Comparison

Halide Mark III vs Camera M

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

Head to head
About

Halide Mark III

This professional camera app offers advanced manual controls and powerful tools for deliberate photography. Capture stunning RAW images, utilize Neural Macro for close-ups on any iPhone, and access features like focus peaking and histograms. Learn photography with included lessons and customize your shooting experience.

Highlights
  • Manual exposure and focus controls
  • Neural Macro for close-up shots
  • 14-bit RAW and ProRAW capture
  • Exposure tools: histograms, waveform, zebras
  • Focus peaking and loupe
  • Gesture-based interface
  • Included photography lessons
Features
Read full description

Halide unleashes your iPhone’s camera. Disable iPhone processing for natural photos, apply powerful film situations, access manual controls, and more. Halide has over 24,000 5-star ratings and is an App Store Editors’ Choice and Apple Design Award winner. Halide’s Looks are built into the camera itself, changing how your photo is captured and processed - not just a color filter applied after the fact. These are the best photos you can get out of an iPhone. Start with Process Zero for natural, film-like results, without any AI or computational photography. Explore our rich set of creative Looks developed with Hollywood colorist Cullen Kelly, and powered by sophisticated film simulation. For nine years, Halide has set the standard for professional iPhone camera control. Nail your manual focus with Focus Peaking and the Focus Loupe. Compose your shots with intention using sophisticated framing guides, from a basic grid and rule of thirds, to the golden ratio and rabatment of the rectangle. Get perfect macro shots with Halide's dedicated Macro Mode. Hate editing? Halide gives you amazing results straight out of the camera. But when you need to fine-tune, Photo Lab makes it fast and intuitive. Try dramatically different Looks, adjust framing and exposure, experiment with film simulation, or rescue details in highlights and shadows with Tone Fusion. You can even import and load RAWs from other apps, such as Apple’s own camera app, or standalone cameras by Canon, Nikon, Sony, Leica, Fujifilm, and Hasselblad. Specific formats are listed below. *Halide is a paid app. Try it free for 7 days with an annual membership, or buy it outright with a one-time purchase — no subscription required.* Features: - Shoot without Apple’s computational photography for stronger contrast and more natural results. - Photographic Looks developed in collaboration with esteemed Hollywood colorist Cullen Kelly. - Rescue details in shadows and highlights with a Tone Fusion slider inspired by darkroom dodging and burning. - Try any Look on existing ProRAW files - including photos shot in Apple’s camera app. - Become a better photographer by signing up for our 10-day tutorial directly from the app. - Full manual exposure controls including shutter speed, ISO and white balance. - Technical Readout to view all details of your iPhone camera hardware. - Also runs on iPad, for an amazing Photo Lab experience. RAW File Support: - DNG (iPhone, Leica) - CR2 (Canon) - CR3 (Canon) - NEF (Nikon) - RAF (Fujifilm) - ARW (Sony) - FFF (Hasselblad) Terms of Use can be found here: https://halide.cam/terms Privacy: https://www.lux.camera/privacy/

About

Camera M

This app offers professional manual camera controls for capturing high-quality photos, akin to a DSLR. It provides advanced features like RAW and ProRAW support, precise manual adjustments for focus, exposure, and white balance, and various shooting modes for creative control.

Highlights
  • Fluid gesture-based manual controls
  • Zero-process RAW and ProRAW support
  • Max Image Processing for best quality
  • Manual focus, exposure, and white balance
  • Multiple shooting modes (Burst, Timer, Bracket)
  • Focus Peaking and 4x magnifier
  • Live RGB and luminance histograms
Features
Read full description

Camera M is a professional manual camera app designed to do one thing exceptionally well — help you capture beautiful photos at the highest possible quality with powerful, precise manual controls akin to a DSLR. HIGHLIGHTS • Fluid gesture-based native manual controls with Fine-Tuning feature • iOS 26 optimization with Liquid Glass design • Zero-process RAW support for the most natural look • Max Image Processing to ensure the absolute best image quality • ProRAW*, RAW, HEIF, JPEG, TIFF, and PNG image formats • Single, Burst, Timer, Live, Depth*, Dual Photo*, and Bracket shooting modes • Triple Photo mode with simultaneous ultra-wide, wide-angle, and telephoto camera capture* • Minimum focus distance display for macro photography • Intelligent Focus Tracking • Focus Peaking and 4x magnifier loupe with panning function • Live RGB and RGB luminance histograms • Manual gray card calibration • Great widgets for photography • Darkroom integration CAMERA CONTROLS – Manual focus – Macro and Scene focus presets – Exposure bias – Manual ISO & exposure duration adjustments – ISO & exposure duration semi-priority modes – Manual white balance temperature and tint – White balance presets – Gray card white balance calibration – Auto, on, and off flash modes – Manual torch brightness level – Manual switching between Ultra Wide, Wide, and Telephoto cameras* – Digital pinch zoom with 10x range – Camera Control support for all manual controls – Lock Screen camera capture support IMAGE FORMATS – Apple ProRAW* – RAW with stabilization – HEIF with optional minimum compression – JPEG with optional minimum compression – TIFF – PNG – Live Photo – P3 wide color support* SHOOTING MODES – Single – Burst – Timer – Depth* – Dual/Triple Photo* – Live Photo* – Bracket TOOLS – Exposure offset gauge – Intelligent Focus Tracking – Live focus peaking assistant – 4x magnifier loupe with panning function – Minimum focus distance display – Live RGB and RGB luminance histograms – Highlight & shadow alert display – Horizon level with available pitch tracking and flat options – Rule of Thirds, Golden Ratio, Quadrant, and Square grids – Siri Shortcuts and App Shortcuts – Detailed camera specifications display with PDF export MAX IMAGE PROCESSING – Deep Fusion and Smart HDR support for iPhone 11 and later. – Ensures maximum image quality with better noise reduction, image stabilization, and additional processing for all other iPhones and iPads ZERO-PROCESS RAW – Capture standard RAW files with no extra processing PHOTO LIBRARY – Summarized and full EXIF metadata display – Location data display with compass and elevation – RGB and RGB luminance histogram displays – Access to all photo albums and folders WIDGETS – Home Screen: Golden Hour, EXIF, and Cameras – Lock Screen: Cameras and Golden Hour – Control Center: Focus, exposure, and white balance APPLE WATCH SUPPORT – Shutter button control – Sunrise, sunset, and Golden Hour display with sun position indicator ERGONOMICS – True one-handed control on all iPhones – An uncompromising approach to user experience in landscape orientation ACCESSIBILITY – Dynamic Type support  – Bold Text support – Increase Contrast support TECHNOLOGY Camera M is powered exclusively by native APIs and frameworks. There are absolutely no dependencies on any outside sources. This makes it responsive and efficient — from its small download size to its quick app launch times. We hope you enjoy taking amazing photos with Camera M! Website: www.camera-m.com User manual: www.camera-m.com/manual Get in touch: contact@camera-m.com Follow us: @CameraMApp #CameraM * These features are available on supported devices only. * Depth capture for selfies requires an iPhone or an iPad with a TrueDepth camera system. * Apple ProRAW capture requires iPhone 12 Pro or later. * For more information on device and feature compatibility: www.camera-m.com/compatibility

Screenshots

Halide Mark III4 screens
Camera M4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Halide Mark III at Free against Camera M's $7.99. Halide Mark III also leads on ratings volume (13K vs 1.4K) and update cadence (every 11 days vs every 3 weeks). Camera M's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and review sentiment (68% vs 41%). On rating and ads 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

Halide Mark III is free to download; Camera M costs $7.99 up front. Halide Mark III sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Camera M asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Halide Mark III against 4.5 for Camera M. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Halide Mark III has 13K ratings behind it against 1.4K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 41% of Halide Mark III's written reviews are positive against 68% of Camera M's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Halide Mark III ships an update every 11 days, Camera M every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Halide Mark III versus Camera M: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHalide Mark IIICamera M
PriceFree — better$7.99
Rating4.4 (13K ratings)4.5 (1.4K ratings) — better
Positive reviews40.9% of reviews68.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings13K — better1.4K
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#161#46 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS18.016 — better
Further details — not scored
Size84 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLux Optics Incorporatedbxb

Customer experience

Halide Mark III

All ratings13,365 ratings
Positive86.4%
Neutral2.5%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews859 reviews
Positive40.9%
Neutral8.0%
Negative51.1%

Camera M

All ratings1,411 ratings
Positive88.4%
Neutral4.7%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews313 reviews
Positive68.4%
Neutral12.5%
Negative19.2%

User reviews

Halide Mark III

From 13K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful manual controls
  • 👍 Intuitive and clean interface
  • 🔍 Excellent RAW capture and editing
  • 📷 Macro and depth features
  • 🎨 Great image quality and color

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
  • 🔍 Depth/portrait mode limitations
  • 🕰️ Slow performance on older devices
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🔒 Lack of free trial or demo

Camera M

From 1.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
  • 🚀 Fast and responsive app
  • 💡 Excellent manual camera controls
  • 🎨 Produces high-quality images
  • 🔒 No data collection

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🔒 Lack of Russian language support
  • 🔒 No option to select front-facing camera
  • 🔒 Limited shutter speed options

Bugs and requests

Halide Mark III

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Photos not saving properly
  • Zoom functionality issues
  • Landscape mode UI problems

Requested features

5 requests
  • Shutter speed adjustment
  • Live depth/bokeh preview
  • Custom white balance
  • Time-lapse and video recording
  • Ability to save settings/presets

Camera M

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Viewfinder freezes and app crashes
  • RAW images come out blurry
  • Depth mode has issues with focus and bokeh
  • Settings buttons become unresponsive
  • Shutter speed resets after each shot

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add video capture mode
  • Implement longer shutter speed options
  • Include focus bracketing and stacking
  • Add color grading tools for RAW images
  • Provide more aspect ratio options
Show 1 more
  • Integrate with external photo editing apps

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Halide Mark III

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Camera, Editor, and Lessons$9.991 Month
  • Pro Camera, Editor, and Lessons7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • One Time Purchase$69.99
None

Camera M

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Halide Mark III free?
Halide Mark III is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Camera M free?
Camera M costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Halide Mark III or Camera M?
Camera M is rated higher. Halide Mark III averages 4.4 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while Camera M averages 4.5 from 1.4K ratings.
Do Halide Mark III or Camera M have ads?
Neither Halide Mark III nor Camera M shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Halide Mark III or Camera M?
Halide Mark III ships an update every 11 days, and Camera M every 3 weeks. Most recently, Halide Mark III was updated on September 24, 2026 and Camera M on September 23, 2026.
Which is more popular, Halide Mark III or Camera M?
Halide Mark III currently peaks at #161 in the App Store charts, and Camera M at #46. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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