# Halide Mark III vs Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI)

The clearest difference is rating: Halide Mark III at 4.4 against Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI)'s 3.4. Halide Mark III also leads on ratings volume (14K vs 251) and update cadence (every 11 days vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Halide Mark III sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI) sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Halide Mark III holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Halide Mark III has 14K ratings behind it against 251, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of Halide Mark III's written reviews are positive against 29% of Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI)'s.

Halide Mark III ships an update every 11 days, Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI) every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Halide Mark III | Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/halide-mark-iii-pro-camera/id885697368/reviews)** | [3.4 (251 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hydra-pro-camera-raw-plus-ai/id1575702881/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **14K** | 251 |
| Positive reviews | **41.3% of reviews** | 29.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 11 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#181** | — |
| Size | 87 MB | 101 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Lux Optics Incorporated](https://appshunter.io/developer/885697371) | [Creaceed SRL](https://appshunter.io/developer/291683889) |

## What reviewers say

### Halide Mark III

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/halide-mark-iii-pro-camera/id885697368)

**Currently charting:** #181 Top Grossing · Photo & Video (US App Store)

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:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Camera, Editor, and Lessons | $9.99 | per month |
| Pro Camera, Editor, and Lessons | $19.99 | per year |
| One Time Purchase | $69.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- Photos not saving properly
- Zoom functionality issues
- Landscape mode UI problems

**Requested features**

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


### Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI)

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hydra-pro-camera-raw-plus-ai/id1575702881)

This app enhances mobile photography with AI and computational imaging, offering extreme HDR, advanced denoising, and high-resolution capture. It provides manual controls, style presets, and a powerful editor for professional-level results in challenging lighting.

**Highlights:** AI-powered computational photography, Extreme HDR capture (> 20-stop), Detail-enhancing denoising, Up to 110-megapixel resolution, Manual camera controls, High-fidelity photo editor, Multiple output file formats

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Plan (Monthly) | $3.99 | per month |
| Pro Plan (Yearly) | $9.99 | per year |
| Pro Pack 3 (Upgrade) | $7.99 | one-time |
| Pro Pack (Upgrade) | $15.99 | one-time |
| Pro Pack 3 | $23.99 | one-time |
| Pro Pack | $23.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful features
- 👍 Great photo quality
- 💡 Innovative AI-powered processing
- 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use
- 👍 Excellent HDR and low-light performance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔋 Slow processing times
- 👎 Watermark on free version photos
- 👎 Worse quality than native camera app in some cases
- 👎 Forced subscription model

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when taking 110MP photos
- Unable to save RAW/HEIC files
- Inconsistent behavior in different lighting conditions
- Zoom and macro features not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Add ultra-wide lens support
- Allow editing of photos after capture
- Improve low-light and macro performance
- Optimize for latest iPhone hardware
- Provide better value for paid version


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Halide Mark III free?

Halide Mark III is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI) free?

Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI) is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Halide Mark III or Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI)?

Halide Mark III is rated higher. Halide Mark III averages 4.4 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI) averages 3.4 from 251 ratings.

### Do Halide Mark III or Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI) have ads?

Neither Halide Mark III nor Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI) shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Halide Mark III or Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI)?

Halide Mark III ships an update every 11 days, and Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI) every 2 months. Most recently, Halide Mark III was updated on October 20, 2026 and Hydra › Pro Camera (RAW + AI) on October 15, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*