Koloristika vs THE Tether
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Koloristika
This app captures photos using raw sensor data, bypassing computational photography to deliver authentic film-like results. It offers advanced editing tools based on photochemical processes and allows for sharing unique looks via short codes.
- Bypasses computational photography for raw sensor data
- Film-inspired photochemical editing tools
- RAW + JPG capture
- Non-destructive RAW editor with six sliders
- DRX Dynamic Range Extension
- Tone Seed for sharing looks
- Scout Mode with focal length equivalents
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Your phone finishes every photo before you see it. Face detection, scene recognition, exposure blending, a neural network deciding what your sky should look like. Koloristika keeps the negative, a RAW, and develops it with color made for cinema. It comes from The Brim® Industrial Imaging Bureau, the cinema color-science lab that has defined what "cinematic" looks like since 2014. Color for IMAX features, global campaigns, Netflix and Apple TV+ series. Every shot is saved as a RAW and a JPEG, paired. Your edits sit on top of the RAW and never touch it, so you can change the look tonight or a year from now. Reframe to a longer simulated lens in real millimeters, in cinema or photo formats, and the RAW is never cut. Auto Horizon straightens up to ten degrees at capture. If you disagree, put it back. Nothing else is built this way. MONOLITH. Not a black & white mode. A new kind of photograph, and a world first: the first panchromatic black & white RAW from a color sensor. It never makes a color photo. It builds the black & white straight from the sensor data, every color counted by how bright it looks to the eye, like black & white film. One 16-bit channel, no color noise. Neutral, Red, Yellow, Green and Blue filters go into the negative, like glass on the lens. Long-press any older Koloristika RAW to make a mono negative from it. No AI. DOUBLET. The first app to make a true double-exposure RAW. The two frames are added at the sensor-data level, before the picture is built, and saved as one negative. DSTOCK. Seven years of R&D. Every stock is measured from motion picture film. SILVERLITH. Bleach bypass built in film density, the way a lab does it. Slide it the other way and only the dye moves. FORMULATIONS. F1, F2, F3. Set your look before the shot. Change it after. THE EDITOR. Six sliders modeled from film: density, exposure, upper density, temperature, tint and subtractive saturation. Horizontal for big moves, vertical for fine ones. Saved as you go. DRX. Two extra stops from one shot, two renders fused by luminance. Not HDR, not bracketing. CLR. Color Locus Reset. Color noise that falls outside real color is walked back to the edge of what light can be. The grain stays. ON SET. Scout Mode adds cinema and photo ratios and simulated lenses beyond the one on your phone. Chromogram reads the seven dominant hues of the frame live and sizes each by how much of the frame it fills. Turn on FrameStamp when you export. TONE SEED. A whole edit in eight characters, short enough to text to the DP. GALLERY. Chronological, with a badge on every thumbnail. Calendar view. Map view. EXPORT. JPEG or TIFF. Full or half resolution. 8-bit or 16-bit. QUICK ACCESS. Open the camera from the Lock Screen, Control Center, or Camera Control on iPhone 16 and later. 36 shots free, no clock. Then a subscription, monthly or yearly. Your photos stay on your device. Location is off until you turn it on. No accounts with us, no tracking, no ads. iCloud sync is optional and runs on your own account. The negative is yours. So is everything you make from it. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.thebrim.pictures/koloristika-privacy.html
THE Tether
Instantly review and manage photos wirelessly from your camera on your mobile device. This app facilitates a fast on-set workflow for photographers, allowing for image rating, RAW file matching, and organized export.
- Wireless JPG review while shooting
- Support for Nikon, Sony, Canon cameras
- Session-based photo management
- Fullscreen review and rating
- RAW matching and download
- Export JPG and RAW files
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THE Tether brings wireless tethering and on-set photo review from compatible Nikon, Canon and Sony cameras to Mac, iPhone and iPad. • JPG Only, JPG+RAW, RAW Only and Rated RAW modes • Sessions, filmstrip, full-screen review and ratings • Download matching RAW files for rated photos when available on the card • Recover supported missed captures after a connection interruption • Camera Import, Live View, remote shutter and settings on supported cameras • Export selected JPG/RAW files and XMP rating metadata • Connect up to four cameras, with one active Live View Mac adds Loupe, comparison and Second Display. Mobile controls and layouts differ. Connect the camera and app device to the same Wi-Fi router or smartphone hotspot. A 5GHz router is recommended. Features depend on protocol, firmware, authentication, camera capabilities, card contents and network conditions. Not every camera supports every feature. Premium offers monthly and yearly auto-renewable subscriptions. A seven-day free trial depends on the available offer and your eligibility. Check the local price, period and terms displayed by the App Store before purchase. Unless cancelled, a trial renews at the displayed price. Manage subscriptions in your App Store account and use Restore Purchases to recover existing access. THE Tether is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Nikon, Canon or Sony. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://dune-pixie-e84.notion.site/THE-tether-Privacy-Policy-3601d408edd98090b797f608872b583c
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: THE Tether at 86% against Koloristika's 75%. THE Tether also leads on device support (3 vs 1). 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. Koloristika sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and THE Tether sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Koloristika ships an update every 5 days, THE Tether weekly. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.
| Parameter | Koloristika | THE Tether |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (5 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | 85.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 19 MB | 50 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | THE BRIM - FZCO | haryun song |
Customer experience
Koloristika
THE Tether
In-app purchases
Koloristika
- Monthly$2.991 Month
- Yearly$19.991 Year
THE Tether
- THE tether Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
- THE tether Yearly7 Days trial$34.991 Year
Questions
Is Koloristika free?
Is THE Tether free?
Do Koloristika or THE Tether have ads?
Which is updated more often, Koloristika or THE Tether?
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