Knurl Camera vs Aperto
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Knurl Camera
Capture unprocessed RAW image data directly from your device's sensor. Offers granular manual controls for ISO, shutter speed, and focus, allowing for complete creative freedom in post-processing.
- Bayer RAW capture
- Full manual controls (ISO, Shutter, Aperture)
- Physical control dials
- Relative focus ring
- Native focal length lenses
- Exposure compensation scale
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Knurl is a camera for people who would rather develop the photo themselves. It captures true Bayer RAW: the sensor's own mosaic, written straight to a DNG with none of the computational photography that normally happens on the way. No multi-frame fusion, no tone curve, no sharpening. What lands in your library is undeveloped data with all of its latitude intact, ready for Lightroom or Photos to interpret however you like. THE CONTROLS ARE THE POINT A mode wheel you turn, with the real designations: P for program, Tv for shutter priority, Sv for ISO priority, M for full manual. Every position clicks. ISO and shutter move in thirds of a stop along the standard photographic ladders, on a dial that detents at every rung. Whole stops click harder than thirds, so you can count them by feel without looking. The ends of each ladder are the sensor's genuine limits rather than round numbers, which means base ISO, the cleanest the sensor gets, is actually reachable. Exposure compensation on its own scale, in thirds, with a firmer detent at zero. In manual it becomes the meter, because compensation has nothing left to act on when both controls are already fixed. An AF/MF switch and a focus ring you turn like a ring: relative, so touching it never jumps focus, and marked near to far rather than in invented distances. Three lenses, each at its native focal length, read from the hardware. HONEST ABOUT ITSELF Bayer RAW is 12 MP and does not permit zoom. The 48 MP path would mean Apple ProRAW, which is demosaiced and partially processed, so Knurl does not offer it. When the exposure you have asked for is not achievable, it says so rather than pretending. Your shots go to a Knurl album you can browse in the app, pinch to zoom, and swipe through. Volume buttons fire the shutter. Add the Control to your Action Button, Lock Screen or Control Center to open it without unlocking.
Aperto
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Aperto brings compact camera character to everyday photos. Choose a look, frame the moment and take control when you want to. No subscriptions, ads or accounts. Every camera feature is free. NATURAL PROCESSING, NO AI • Natural develops the sensor's RAW with classic algorithms: honest color and real detail, without oversharpening or fake HDR • Natural can combine several RAW frames, depending on the scene and settings, to reduce noise and retain detail. • Prefer Apple's look? Switch to Apple processing with Smart HDR and Deep Fusion, up to 48 MP NIGHT MODE • Merges a burst of frames into one clean, detailed photo, without AI • Frames are aligned automatically to cancel hand shake • Turns on by itself in the dark, or set it to always on or off FULL MANUAL CONTROL • ISO and shutter speed in 1/3-stop steps, within your camera's real limits • Set only ISO or only shutter and Aperto meters the other • Manual focus with focus peaking and a loupe • White balance presets or exact Kelvin, from 2000 K to 10000 K • Exposure compensation and touch-and-hold AE/AF lock • Swipe on the viewfinder to adjust, swipe sideways to change the look RAW WHEN YOU WANT IT • Apple ProRAW or DNG, HEIC, JPEG, or RAW together with HEIC/JPEG • File quality: High or Maximum • Complete EXIF: ISO, shutter, lens and more, plus optional location FILM LOOKS Natural, Warm, Fade, Chrome, Cine, Gold, Mono and Noir, with real grain and halation. Previewed live and applied to your HEIC or JPEG; your RAW always stays untouched. COMPOSE WITH CONFIDENCE • Live histogram, horizon level and highlight zebras • Rule of thirds, golden ratio, square grid or crosshair • 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, 1:1 and 65:24 panoramic framing • Ultra wide, wide and telephoto lenses, front camera • 3 s and 10 s timer, volume buttons as a shutter • Icons rotate smoothly with your iPhone CAMERA CONTROL AND LOCK SCREEN On iPhone 16 and later, choose Aperto for Camera Control and open it with the button, even from the Lock Screen. Light-press to adjust exposure, ISO, shutter and looks. Aperto is also available as a Control Center and Lock Screen control. MACRO • Get really close with the ultra wide lens (iPhone 13 Pro and later), framed tighter, with autofocus kept near • Manual focus with peaking and a loupe for the finest detail BUILT-IN EDITOR • Exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, warmth, tint, saturation, vibrance, clarity, sharpness and vignette • Film looks and grain, crop, rotate and straighten • RAW files are re-developed with Natural processing; your original is never changed LEARN AS YOU SHOOT • Camera basics: what ISO, shutter speed, EV, white balance and focus do and when to use them, with live examples • Pro School: short photo sessions with an example and a task; Aperto sets up the camera and checks your shot PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your photos stay on your device. Usage statistics and diagnostics help improve Aperto and can be disabled separately in Settings → Analytics. No accounts, advertising or cross-app tracking. FREE, FOR REAL Every camera feature is free: no paywall, no ads, no subscriptions. If you enjoy Aperto, leave a one-time tip: it unlocks five more app icons and supports development. Available in English, Russian, Ukrainian, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean and Chinese.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Knurl Camera at none against Aperto's 2. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Aperto sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Knurl Camera asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Knurl Camera | Aperto |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | — | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dimitrios Zarkadas | Maksim Logvinov |
In-app purchases
Knurl Camera
No in-app purchases
Aperto
- Small Tip$0.99
- Generous Tip$1.99









