# Very Good Camera vs theLAB

The clearest difference is price: theLAB at Free against Very Good Camera's $9.99. theLAB also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly). Very Good Camera's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and chart position (#5 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

theLAB is free to download; Very Good Camera costs $9.99 up front. theLAB sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Very Good Camera asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Very Good Camera against 5.0 for theLAB. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 21 and 13 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

Very Good Camera ships an update fortnightly, theLAB every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Very Good Camera | theLAB |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [5.0 (21 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/very-good-camera/id6760676546/reviews) | [5.0 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thelab-mobile/id6781197507/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **21** | 13 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Best chart rank | **#5** | — |
| Size | 13 MB | 301 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Gray Ribbon, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1885658750) | [Caleb Salvadori](https://appshunter.io/developer/6781197509) |

## What reviewers say

### Very Good Camera

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/very-good-camera/id6760676546)

**Currently charting:** #5 Top Paid · Photo & Video, #38 Top Paid (US App Store)

This app offers a range of film and digicam-inspired color grades for your photos. Customize your look with focus and exposure tools, various aspect ratios, and file formats. Achieve unique styles from monochrome to low-light with iconic shutter sounds and natural processing.

**Highlights:** Film and digicam color grades, Focus and exposure controls, Multiple aspect ratios, RAW and HEIC file support, Customizable color grades, Iconic shutter sounds, Grid, level, and histogram overlays

**In-app purchases:** none


### theLAB

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thelab-mobile/id6781197507)

Create film-inspired photos with advanced controls for color, texture, and scan effects. Apply realistic grain, borders, and light leaks to achieve a unique aesthetic. Save custom editing styles for consistent results.

**Highlights:** Film-inspired color and monochrome looks, Scanned grain and cinema-style grain, Lab scan profiles and correction, Halation, borders, textures, light leaks, Customizable editing styles, Camera capture and import tools

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| theLAB Pro Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| theLAB Pro Yearly | $39.99 | per year |
| theLAB Pro Lifetime | $74.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Very Good Camera free?

Very Good Camera costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is theLAB free?

theLAB is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Very Good Camera or theLAB?

Very Good Camera and theLAB are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 21 and 13 ratings respectively.

### Do Very Good Camera or theLAB have ads?

Neither Very Good Camera nor theLAB shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Very Good Camera or theLAB?

Very Good Camera ships an update fortnightly, and theLAB every 3 days. Most recently, Very Good Camera was updated on November 5, 2026 and theLAB on October 31, 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.*