CloudTether vs RawDrop
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CloudTether
Transform your iPhone or iPad into a camera tethering device. Instantly send full-resolution photos from your camera to cloud services or your phone via USB or Wi-Fi, eliminating the need for laptops or card readers. Rate your shots on camera to send only your best images.
- Camera tethering via USB or Wi-Fi
- Direct photo transfer to cloud services
- Rate and send only selected photos
- Full-resolution RAW + JPEG support
- History and tracking of all shoots
- Support for multiple cameras simultaneously
- Geotagging of photos
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Turn your iPhone or iPad into a tether for your camera. CloudTether connects over a USB cable or Wi-Fi, catches every shot the moment you take it, and sends the full-resolution file where it needs to go in seconds — your cloud services, or just this phone. No laptop, no card reader, no desktop tethering software. CHOOSE WHERE SHOTS GO When a camera connects, choose where its shots go: to your services (Dropbox, Drive, ShootProof and more) or to this phone only. Each camera remembers its destinations, so next time it's one tap. Shoot first, decide later: anything taken before you choose waits in Not sent yet, ready to send anytime. SEND ONLY YOUR PICKS Rate shots on the camera and only the ones with enough stars are sent: choose 1 to 5 stars for each shoot. Unrated shots stay on the card. Available for Canon and Nikon cameras. EVERY SHOOT, ACCOUNTED FOR • History lists each shoot as a receipt: when, how many photos, where they went, and thumbnails you can tap for a sharp, zoomable preview. • Not sent yet shows exactly which shots have no copy outside the app. • Shoots sync to every device and the web dashboard. • CloudTether relays each shot to your services; it isn't long-term storage. Originals are kept for 14 days after delivery, and History keeps previews. DELIVER ANYWHERE Dropbox, Google Drive, Google Photos, OneDrive, Box, ShootProof, SmugMug, Photohawk, Flickr, Adobe Lightroom, Frame.io, Slack, Amazon S3, WebDAV, FTP/SFTP and more. Never locked to a proprietary cloud. YOUR OWN SERVER Send shots straight to your FTP or SFTP server, into a new subfolder for each shoot or the exact folder you choose. Once a shot reaches CloudTether, our servers send it on, so your phone doesn't have to stay online for that. MULTIPLE CAMERAS AT ONCE Tether several cameras over USB, Wi-Fi or a mix — each sending to its own destinations. Home shows a live shoot panel, and every camera gets its own Live Activity on the Lock Screen showing where its shots are going and how many are captured, sending and delivered. CONNECT ALMOST ANY CAMERA Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, GoPro and many more, over USB or Wi-Fi. Pick your brand, choose your model, and follow the guided setup. BUILT FOR REAL SHOOTS • Full-resolution RAW + JPEG, exactly as the camera recorded them. • Works over Wi-Fi or mobile data; missed uploads catch up automatically when you're back online. • Keep copies of on-phone shots in your Photos library or a folder (including a USB drive or SD reader) as they arrive. • Geotag each photo with your phone's location, matched to the moment you pressed the shutter. KNOW WHERE EVERY PHOTO IS Every shot shows whether it's sending or delivered, and to which service. Anything that needs attention is grouped with a one-tap fix. Open the delivered folder in Dropbox, Drive, OneDrive or Box, or browse your FTP/SFTP folder in the app. ONE SIMPLE PLAN CloudTether is a single subscription — everything included — and starts with a free trial. — CloudTether is an auto-renewing subscription. • Free trial: 7 days, then $7.99/month (prices may vary by region and are shown in the app before you subscribe). • Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. • The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. • Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Service: https://cloudtether.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://cloudtether.app/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
RawDrop
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Your camera's RAW is already on your phone. When you import a RAW+JPEG shoot into Photos, the RAW is kept behind the JPEG, and Lightroom only ever asks for the JPEG. RawDrop hands over the RAW instead. Open RawDrop and every photo with a RAW inside shows up, grouped by day. Pick one, pick a shoot, or sweep across a row, then tap Send and choose Lightroom. Up to 50 at a time, the way Lightroom likes it. What it does • Finds every RAW in your library, by day, by album or in your favourites • Search by what is in the frame, where it was shot or what shot it: "new york", "fujifilm", "coffee", "last summer" • Sends the original file with its original name: ARW, RAF, CR3, NEF, DNG and more • Remembers what you've already sent, so the next shoot is one tap • A viewer that shows the camera, lens and exposure of every frame, and where it was taken • Home and Lock Screen widgets that show how many RAWs are waiting Private by design Everything happens on your phone, search included. Nothing is uploaded and no account is needed. The only change RawDrop makes to your library is the favourite heart, and only when you tap it. Made by OCTOBER, a design studio in London.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: RawDrop at none against CloudTether's 1. CloudTether's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly) and device support (3 vs 1). On price 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
Both are free to download. CloudTether sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $7.99 per month. RawDrop asks for nothing beyond the download.
CloudTether ships an update every 2 days, RawDrop weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CloudTether | RawDrop |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 71 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | CLOUDCONCUR LTD | James Frewin |
In-app purchases
CloudTether
- CloudTether7 Days trial$7.991 Month
RawDrop
No in-app purchases









