Screen Off Recorder vs NoLight
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Screen Off Recorder
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Screen Off Recorder is a native iOS camera app built for outdoor POV and long takes. Mount your iPhone and keep recording through hikes, runs, ski days, and road trips—or set it on a desk tripod for classes and meetings. It supports front+back dual camera, Apple Watch remote control, and album timestamps. THE CORE IDEA While recording, tap Screen Off: a near-black full-screen overlay lowers brightness to save power, stay cool, and prevent accidental taps. Recording continues as long as the app stays in the foreground. Tap to wake the controls, then Stop & Save to Photos or discard the clip. A SIMPLER CAMERA SCREEN (1.7) • Turn dual cam on or off with one tap at the top right; long-press it for quick layout, aspect, and border options • The Adjust panel at the top right holds every shooting setting: quality, frame rate, stabilization, and default lens in single cam; layout, aspect, border, and frame rate in dual cam—with a live preview above • The album button at the bottom left includes tools to timestamp videos from Photos; while recording, it becomes the Screen Off button • Faster, more reliable switching between single and dual cam DUAL CAMERA • Record front and back cameras at once into a single video in Photos—capture the view and your reaction together • Picture-in-picture: drag the inset, resize with the corner handle or a pinch; aspects 16:9 / 1:1 / 4:5 / 5:4 / 9:16; position and size are remembered • Long-edge split: top/bottom in portrait, left/right in landscape • Border styles: None, Thin white, Thick white, Black, Soft white • Tap the inset or the bottom-right button to swap views; Apple Watch preview follows the current primary view • Requires iPhone XS/XR or later (A12+), or iPad with A12X or later. Stabilization and lens switching are unavailable in dual-cam mode DYNAMIC TIMESTAMP • Open the album button at the bottom left, pick a video, and burn in a clock that advances with the capture time • Six positions with live preview; multiple styles (classic, outline, yellow, cyan, red, and more) • Saves a new video and keeps the original; HDR / Dolby Vision sources export as SDR LONG TAKES, LESS WORRY • Dark Screen Off overlay; the recording indicator stays visible • Auto Save & Continue (off by default): every 5/10/15/30/60 minutes, save the current clip to Photos and immediately continue • Stop & Save ends the session after saving the current clip; Discard drops only the unsaved segment APPLE WATCH REMOTE • Start/stop and save, preview the shot, enter Screen Off, and adjust settings from your wrist • Live preview mirrors your iPhone framing (unavailable while recording); follows the primary view in dual cam • The Watch app installs with the iPhone app HOW IT WORKS • Native Swift + AVFoundation—not a WebView shell • Single cam: frame rates, 1080p/4K, Ultra Wide / Wide / Telephoto (device-dependent), zoom, tap to focus, motion stabilization (best at 1080p + Ultra Wide) • Tap Screen Off while recording, or let it turn on ~3 seconds after you start • Orientation follows how you hold the phone PRIVACY & DATA • No account required • No upload to our servers—videos are saved to your on-device Photos library • iCloud Photos sync, if enabled, is managed by Apple IMPORTANT NOTES • Screen Off is an in-app blackout—not recording after the side-button hardware lock. Keep the app in the foreground. • Dual cam uses more power and generates more heat than single cam; watch battery and temperature on long takes. • Timestamps are on-device post-processing, not burned in live while recording. • Auto-save creates separate clips with a brief gap between them. • Watch preview and instant remote control require the iPhone app in the foreground. • Green/orange privacy indicators while recording are normal on iOS. • Record only where you have permission and follow local laws. Screen Off Recorder—you just go. The camera keeps rolling.
NoLight
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NoLight is a black screen camera and recording workspace designed for focused, distraction-free video capture. Record video while keeping your screen dark, or continue working inside NoLight with useful tools like Web, Notes, and Clock. KEY FEATURES BLACK SCREEN RECORDING Start recording and switch to a completely black display whenever you want. Restore the screen instantly without stopping your recording. ALWAYS-VISIBLE RECORDING INDICATOR While NoLight is recording, an on-screen indicator is shown at all times - including while the screen is black. It cannot be turned off, and there is no setting or gesture that hides it. RECORDING WORKSPACE Keep recording while using built-in tools: • Web browser • Notes • Clock • Vault CAMERA CONTROLS Choose the settings that fit your session: • Video or photo • Front or back camera • 1080p and 4K on supported devices • Microphone control • Recording background options QUICK BLACKOUT Start directly in blackout mode, or switch to the black screen while recording using supported controls. NOTES WHILE RECORDING Capture ideas, reminders, or research notes without ending your recording session. VAULT A separate space inside NoLight, unlocked with Face ID or a PIN you choose, for your own recordings, notes and browsing — much like the Hidden album in Photos or a Face ID–locked folder in Notes. It protects your own material from someone else picking up your unlocked phone. It does not change how recording is indicated. STORED ON YOUR DEVICE Recordings are saved on your device. NoLight has no accounts and uploads nothing; files leave your device only when you choose to export or share them. BUILT FOR REAL SESSIONS NoLight is useful for lectures, meetings, research, events, presentations, long recording sessions, and other situations where a bright camera screen can be distracting. NoLight respects iOS camera and microphone permissions and system privacy indicators.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: NoLight at Free against Screen Off Recorder's $1.99. NoLight also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks). Screen Off Recorder's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and chart position (#68 vs unranked). On 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
NoLight is free to download; Screen Off Recorder costs $1.99 up front. NoLight sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Screen Off Recorder asks for nothing beyond the download.
Screen Off Recorder ships an update every 2 weeks, NoLight every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Screen Off Recorder | NoLight |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Best chart rank | #68 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Wujie Yibang (fuzhou) Software Technology Co., Ltd | Sang Cao |
In-app purchases
Screen Off Recorder
No in-app purchases
NoLight
- NoLight Pro$14.99






