Comparison

CH3 Camcorder vs VHS FX Studio

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

Head to head
About

CH3 Camcorder

This app transforms your phone into a 1990s VHS camcorder, capturing footage in real-time with authentic vintage effects. It offers a suite of adjustable parameters to simulate the entire VHS signal chain, from visual distortions to audio processing. Recordings are stored in an in-app library with VCR-style playback and can be saved or shared.

Highlights
  • Real-time VHS recording
  • Authentic 90s camcorder look
  • 25 adjustable VHS signal parameters
  • VHS timestamp burn-in
  • VCR-style playback library
  • No account or tracking required
Read full description

Feeling nostalgic? CH3 turns your phone into a 1990s camcorder. Everything runs in real-time. What you see in the viewfinder is what you record. No post-processing, no filters applied after the fact. THE CAMERA 4:3 aspect ratio. 24fps. Low resolution. Portrait orientation with a landscape crop, just like holding a real camcorder. The on-screen display is rendered inside the viewfinder, just like the real thing. THE EFFECTS 25 adjustable parameters that simulate every stage of the VHS signal chain: - Chromatic aberration, chroma smear, and chroma delay - Tracking distortion and head-switch noise - Scanlines, interlace combing, and scanline drift - Film grain, tape warp, and glitch - Bloom, vignette, soft focus, and luma ringing - Brightness, contrast, saturation, warmth, and split-tone color grading - VHS timestamp burn-in and night vision - VHS audio processing: low-pass filter, wow/flutter, tape hiss, and saturation THE PRESETS Built-in presets to get you started. Pro users can create and share their own. Presets sync across devices via iCloud. THE TAPES All recordings are saved to an in-app tape library with VCR-style playback controls: play, pause, fast-forward, and rewind. Save tapes directly to your photo library or share them. PRIVACY Remember when apps didn't know your name, your location, and what you had for breakfast? Good times. No account. No sign-up. No analytics. No tracking. No ads. No data collection. No third-party SDKs. No internet required. The only permissions CH3 asks for are camera and microphone, because it's a camera. Your recordings never leave your device unless you share them yourself. That's it. UPGRADE TO PRO No subscriptions. No nonsense. One payment and it's yours forever. - Unlimited recording duration - No watermark - Full preset editor - Combine multiple tapes into one - Custom preset sharing - iCloud preset sync

About

VHS FX Studio

Features
Read full description

Turn ordinary videos into authentic VHS, CRT, camcorder, and analog-style footage directly on your iPhone. VHS Studio gives you detailed control over the look and feel of your videos with a live preview and an extensive collection of adjustable effects. Create anything from a subtle retro television look to a heavily damaged tape recording. FEATURES • Preview VHS and CRT effects in real time • Apply ready-made presets or build your own custom look • Adjust noise, grain, dust, speckles, scanlines, tracking, warping, jitter, bloom, glow, flicker, color bleed, tape damage, glitches, and more • Preserve the original video shape or choose 16:9, 9:16, 1:1, 4:3, 3:4, 4:5, or cinematic aspect ratios • Use Fit or Fill framing controls • Loop your video while editing • Export and save directly to Photos • Export in 720p, 1080p, or 4K • Choose 24, 30, or 60 frames per second • Process videos locally on your device • No account required Whether you are creating music videos, social clips, short films, nostalgic home-video effects, or experimental visuals, VHS Studio gives you the tools to create a distinctive analog style.

Screenshots

CH3 Camcorder4 screens
VHS FX Studio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: VHS FX Studio at none against CH3 Camcorder's 1. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. CH3 Camcorder sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. VHS FX Studio asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
CH3 Camcorder versus VHS FX Studio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCH3 CamcorderVHS FX Studio
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlan KahnOrigin 51 LLC

In-app purchases

1 purchases

CH3 Camcorder

One-time1
  • CH3 Camcorder Pro$1.99
None

VHS FX Studio

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CH3 Camcorder free?
CH3 Camcorder is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is VHS FX Studio free?
VHS FX Studio is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do CH3 Camcorder or VHS FX Studio have ads?
Neither CH3 Camcorder nor VHS FX Studio shows ads.

Other comparisons