NightCap Camera vs AstroShader
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NightCap Camera
Capture stunning low-light and night photos and videos with advanced features like long exposure, AI-powered controls, and specialized astrophotography modes. Achieve DSLR-like results and unlock your device's full potential in challenging lighting conditions.
- Low light and night photo/video capture
- Long exposure and motion blur effects
- Astrophotography modes (stars, aurora, ISS, meteors)
- AI camera control for automatic settings
- Manual gesture-based adjustments
- 4K time lapse recording
- ISO Boost for brighter low-light shots
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Photograph star trails or stunning smooth waterfalls. Capture a meteor mid-streak or traffic with light trails. And clear, detailed photos where there’s barely any light at all. One-time purchase, no subscription. ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY Four modes that automatically set the camera up for you. - Star Trails: watch the stars draw circles overhead - Meteors: automatic capture of shooting stars - ISS: the International Space Station passing over - Stars: starry skies and the Milky Way - New in version 10: Aurora, a time-lapse mode for the Northern and Southern Lights LONG EXPOSURE Hold the shutter open for seconds or minutes and movement becomes light. - Long Exposure: motion blur, or a cleaner shot when you hold still - Light Trails: traffic at night, fireworks, light painting - Both as time-lapse too, up to 4K with adjustable speed LOW LIGHT - ISO Boost for up to 4x beyond the standard camera range - Light Boost - Noise Reduction - Night Mode video and timelapse HANDHELD New in version 10. NightCap steadies and aligns every frame as you shoot, so long exposures no longer need a tripod. MANUAL CONTROL - Swipe to adjust exposure, ISO, focus and white balance - Camera Control on iPhone 16 and later - Zoom to 16x - Black and white mode Also includes an interval programmer, self-timer, and an Apple Watch app with live preview and remote control.
AstroShader
Capture, stack, and edit stunning astrophotography directly on your mobile device. This app streamlines the process by aligning and stacking images live during capture, eliminating the need for external software. Fine-tune your celestial images with a comprehensive suite of editing tools.
- Live image alignment and stacking
- Manual focus control
- Adjustable exposure, ISO, and white balance
- Intervalometer for timed captures
- Advanced image editing tools
- Save in multiple formats including TIFF
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One-time purchase. No subscription. AstroShader is an astrophotography app for capturing, stacking and editing. All you need is a stand, tripod, telescope or rock (to lean your phone on). AstroShader lets you align and stack live during the image capture process. You can also align and stack images from you Photos library. No need to transfer images to a computer to align and stack them separately (but there is a built in intervalometer if you need it). To take an image follow these steps: • Use a stand, tripod, telescope mount (or lean your iPhone on a rock). • Zoom in on stars and set focus manually, or use autofocus. • Set the exposure time, ISO and white balance, or leave to auto-exposure. • Set the number of exposures to be automatically aligned and stacked. • Calibrate your images from the edit tools. • After the capture is complete you can edit and save your image—including as 16bit TIFF. • You can open images directly to use the edit tools in AstroShader - rather following a new image capture. Image capture options include: • Number of exposures to be aligned and stacked • Exposure time • ISO • White balance • Camera type • Countdown timer • Manual focus • Pause the capture to reposition iPhone or telescope Edit options include: • Stretch image • Background extraction • Dynamic background extraction (DBE) • x5 Histogram curves for fine tonal adjustment • x3 sharpen layers each with radius and intensity with layer blending rather than chaining • Brightness (low light enhancement) • Saturation • Black point • Temperature • Tint • Save format options; HEIF, PNG, JPEG, TIFF
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: NightCap Camera at 3K against AstroShader's 120. NightCap Camera also leads on device support (3 vs 1). AstroShader's advantage is review sentiment (62% vs 51%) and price ($1.99 vs $2.99). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
NightCap Camera costs $2.99 and AstroShader $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for NightCap Camera against 4.3 for AstroShader. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NightCap Camera has 3K ratings behind it against 120, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 51% of NightCap Camera's written reviews are positive against 62% of AstroShader's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NightCap Camera | AstroShader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | $1.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.3 (3K ratings) — better | 4.3 (120 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.8% of reviews | 62.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3K — better | 120 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #16 — better | #19 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 18.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | RTD | AstroShader Limited |
Customer experience
NightCap Camera
AstroShader
Bugs and requests
NightCap Camera
Reported bugs
3 issues- Photos not saving properly
- Meteor mode not working as expected
- Compatibility issues with iOS 8 and iPhone 6 Plus
Requested features
5 requests- RAW image support
- Bluetooth remote shutter control
- Ability to save settings
- More exposure options
- Improved timelapse features
AstroShader
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
NightCap Camera
No in-app purchases
AstroShader
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is NightCap Camera free?
Is AstroShader free?
Which has better reviews, NightCap Camera or AstroShader?
Do NightCap Camera or AstroShader have ads?
Which is updated more often, NightCap Camera or AstroShader?
Which is more popular, NightCap Camera or AstroShader?
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