls and advanced color grading tools. It allows users to apply cinematic looks, refine footage with detailed color adjustments, and export in high-quality formats. Features include ProRes recording, shutter drag for motion blur, and stabilization.
- Manual capture controls (exposure, shutter, focus, white balance)
- Built-in Film Looks with live preview
- Advanced color grading tools (wheels, curves, HSL)
- ProRes 422 HQ recording
- Shutter drag for motion blur
- CDNC Steady stabilization
- Framing guides and histogram
Read full descriptionHide full description
Professional capture. Cinematic color. CDNC is an iPhone video camera with manual capture controls, built-in Film Looks, and precise color grading tools. Set exposure, shutter, focus, and white balance before you roll, then shape the finished image in the same app. START WITH GOLD 200 Gold 200 is included free: monitor with it while filming, refine your clips, save finished edited versions, and export. Core recording, supported capture formats, manual controls, import, playback, basic editing, original-file export, framing guides, and the histogram are also included. CHOOSE A FILM LOOK Try other built-in Film Looks live in Camera or in the Editor before upgrading. Camera labels a Pro preview and asks you to unlock or switch to free Gold 200 before recording. CDNC Pro unlocks recording while monitoring these Looks, saving finished edited versions, and export, plus reusable creative presets and advanced monitoring tools. REFINE THE COLOR Shape your image with exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, temperature, tint, saturation, skin tone, primary color wheels, curves, and seven-band HSL controls. Make color adjustments before the Film Look, then refine texture with diffusion, grain, lens blur, and sharpening. Dedicated Frames, Resize, and Trim tools help finish the composition. RECORD IN PRORES 422 HQ Capture ProRes 422 HQ original recordings in supported Apple Log and Apple Log 2 modes on compatible iPhones. HQ preserves a 10-bit 4:2:2 original for further grading. It requires substantially more storage than HEVC. Finished graded video exports use HEVC. SHUTTER DRAG. MADE IN CAMERA. Create native 1/5-second motion blur on supported camera configurations. Record and play back normally, then refine your Film Look and color in the Editor. The exposure blur is part of the recording; your grade stays editable. STEADIER SHOTS. SIMPLER FINISHING. Use CDNC Steady (Beta) to analyze a clip, choose Smooth Motion or Fixed Tripod, and adjust the amount. An optional camera Level helps line up your shot. Select your whole Media library and copy or move originals with saved CDNC edits to a Files location or external drive. ONE PRO TIER. YOUR CHOICE. Choose a monthly subscription, annual subscription, or one-time lifetime unlock. Each provides the same Pro access. Lifetime includes future core app improvements and additions to the standard CDNC Film Look collection; separate future products, services, or licensed collaboration packs are outside that promise. Monthly and annual subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled. See the in-app purchase screen for current local prices and terms. Manage subscriptions through your Apple Account. A lifetime purchase does not automatically cancel an existing subscription. Capture formats and monitoring options depend on your iPhone and system support. CDNC focuses on capture and look/color refinement, not a multitrack editing timeline. Questions? hello@cdnc.app Privacy Policy: https://www.cdnc.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Emulsify at 4.0 against CDNC's 3.0. Emulsify also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 weeks) and ratings volume (8 vs 2). CDNC's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, review sentiment, 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. Emulsify sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month and CDNC sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Emulsify holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 2 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 50% and 50% positive.
Emulsify ships an update every 3 days, CDNC every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Emulsify | CDNC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (8 ratings) — better | 3.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 43 MB | 1.3 GB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Vaughn Lee-Thorp | CDNC Studio LLC |
Customer experience
Emulsify
CDNC
In-app purchases
Emulsify
- Premium Film Stocks$1.991 Month
CDNC
- CDNC Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
- CDNC Pro Annual$29.991 Year
- CDNC Pro Lifetime$59.99









