Comparison

RawCam vs Sidecam

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

Head to head
About

RawCam

Capture unprocessed DNG photos and clean video without AI enhancements. Take full control of your image processing in your preferred RAW editor. Offers manual controls for exposure, focus, and white balance.

Highlights
  • RAW DNG photo capture
  • Clean HEVC video recording
  • Manual exposure controls
  • Separate focus and exposure targeting
  • White balance adjustment
  • Live histogram and zebra stripes
  • Open source
Features
Read full description

RawCam is a minimal camera for sensor-pure DNG photos and clean video capture. No AI postprocessing, no Smart HDR, no tone mapping, no noise reduction. Shoot RAW, open the photo in your favorite RAW editor, and process it yourself. WHY RAW The standard Camera app runs every shot through a heavy AI pipeline before saving. That pipeline is great for sharing-ready photos, but it bakes its decisions into the final JPEG and the original sensor data is gone. In low light or high dynamic range scenes, that's two or three stops of recovery you can never get back. A DNG file preserves the unprocessed sensor data. You decide how to expose, sharpen, color, and denoise it later, in Lightroom, Capture One, Darkroom, or any other RAW editor. WHAT YOU GET • RAW mode — saves a single 12MP DNG with zero processing • RAW+JPG mode — saves both a clean DNG and a processed JPEG from the selected native rear lens • Video mode — records HEVC video to Photos, with extra formats shown only when the current device supports them • Tap to focus anywhere on the preview • Long-press to lock focus • Manual exposure controls for ISO and shutter speed • EV compensation for auto exposure • Separate focus and exposure targeting • AF/AE lock from the tools grid • White balance controls with presets and Kelvin adjustment • Lens selector with RAW availability • Quick native rear-lens selection • Optional grid, horizon level, and self-timer • Optional aspect guides and steadier photo capture • Volume-button shutter • Three-shot RAW exposure bracketing • RawCam roll for recent in-app photos and videos • Last-shot details for lens, ISO, shutter, EV, white balance, and clipping • App Shortcut for Shortcuts, Siri, Spotlight, and Action Button launch • Flash with off, on, and auto modes • Rear-camera focused capture, with front-camera switching removed to avoid mirrored or distorted RAW previews • Live histogram with orange edge bars for clipped shadows or highlights • Zebra stripes when highlights are clipping • Portrait orientation, designed for one-handed use PRIVACY RawCam doesn't collect anything. There's no account, no login, no analytics, no advertising, no third-party tracking, and no server. The app makes zero network requests. Photos and videos save directly to your photo library and never leave your device. ABOUT THE 12 MEGAPIXEL CAP Apple caps third-party RAW capture at 12MP. The 48MP full sensor readout is reserved for the system Camera app. This is a platform limitation that applies to every third-party camera, not a RawCam limitation. OPEN SOURCE RawCam is open source under the MIT license. The full source lives at github.com/madebysan/rawcam. SUPPORT Found a bug or have a request? Email me directly. The support page link below has FAQs and a contact address.

About

Sidecam

This app provides a dedicated camera for professional use, keeping work-related photos and videos separate from your personal library. It offers advanced camera features, organized storage, and cloud backup options for enhanced privacy and control.

Highlights
  • Dedicated work camera
  • Separated photo library
  • Advanced camera controls (MP, 4K video, grid)
  • Organized sessions and folders
  • Cloud backup to iCloud Drive
  • Privacy-focused, no data collection
Read full description

Sidecam is your separate camera for work: professional photos and videos kept apart from your personal photo library. Sidecam never touches the Photos app and cannot read your camera roll. What you capture at work stays in the app, organized and under your control. A FULL CAMERA • True 24 or 48 MP, with every iPhone lens and zoom that behaves just like the native camera • 4K video with flash, lens selection and a digital-crop warning • Level, grid and exposure lock for consistent shots ORGANIZED ON ITS OWN • Every work session groups itself — no albums to create by hand • Folders per client, site, case or project, plus reusable tags • Import the work photos you already have in Photos or Files and keep everything together in one app. YOUR BACKUP, IN YOUR CLOUD • Your entire work library mirrored to iCloud Drive (or any folder you choose): browsable folders and dates on any device • Optimize storage: originals stay in the cloud to free up space on your iPhone • Nothing is ever deleted from the cloud: removed items go to a trash folder in iCloud REAL PRIVACY • No accounts, no servers, no data collection • Optional Face ID lock for your library Built for healthcare, inspections, construction, real estate, workshops and any professional who takes photos on the job and wants to keep their personal library clean.

Screenshots

RawCam3 screens
Sidecam4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Sidecam at 5.0 against RawCam's 4.5. On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sidecam holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RawCam ships an update every 3 days, Sidecam every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
RawCam versus Sidecam: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRawCamSidecam
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings22
Update frequencyEvery 3 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSantiago Alonso AlexandreFrancisco Nunes de Abreu

Customer experience

RawCam

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Sidecam

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

RawCam

No in-app purchases

None

Sidecam

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RawCam free?
RawCam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sidecam free?
Sidecam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, RawCam or Sidecam?
Sidecam is rated higher. RawCam averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Sidecam averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do RawCam or Sidecam have ads?
Neither RawCam nor Sidecam shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RawCam or Sidecam?
RawCam ships an update every 3 days, and Sidecam every 2 days. Most recently, RawCam was updated on September 10, 2026 and Sidecam on September 17, 2026.

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