Comparison

Honne vs Honesmith Optics

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

Head to head
About

Honne

Read full description

Your iPhone sensor captures incredible data. Apple just never lets you have it. Every photo you take on iPhone passes through Apple's computational photography pipeline — noise reduction, sharpening, tone mapping, Smart HDR — before you ever see it. Even Apple ProRAW bakes in computational processing. By the time you open the file in Lightroom, the decisions have already been made for you. honne bypasses all of it. honne captures true Bayer RAW DNG files — the same unprocessed sensor data you get from a Canon, Sony, or Nikon. No noise reduction. No sharpening. No computational adjustments. Just the raw Bayer mosaic straight off the sensor, saved as an industry-standard DNG that opens natively in Lightroom, Capture One, Photoshop, Darktable, and every other RAW editor. This is the file your sensor actually captured. This is what your iPhone can really do. WHY TRUE BAYER RAW MATTERS ProRAW is not RAW. It is a processed file with more editing headroom than JPEG, but Apple's computational pipeline has already made tonal and color decisions you cannot fully undo. True Bayer RAW gives you: - Maximum dynamic range for highlight and shadow recovery - Clean, unbiased color data for accurate white balance in post - Full control over noise reduction decisions - Smaller file sizes than ProRAW (typically 20-30MB vs 50-75MB) - Universal DNG compatibility: no Apple-specific processing embedded If you shoot RAW on your mirrorless camera because you want control over the final image, you should demand the same from your iPhone. FULL MANUAL CONTROLS Shoot the way you think. honne gives you direct access to the exposure triangle and beyond: - Shutter Speed: Full manual control for motion blur or freezing action - ISO: Set sensor sensitivity precisely - White Balance: Choose your color temperature, or set it in post from true RAW data - Exposure Compensation: Quick EV adjustments when you need speed over full manual - Histogram: Real-time exposure feedback so you expose to the right without blowing highlights - Level Indicator: Keep your horizons straight without guessing - Grid Overlay: Rule of thirds composition guide EVERY LENS, TRUE RAW honne detects every real lens on your iPhone and gives you RAW from each one — no digital zoom, no cropping, just the actual hardware. - Ultra-wide (0.5x): architecture, landscapes, environmental shots - Wide (1x): your main lens, the best sensor on the phone - Telephoto (Pro models): portraits, compression, reach Switch lenses without leaving manual mode. Your exposure settings carry over. OUTPUT YOUR WAY - DNG only: Pure RAW files for the smallest footprint - RAW+JPEG: Keep a processed preview alongside your RAW for quick sharing - All files saved to a dedicated honne album in your Photos library BUILT FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS, NOT FILTERS honne has no presets, no AI enhancements, no "improve" button. It is a capture tool that respects your editing workflow. The app does one thing: get the best possible unprocessed data off the sensor and into a standard file format, without getting in your way. The UI is dark, clean, and professional. Self-timer (3s/10s), flash control, and aspect ratio selection (4:3, 16:9, 1:1) are all there when you need them. NO SUBSCRIPTION $9.99 once. That is it. No monthly fees, no yearly renewals, no feature gating, no "pro" tier. Every feature, every update, forever. honne (本音) means "real intention" in Japanese: what something really is, beneath the surface. Your iPhone sensor captures more than Apple lets you see. honne lets you see it.

About

Honesmith Optics

Features
Read full description

Some photos are better when you make the decisions yourself. Honesmith Optics is an iPhone camera built for RAW and manual photography. Focus and exposure metering can be controlled independently, while manual focus, P/S/M exposure modes, RAW and ProRAW give you direct control when shooting close-up subjects, backlit scenes, or with external lenses. Focus here. Meter there. Tap the preview to set focus. Press and hold to place exposure metering independently. Your subject can stay in focus without forcing you to meter from the same part of the frame. EV compensation gives you a quick final adjustment when you want the image brighter or darker. Shoot RAW. Keep more room to edit. On supported iPhones and camera configurations, Honesmith Optics can capture Bayer RAW or Apple ProRAW and save the original image as DNG, giving you more flexibility for exposure, color, and post-processing. Take more control when you need it. Manual focus, magnified viewing, and Focus Assist make precise focusing easier for macro photography, external lenses, and shallow depth of field. You can control: • ISO • Shutter speed • White balance • Auto and manual focus • Independent exposure metering • EV compensation • RAW / ProRAW • JPEG / PNG • Aspect ratio and filters • Timer • Volume-button shutter • High-resolution photos and 4K video on supported devices No account. No subscription. Your photos stay yours. Honesmith Optics does not require a Honesmith account and does not use Honesmith cloud processing for your photos. Core photo, video, and RAW processing stays on your device. There are no ads or usage analytics. Advanced features are available through one-time in-app purchases. There is no subscription. Whether you are learning manual photography, shooting RAW, working with macro or external lenses, or simply want more control than the built-in camera gives you, Honesmith Optics gives you a more deliberate way to shoot with iPhone. Availability of RAW, ProRAW, high-resolution capture, video formats, and certain camera controls depends on your iPhone, physical lens, iOS version, and current capture configuration.

Screenshots

Honne4 screens
Honesmith Optics4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Honesmith Optics at Free against Honne's $9.99. Honesmith Optics also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). Honne's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 3 days vs weekly). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Honesmith Optics is free to download; Honne costs $9.99 up front. Honesmith Optics sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Honne asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Honne ships an update every 3 days, Honesmith Optics weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences Ā· 2 level
Honne versus Honesmith Optics: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHonneHonesmith Optics
Price$9.99Free — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB5 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperJesus Ernesto Jaramillo SalazarShih-Chen Yang

In-app purchases

None

Honne

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Honesmith Optics

One-time1
  • Honesmith Optics Pro$11.99

Questions

Is Honne free?
Honne costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Honesmith Optics free?
Honesmith Optics is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Honne or Honesmith Optics have ads?
Neither Honne nor Honesmith Optics shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Honne or Honesmith Optics?
Honne ships an update every 3 days, and Honesmith Optics weekly. Most recently, Honne was updated on November 9, 2026 and Honesmith Optics on October 28, 2026.

Other comparisons