Comparison

AaronCam vs Samatic

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

Head to head
About

AaronCam

This app transforms your iPhone into a vintage analog video camera, replicating the distinct visual effects of late 70s and early 80s technology. Capture footage with authentic light trails and unique damage streaks, all processed directly on your device for privacy.

Highlights
  • Simulates analog videotube camera physics
  • Recreates light trails
  • Adds purple damage streaks
  • On-device processing
  • Privacy-focused, no uploads
Features
Read full description

AaronCam turns your iPhone into a late 70's / early 80's analog videotube camera by faithfully modeling the physics of this old technology. Capture video with those gorgeous light trails and weird purple damage streaks you have seen on archival footage or may even remember from your childhood. The app runs its camera processing on device. Videos and audio are not uploaded to Aanalog servers.

About

Samatic

Read full description

A slide projector, for the photographs already on your phone. Samatic is two halves of one machine. Your iPhone is the clicker — the corded remote, with the switch, the counter, the focus and the tray of slides. Your Apple TV is the projector and the screen. Load an album. Slide the switch across to LAMP. Press FOR, and the first picture comes up on the television. HOW IT WORKS 1. Open Samatic on the Apple TV and leave it showing. 2. The phone finds the television by itself. The cord at the bottom of the clicker shows when the two are joined. 3. Tap the label slot near the top of the machine and choose an album. That album is your tray of slides. 4. Push the switch across to LAMP — push it with your thumb, it doesn't answer a tap. 5. FOR for the next picture. REV to go back one. 6. Hold FOCUS to send the picture soft, and the other end to bring it sharp, the way a real lens does. 7. Press AUTO and the pictures change by themselves. The timer decides how long each one stays up. 8. Switch back to OFF when the show is over. THE MACHINE The lamp takes a moment to come up to temperature. The fan runs while it's warm. The tray clunks as it turns. You can switch the sound and the vibration off if you'd rather it ran quietly. There's a service record inside the leaflet, counting the shows you've given, the slides you've projected and the hours on the lamp. Nothing here can be broken and no photograph can be lost, so press whatever you like and see what it does. YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS STAY YOURS There is no account. There is no sign-in. There is no Samatic server, because there is no Samatic company — just one person who wanted this to exist. Your photographs go from your phone to your own television, directly, over your own Wi-Fi. They are never uploaded anywhere. Nothing is collected, nothing is tracked, nothing is sold, and there is no analytics, no advertising and no crash reporting of any kind. FREE, AND ALL OF IT No subscription. No in-app purchases. WHAT YOU NEED An iPhone and an Apple TV on the same Wi-Fi network. Samatic is an original design, made in homage to the rotary-tray slide projectors of the 1960s and 70s. It is not made by, endorsed by, or associated with Eastman Kodak Company, and no manufacturer's trademark or letterform is reproduced.

Screenshots

AaronCam3 screens
Samatic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Samatic at every 3 days against AaronCam's weekly. AaronCam's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). 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

AaronCam ships an update weekly, Samatic every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
AaronCam versus Samatic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAaronCamSamatic
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (12 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings12 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAanalogMAXWELL PHOENIX COMMER

In-app purchases

None

AaronCam

No in-app purchases

None

Samatic

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AaronCam free?
AaronCam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Samatic free?
Samatic is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do AaronCam or Samatic have ads?
Neither AaronCam nor Samatic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AaronCam or Samatic?
AaronCam ships an update weekly, and Samatic every 3 days. Most recently, AaronCam was updated on October 14, 2026 and Samatic on October 3, 2026.

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