Comparison

Lucid vs Expono Camera

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

Head to head
About

Lucid

Read full description

Shutter, ISO, white balance and focus — on real dials, laid out like a camera body instead of buried in a menu. The viewfinder shows exactly what saves. Pick the one thing you care about — Aperture-free Auto, Manual, Shutter or ISO priority — and Lucid floats the rest live as the light moves. One purchase. No subscription. OPENS FROM THE CAMERA CONTROL BUTTON On iPhone 16 and later, set Lucid as your Camera Control app. One press opens Lucid right from the Lock Screen: no unlocking, and every manual dial is there. Half-press to adjust zoom, exposure, priority and Looks without taking your eye off the frame. WHY LUCID Most camera apps hand you a filter and a shutter button. Lucid hands you the camera. Four exposure priorities (Auto, Manual, Shutter, ISO) let you decide what to control and what to let the camera solve, live. Everything you set, you see. Everything you see, you keep. And it's yours. One purchase, no subscription. The camera doesn't stop working when the month ends. WHAT YOU CAN DO - Shoot full manual: shutter, ISO, white balance, and focus, on real dials - Choose what you control: Auto, Manual, Shutter or ISO priority — the camera solves the rest, live - Capture RAW, ProRAW, HEIF, and 48MP, keeping every bit of the file - Nail focus with peaking and a magnified loupe - Read your light with a live histogram and zebra stripes - Grade with Looks: film LUTs previewed live in the viewfinder, baked on capture - Import your own .cube LUTs - Pull long exposures, bracket, and set a self-timer - Save full setups as Profiles and recall them in a tap - Launch from the Camera Control button, even on the Lock Screen - Shoot manual video too: Apple Log, ProRes, and a cinematic 180° shutter BUILT HONEST No aperture slider. Your iPhone's lenses have fixed apertures, and faking it would be a lie. No account. No analytics. No cloud. Your photos never leave your phone, and location tagging stays off until you turn it on. ONE PURCHASE. YOURS FOREVER. Try every feature free. Then unlock Lucid for a single payment: no subscription, no upsells, no expiry date. Shoot like you mean it. Support: support@lucidcamera.app Privacy: https://lucidcamera.app/privacy/

About

Expono Camera

Capture unique double exposures with a variety of film-inspired looks. This camera app offers high-resolution photos, adjustable portrait blur, and the ability to apply film effects to existing images or videos without watermarks or subscriptions.

Highlights
  • Film stock inspired looks
  • Live viewfinder preview
  • Double exposure composition
  • Adjustable portrait blur
  • Apply looks to existing media
  • Video recording with music
  • High-resolution photos
Features
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Expono is a camera for people who miss film. Ten looks, built from real stocks — Ani, 800T, Chrome, Cine, Golden, Street, Portrait, Vivid — previewed live on your viewfinder before you shoot. 800T reads the light in your scene: warm under tungsten, blue-teal in daylight, with the red halation around lights that made the stock famous. Add Film for grain and halation on any look. Photos are 48 MP, straight from the sensor, with Apple's HDR processing turned off. No flattened shadows, no glowing skies, no crunchy sharpening. Just a photo. Double exposure, done right. Shoot one frame, watch it ghost over the live camera, line up the second. Switch lenses between frames. Or pick two photos from your library and compose them with a drag and a pinch. Portrait mode with a real lens-shaped blur you can adjust from f/1.4 to f/8, before or after the shot. Import anything from your library — photos or video, shot on any camera — and give it an Expono look. Change the look later; it always re-applies to the original, never on top of the last one. Record video while your music keeps playing. Automatic night mode. Location tags. Full-res, no watermarks, no subscription. Everything happens on your phone. Nothing is uploaded.

Screenshots

Lucid4 screens
Expono Camera4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Expono Camera at none against Lucid's 1. Expono Camera also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 8 days) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support 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. Lucid sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Expono Camera asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lucid ships an update every 8 days, Expono Camera every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Lucid versus Expono Camera: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLucidExpono Camera
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPerry HamptonRayan Ani

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Lucid

One-time1
  • Unlock Lucid$4.99
None

Expono Camera

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Lucid free?
Lucid is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Expono Camera free?
Expono Camera is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Lucid or Expono Camera have ads?
Neither Lucid nor Expono Camera shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lucid or Expono Camera?
Lucid ships an update every 8 days, and Expono Camera every 2 days. Most recently, Lucid was updated on October 16, 2026 and Expono Camera on October 22, 2026.

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