Comparison

Calotype vs Chroia

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

Head to head
About

Calotype

This app provides a streamlined RAW camera experience for photographers, offering direct access to DNG files without cloud services or extra processing. It features manual controls like shutter speed, ISO, and focus, along with interval shooting and exposure bracketing.

Highlights
  • RAW DNG file saving
  • Manual camera controls (shutter, ISO, focus)
  • Interval shooting for timelapses
  • Exposure bracketing
  • In-app gallery for review and sharing
Read full description

Calotype is a simple RAW camera for photographers who want a cleaner path from lens to file. Your iPhone already has a very capable camera. It also makes a lot of decisions before you ever see the photo. Calotype keeps things quieter. On supported back cameras, Calotype saves real RAW DNG files that you can take into the editor of your choice. No accounts, no cloud library, no extra processing layer. Manual controls are built around the camera you are actually using. Shutter speed follows the sensor’s real format limits, with ISO, focus, white balance, exposure offset, and focus peaking close at hand. You also get interval shooting for timelapses and hands-free captures, exposure bracketing for tricky light, and a simple in-app gallery for reviewing, sharing, and deleting recent shots. Calotype is made by a photographer, for the moments when you want the phone to feel a little more like a camera.

About

Chroia

Read full description

A camera that reproduces risograph printing — multi-plate color separation, halftone dot screens, and intentional plate misregistration, rendered live in your viewfinder. Or bring in any photo from your library and print it the same way. SEVEN REAL PRINT PROCESSES * Riso Duotone — color-separated into pink + cobalt plates, overprinted * Flat Screenprint — halftone-free spot color * Offset Newsprint — a genuine CMY rosette, vintage press texture * Photocopy — Xerox-style decay and scan noise * Engraving — single-plate crosshatch * Mimeograph — blocky ink blotches * Spot Color Halftone — the most saturated color survives a black dot screen Each one is a genuinely different rendering pipeline — not one filter with seven color presets. EVERY VALUE IS A SLIDER Pick a catalog spot ink or mix your own with hue, saturation, and brightness — plus paper stock and paper grain, screen angle, dot width, halftone dots or riso grain, and misregistration strength. Nothing is hardcoded to a preset. Dial in your own look. WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU PRINT Riso Duotone and every single-plate process render in full in the viewfinder — every ink plate and the intentional misregistration, exactly as saved. Offset Newsprint previews one CMY plate live for speed and composites all three at the shutter. YOUR PHOTOS, REPRINTED Tap the photo button next to the shutter to open any photo from your library in the same print processes and sliders. A before/after split shows exactly what changed, and your original is never touched — the print is saved as a new photo. TRY EVERYTHING FREE Preview and adjust all seven print processes at no cost. Saving with Photocopy is free; Full Unlock is a single one-time purchase ($5.99, not a subscription) that lets you save with the other six: Riso Duotone, Flat Screenprint, Offset Newsprint, Engraving, Mimeograph, and Spot Color Halftone. EVERYTHING ELSE YOU'D EXPECT * HEIC capture, saved straight to a dedicated "Chroia" album in your Photos library — no separate account, no cloud * The mechanism you shot with is written into every photo's own EXIF * In English, Japanese and Korean No ads. No tracking.

Screenshots

Calotype4 screens
Chroia4 screens

Verdict

The call

Calotype and Chroia are too close to call on the numbers: across 3 compared parameters — price, in-app purchases and iOS requirement among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Calotype sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Chroia sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Calotype versus Chroia: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCalotypeChroia
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequency—Fortnightly
Ads—No
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree—
Devices—iPhone — better
Requires iOS18 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKyle AaserudJaehoon Lee

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Calotype

One-time1
  • Calotype Pro$3.99
1 purchases

Chroia

One-time1
  • Full Unlock$5.99

Questions

Is Calotype free?
Calotype is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chroia free?
Chroia is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

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