Comparison

PlainCam vs Old Phone Camera

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

Head to head
About

PlainCam

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PlainCam is a minimal iPhone camera focused on photo capture and output control. It keeps the shooting interface quiet while keeping the essential controls close: viewfinder, shutter, flash, exposure compensation, grid, front/back camera switching, and rear physical lens selection. In Settings, you can choose JPEG, HEIC, and, on supported devices, RAW DNG, RAW + JPEG, or RAW + HEIC output. PlainCam does not require an account, does not upload photos, and does not include ads or social features. Captured photos are saved to the system Photos library. The in-app gallery is only used to browse photos saved by PlainCam. RAW availability depends on the current iPhone and lens hardware. If RAW capture is not reported as available, PlainCam does not present RAW as an output option.

About

Old Phone Camera

Features
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Old Phone Camera turns your iPhone into four legendary cameras from the smartphone era โ€” 2007's grainy VGA original, 2010's crisp glass shooter, 2012's sharper sensor, and 2014's flat, modern look. Every mode recreates the real optics, color science, and quirks of the original hardware, not just a filter slapped on top. FOUR ERAS, ONE CAMERA โ€ข Phone 1 (2007) โ€” soft focus, warm color cast, low-res VGA charm โ€ข Phone 4 (2010) โ€” the glass-and-steel look, sharper but still nostalgic โ€ข Phone 5 (2012) โ€” bigger sensor, cooler tones, the classic 2012 feel โ€ข Phone 6 (2014) โ€” flat design era, 60fps video, the last "old" look before modern computational photography DEVELOP ASโ€ฆ Already shot a photo? Re-develop it through any other era's look after the fact, right on your camera roll copy โ€” your original is always safe. INSTANT-PRINT EXTRAS Add a date stamp or an instant-print border to any shot for that authentic pocket-camera feel, without touching the original file. CAPTURE DETAILS See the resolution, JPEG quality, frame rate, and file size behind every shot โ€” because the old phones had real technical fingerprints, and we kept them. Phone 6 mode is free forever. Unlock All Eras once to get Phone 1, Phone 4, and Phone 5 modes plus Develop As for every era โ€” no subscription, no ads, no accounts.

Screenshots

PlainCam3 screens
Old Phone Camera4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Old Phone Camera at 18.6 against PlainCam's 26.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
PlainCam versus Old Phone Camera: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlainCamOld Phone Camera
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsโ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS26.018.6 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size17 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerๅ˜‰่ฑช ้‚“Chelsea Hannah

In-app purchases

None

PlainCam

No in-app purchases

None

Old Phone Camera

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PlainCam free?
PlainCam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Old Phone Camera free?
Old Phone Camera is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do PlainCam or Old Phone Camera have ads?
Neither PlainCam nor Old Phone Camera shows ads.

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