Comparison

Flocklight vs Flock Camera

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

Head to head
About

Flocklight

This app maps automated license plate readers (ALPRs) in public spaces across American cities. It aggregates data from various sources to show who is watching and where, providing transparency into surveillance networks. Users can view camera details, city rankings, and receive news updates.

Highlights
  • Tactical map of ALPRs
  • Perimeter view of cameras within 2 miles
  • Detailed operator dossiers
  • Transparency Index for US cities
  • Curated ALPR news feed
  • Anonymous user accounts
  • Pro features for advanced tracking
Features
Read full description

Flocklight maps the automated license plate readers watching public streets in American cities. Flock Safety cameras, police plate readers, and the agencies running them, on one tactical map. The grid of license plate cameras around you was deployed quietly, with little public debate and few transparency requirements. Flocklight aggregates publicly available data from OpenStreetMap, DeFlock, and public-records sources to put every reported ALPR on a single map, so the people being watched can see who is watching. KEY FEATURES TACTICAL MAP: Every reported ALPR in your area, with operator attribution (Flock Safety, government, HOA, business, unknown) and visual indication of community-verified vs. public-records sources. CLOSEST CAMERA LOCK: The nearest camera is marked automatically with a target reticle that follows you as you move. A strip names it, tells you how far it is, which way to look, and what it is there to do. PERIMETER VIEW: See every camera within a 2-mile radius of your location, sorted by distance and bearing. Tap any pin for the full operator dossier. OPERATOR DOSSIER: Detailed profile for every camera: type, source, intersection, operator identity, data-sharing posture, policy status, and cross-references to partner transparency projects (DeFlock, LPR Maps, DontGetFlocked, GhostPlate). TRANSPARENCY INDEX: 743 US cities graded A through F on five policy and oversight metrics. See how your city ranks, what drives its grade, and how it has changed over time. SIGNAL FEED: Curated stream of ALPR-related news, court rulings, council votes, and policy changes. Filtered for signal, not noise. PLATE CHECK: Cross-reference a license plate against partner transparency projects to see what other community indices have documented. REPORT A CAMERA: Found a camera not on the map? Submit a report with photo and location. Approved reports go into the Flocklight community registry. ANONYMOUS BY DESIGN: Sign in with Apple to claim an anonymous operator callsign. Your real name and email stay private. Reports and watchlist sync across devices without tying anything to your identity. FLOCKLIGHT PRO Upgrade to Pro for the operator-grade transparency console: EXPOSURE DASHBOARD: Track how many ALPRs have captured you over the past 7 days, 30 days, or lifetime. CITY WATCHLIST: Pin cities, get notified when grades shift, and see policy votes as they happen. COMPARE CITIES: Side-by-side scoring, camera density, and agency-sharing breakdown. ADVANCED PROXIMITY ALERTS: Everyone gets the basic alert. Pro adds perimeter tuning, operator class filtering, quiet hours, and refire control. FOIA DEADLINE TRACKING: Filing is free. Pro arms the statutory countdown and reminds you two days out, on the deadline, and when an agency runs late. WEEKLY TACTICAL BRIEFING: Sunday evening digest of your week's captures, your hottest camera, and watched-city moves. - Monthly: $4.99 / month - Yearly: $29.99 / year + includes 7-day free trial WHY THIS EXISTS Mass automated surveillance is being deployed in American neighborhoods faster than the public can audit it. Flocklight is built so you do not need a FOIA lawyer to know what is pointed at your street. All camera data is publicly sourced. We do not track individuals, and we do not store license plate reads. Currently focused on US cities with population over 50,000. LEGAL Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://flocklight.io/privacy Terms of Service: https://flocklight.io/termsofservice

About

Flock Camera

This app displays a map of license plate readers across various countries, providing real-time alerts as you approach them. It stores all data locally on your device for enhanced privacy, with no account or tracking required.

Highlights
  • Map of license plate readers
  • Real-time proximity alerts
  • Background operation
  • Local data storage
  • Camera view cones
  • History of passed cameras
Features
Read full description

Flock Camera is a map of the license plate readers watching America's roads — Flock Safety cameras and every other ALPR brand — with alerts that warn you before you drive past one. More than 137,000 cameras (over 127k across the US, plus growing coverage in Canada, the UK, Europe and Australia), crowdsourced by the community and mapped by OpenStreetMap contributors, built right into the app. No account, no cloud, no tracking: the entire camera database lives on your phone, and your location never leaves it. THE FLOCK CAMERA MAP • Every mapped plate reader on Earth, on one map — 127,000+ in the US alone • See what each camera sees: view cones show the direction a camera points, not just where it stands • Flock Safety cameras in red, every other brand in amber • Tap any camera for details: brand, operator, direction, mount, last verified • Area stats for wherever you're looking: totals, top brands, top operators • Standard, satellite and hybrid map styles PROXIMITY ALERTS • Get a notification as you approach a plate reader, before you pass it • Works in the background while you drive, phone in your pocket • Choose your warning distance, from 200 m to 1.5 km • A second alert tells you when you're inside a camera's field of view YOUR HISTORY • Every camera you've passed, logged automatically while alerts are on • "Likely captured" tells you when you were close enough — and in front of the lens — for a plate read • Street and town for each encounter, swipe to delete, everything stored only on your device PRIVATE BY DESIGN • The camera map and your history live entirely on your phone • Your location is compared against the map locally and is never transmitted • No account, no sign-in, no analytics, no ads • Delete the app and every trace is gone THE DATA Camera locations come from OpenStreetMap and the DeFlock mapping community — the same open dataset trusted by researchers and journalists covering ALPR surveillance. Camera data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Spot a camera that isn't mapped? Add it on OpenStreetMap and every app using the data improves. Whether you call them Flock cameras, ALPRs, or license plate readers — they see you. Now you can see them. Flock Camera is an independent project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Flock Safety, Inc. Camera positions and directions are community-mapped estimates; coverage varies by area and no warning is guaranteed. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your App Store account settings after purchase. Cancellation of the current active subscription period is not allowed. Terms of Use: https://pattammaro.com/flock/terms-of-use Privacy Policy: https://pattammaro.com/flock/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Flocklight4 screens
Flock Camera4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Flock Camera at 4.6 against Flocklight's 3.0. Flock Camera also leads on monetization model (free vs freemium) and review sentiment (50% vs 33%). Flocklight's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 11 days). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Flocklight sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Flock Camera sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Flock Camera holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 8 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of Flocklight's written reviews are positive against 50% of Flock Camera's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flocklight ships an update every 3 days, Flock Camera every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Flocklight versus Flock Camera: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlocklightFlock Camera
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (8 ratings)4.6 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews50.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings88
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 11 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size49 MB41 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDylan CapshawPatrick Tammaro

Customer experience

Flocklight

All ratings8 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

Flock Camera

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Flocklight

Subscriptions2
  • Flocklight Pro Monthly3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Flocklight Pro Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
2 purchases

Flock Camera

Subscriptions2
  • Pro3 Days trial$5.997 Days
  • Pro$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Flocklight free?
Flocklight is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Flock Camera free?
Flock Camera is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Flocklight or Flock Camera?
Flock Camera is rated higher. Flocklight averages 3.0 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Flock Camera averages 4.6 from 8 ratings.
Do Flocklight or Flock Camera have ads?
Neither Flocklight nor Flock Camera shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Flocklight or Flock Camera?
Flocklight ships an update every 3 days, and Flock Camera every 11 days. Most recently, Flocklight was updated on September 25, 2026 and Flock Camera on October 1, 2026.

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