Comparison

Halcyon Camera vs AperTrace

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

Head to head
About

Halcyon Camera

Capture photos and videos with the authentic look and feel of classic film stocks. Offers professional manual controls, advanced editing tools, and various shooting modes like long exposure and slow-motion.

Highlights
  • Authentic film stock simulations
  • Full manual camera controls
  • Long exposure and slow-motion video
  • WYSIWYG editing with film simulation
  • Pro video recording options
  • Built-in pro overlays and grids
Features
Read full description

Halcyon brings the soul of film to your iPhone. Twelve hand-crafted film stocks — Kodak Portra 400, Cinestill 800T, Velvia 50, Tri-X 400 and more — each with the temperature, tone curve, grain, and halation of the real thing. Apply them live, before you take the shot, and what you see is exactly what you get. REAL PRO CONTROLS, ONE-HANDED. Full manual ISO, shutter, focus, white balance, and exposure. Tap to focus. Long-press for AE/AF lock. Pinch to zoom. Volume buttons fire the shutter. Lens switcher for ultrawide, wide, telephoto. Halide-style focus loupe magnifies the sharpness plane as you rack focus. Histogram, waveform, focus peaking, zebras, false color, horizon level — when you need them, hidden when you don't. NEW IN 3.2 — LONG EXPOSURE, SLOW-MO, LIVE PHOTO. • Multi-frame long exposure — 2, 5, 10, or 20 second stacks with automatic alignment for handheld light trails, silky water, and star fields • Slow-motion capture at 120fps and 240fps • Live Photo for every film stock — the frames before and after, with the film baked in • Thermal and storage health warnings before a long take can bite you • Alternate app icons: Amber, Midnight, Noir BUILT-IN PRO OVERLAYS. • Histogram — real-time RGB • Waveform — luminance monitor • Focus peaking — see what's sharp • Focus loupe — Halide-style magnifier • Zebras — highlight clipping alert • False color — exposure map • Horizon level — stop crooked photos • Rule-of-thirds grid • Cinematic frame modes — square, 3:2, 16:9, half-frame • Live ISO / shutter chips PRO VIDEO WITH FILM SIMULATION. Record HEVC, ProRes 422 HQ, or Apple Log with the film baked in. Cinematic 24fps, 4K, live audio, plus 120/240fps slow-motion. EVERYTHING IS YOURS. WYSIWYG: every effect — film, grain, halation — is baked into the saved photo. ProRAW is preserved as alternate. Create custom film recipes with a 14-slider editor. Save them, share them, refine them. YOUR PHOTOS STAY ON YOUR DEVICE. No analytics. No data collection. No network requests. Nothing leaves your iPhone. Made with care for everyone who misses film.

About

AperTrace

Features
Read full description

• Free from Sep 2 through Dec 31. Regular pricing returns Jan 1. Give it a try and let me know what you think! • If you have any suggestions or ideas while using AperTrace, feel free to contact me at zykzzzz@hotmail.com. • AperTrace is a photo watermarking app designed for photography enthusiasts. After you import a photo, it automatically reads details such as the camera, lens, focal length, aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, then presents them in a clean, thoughtfully designed watermark. • Choose from seven styles to complement your photos: Classic, Polaroid, Minimal, Editorial, Film 35, Side Label, and Magazine. Whether it’s a street snapshot, a travel memory, or a carefully curated photo series, there’s a layout to suit it. • Turn camera settings from numbers hidden in EXIF data into part of the photograph itself.

Screenshots

Halcyon Camera4 screens
AperTrace4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Halcyon Camera at every 2 days against AperTrace's weekly. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Halcyon Camera ships an update every 2 days, AperTrace weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Halcyon Camera versus AperTrace: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHalcyon CameraAperTrace
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, Mac
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBirkan Aksoy业坤 张

In-app purchases

None

Halcyon Camera

No in-app purchases

None

AperTrace

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Halcyon Camera free?
Halcyon Camera is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is AperTrace free?
AperTrace is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Halcyon Camera or AperTrace have ads?
Neither Halcyon Camera nor AperTrace shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Halcyon Camera or AperTrace?
Halcyon Camera ships an update every 2 days, and AperTrace weekly. Most recently, Halcyon Camera was updated on October 20, 2026 and AperTrace on October 9, 2026.

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