Comparison

Lucid vs Kiso Camera

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

Head to head
About

Lucid

Features
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. UNFOLDS ON IPHONE DUO Open iPhone Duo and Lucid becomes a camera body: the viewfinder fills one half of the display, and the other half is a full control plate under your thumb — shutter and ISO on two live dials at once, big readouts, a labeled zoom ring, flash, timer, grid and level as buttons, your Looks and Profiles one tap from the shutter. The viewfinder turns with the camera, not the screen. Close it, and Lucid is the camera you already know. 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 - Open iPhone Duo for a two-dial control plate beside the viewfinder - 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

Kiso Camera

This app offers professional-level manual controls for photography and videography, ensuring your captured shots are exactly as you intended. It prioritizes reliable saving and recovery, even if interrupted, and supports advanced formats like RAW and ProRes.

Highlights
  • Manual exposure and focus control
  • RAW and ProRAW capture
  • ProRes and HEVC video recording
  • Reliable shot saving and recovery
  • Timelapse functionality
  • Screen-off recording (Pro)
Features
Read full description

Professional control. Reliable capture. Kiso is built on the promise this category keeps breaking: the shot you took is the shot you keep, and what you see before you press capture is the truth. Every frame is written to Kiso's own storage before your photo library is asked for anything, and that copy is only released once the library has accepted it. The "saved" checkmark appears at that point, not at the shutter. If a call, a crash, or a thermal shutdown interrupts a capture, the frame is still on disk and Kiso hands it back to you on the next launch. Take intentional photos with direct control over exposure, focus, lens selection, and format. Capture in RAW and ProRAW. Shoot video in ProRes and HEVC with the frame rate and stabilization you chose, not the ones the app decided on. Made for street, travel, portrait, landscape, and low-light photography. No noisy dashboards. No gimmicks. Shooting, saving and recovery are free forever, with no account and no sign-in, and so is timelapse. Kiso Pro adds the monitoring instruments, screen-off recording, ProRes and ProRAW, and lossless export. Just a camera that helps you make the shot you had in mind, and proves it kept it. Kiso Pro is available as a monthly or annual subscription, or as a one-time lifetime purchase. Subscriptions are billed through your Apple Account and renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel any time in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://theproperinvestment.github.io/kiso-camera/

Screenshots

Lucid4 screens
Kiso Camera4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Kiso Camera at daily against Lucid's every 10 days. Kiso Camera also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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 and Kiso Camera sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lucid ships an update every 10 days, Kiso Camera daily. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Lucid versus Kiso Camera: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLucidKiso Camera
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPerry HamptonAUSTIN SHEPHERD

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Lucid

One-time1
  • Unlock Lucid$4.99
3 purchases

Kiso Camera

Subscriptions2
  • Kiso Pro: Monthly$7.991 Month
  • Kiso Pro: Annual3 Days trial$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Kiso Pro: Lifetime$99.99

Questions

Is Lucid free?
Lucid is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Kiso Camera free?
Kiso Camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Lucid or Kiso Camera have ads?
Neither Lucid nor Kiso Camera shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lucid or Kiso Camera?
Lucid ships an update every 10 days, and Kiso Camera daily. Most recently, Lucid was updated on October 28, 2026 and Kiso Camera on October 25, 2026.

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