Comparison

Oqra Cam vs Parallel

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

Head to head
About

Oqra Cam

This app brings the authentic look and feel of film photography to your iPhone. It allows you to apply unique film styles in real-time, customize them deeply, and even share your custom looks with others. Capture photos and videos with a distinct analog aesthetic.

Highlights
  • Real-time film look application
  • Physics-based film engine
  • Customizable color, grain, and halation
  • Shareable film recipes via QR codes
  • RAW and ProRAW capture support
  • Live Photos and Film Clips recording
  • Lock Screen controls
Features
Read full description

Oqra brings the character of film to your iPhone, with looks you can make your own. Its physics-based film engine models light-sensitive layers, dye color, grain, and halation, developing each image entirely on your device. LOAD A FILM. POINT AND SHOOT. Choose a film recipe and see its character in the live viewfinder. Shoot with the look already applied, without a separate editing step. MAKE LOOKS YOURS. Start with a preset or build your own. Shape color, grain, halation, and the response from shadows to highlights. Go deeper with individual emulsion layers, dye settings, and H&D response curves. In-app guides explain the controls as you explore. SCAN. LOAD. SHARE. Share your film recipes as QR codes or links. Scan a friend's code, add the recipe to your collection, and shoot with their look. FILM CHARACTER. RAW DETAIL. Capture and develop Apple ProRAW or RAW DNG on supported cameras. Still-photo capture reaches up to 48 MP where supported by your device and camera. Enable Keep RAW Original to retain the original DNG alongside your developed photo when shooting RAW stills. KEEP THE MOMENT MOVING. Capture Live Photos with the film look in both the still image and the motion, or record Film Clips up to 30 seconds long. READY FROM THE LOCK SCREEN. Open Oqra from its Lock Screen control, or assign it to Camera Control on supported iPhones. Your selected film recipe is ready when the camera opens. PRIVATE BY DESIGN. Your photos are developed on your iPhone. No Oqra account. No upload needed for processing. Live Photos, Film Clips, and unlimited custom recipes require a one-time in-app purchase. No subscription. REQUIRES iOS 18 or later. iPhone 12 or newer, or iPhone SE (3rd generation). Apple, iPhone, Live Photos, ProRAW, and Camera Control are trademarks of Apple Inc. DNG is a trademark of Adobe Inc. Oqra is an independent product and has not been authorized, sponsored, or approved by Apple Inc.

About

Parallel

Features
Read full description

Capture the moment and your reaction. Or record once and get both portrait and landscape videos. Parallel gives you two ways to tell the whole story. RECORD ONCE. SAVE BOTH FORMATS. Dual mode uses your front or rear camera to record portrait (9:16) and landscape (16:9) videos simultaneously. Get separate files ready for vertical posts and widescreen sharing, with no need to record the moment again. TWO CAMERAS. ONE STORY. Record with the front and rear cameras together in a single video. Choose Picture in Picture, Split Screen, or Top and Bottom, then select portrait or landscape output. Capture what you see alongside your reaction, commentary, or demonstration. MAKE THE FRAME YOURS Move and resize the floating camera, choose a square or portrait shape, and swap which camera takes the main view. Remove the front-camera background to place yourself over the scene, with processing handled directly on your device. PREVIEW. SAVE. SHARE. Browse your recordings in the gallery, play them back, and save your favorites to Photos. Share either format individually or both videos together. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your recordings stay on your device until you choose to save or share them. No account required. Available in English and Vietnamese. Simultaneous front and rear camera recording requires a compatible device. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://buddyapp.net/apps/parallel/privacy

Screenshots

Oqra Cam4 screens
Parallel4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Parallel at every 2 days against Oqra Cam's every 10 days. 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. Oqra Cam sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Parallel sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Oqra Cam ships an update every 10 days, Parallel every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Oqra Cam versus Parallel: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOqra CamParallel
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS18.018.0
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer匡明 秦Hoa Bui Duy

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Oqra Cam

One-time3
  • A Small Print$2.99
  • A Medium Print$4.99
  • A Large Print$9.99
3 purchases

Parallel

Subscriptions2
  • Parallel Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Parallel Pro Yearly$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Parallel Pro Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is Oqra Cam free?
Oqra Cam is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Parallel free?
Parallel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Oqra Cam or Parallel have ads?
Neither Oqra Cam nor Parallel shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Oqra Cam or Parallel?
Oqra Cam ships an update every 10 days, and Parallel every 2 days. Most recently, Oqra Cam was updated on October 31, 2026 and Parallel on November 1, 2026.

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