# Halide Mark III vs Obscura

The clearest difference is rating: Halide Mark III at 4.4 against Obscura's 4.0. Halide Mark III also leads on ratings volume (14K vs 276) and chart position (#149 vs unranked). Obscura's advantage is review sentiment (52% vs 41%). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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 Obscura sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Halide Mark III holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Halide Mark III has 14K ratings behind it against 276, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 41% of Halide Mark III's written reviews are positive against 52% of Obscura's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Halide Mark III ships an update every 10 days, Obscura every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Halide Mark III | Obscura |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/halide-mark-iii-pro-camera/id885697368/reviews)** | [4.0 (276 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obscura-pro-camera/id1579306989/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **14K** | 276 |
| Positive reviews | 41.3% of reviews | **52.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#149** | — |
| Size | 87 MB | 174 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 18 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Lux Optics Incorporated](https://appshunter.io/developer/885697371) | [Ben McCarthy](https://appshunter.io/developer/893264216) |

## What reviewers say

### Halide Mark III

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

**Currently charting:** #149 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


### Obscura

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obscura-pro-camera/id1579306989)

This camera app offers advanced manual controls and professional formats like ProRAW for enhanced photo and video capture. Its intuitive design and tactile interface allow for precise adjustments, while features like focus peaking and histograms aid in achieving stunning results.

**Highlights:** Manual exposure, focus, and white balance controls, ProRAW, RAW, HEIC, and JPEG capture formats, Live filters and multiple aspect ratios, Histogram, focus peaking, and exposure clipping highlights, Integrated photo library with editing and sharing, Video and Live Photo capture

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

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Obscura Ultra - Weekly | $1.49 | per 7 days |
| Obscura Ultra - Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Obscura Ultra | $24.99 | per year |
| Obscura Ultra Upgrade | $24.99 | per year |
| Obscura Ultra - One Time | $74.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful manual controls
- 👍 Intuitive and clean interface
- 🎨 Customizable presets and filters
- 💡 Unique camera gestures and UI
- 🎥 Supports video recording

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription-based model
- 🔒 Locked features behind paywall
- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🤔 Unintuitive controls and settings
- 🤷‍♂️ Lack of support for newer iPhone lenses

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when trying to use Pro Raw mode
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between lenses
- Manual settings randomly resetting
- Photos not saving properly
- Freezing and black screen issues

**Requested features**

- Ability to save custom camera settings
- Variable zoom function in pro mode
- Separate manual control for exposure and ISO
- Dedicated selfie button
- Live audio capture for Live Photos


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Halide Mark III free?

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

### Is Obscura free?

Obscura is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Halide Mark III or Obscura?

Halide Mark III is rated higher. Halide Mark III averages 4.4 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while Obscura averages 4.0 from 276 ratings.

### Do Halide Mark III or Obscura have ads?

Neither Halide Mark III nor Obscura shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Halide Mark III or Obscura?

Halide Mark III ships an update every 10 days, and Obscura every 2 weeks. Most recently, Halide Mark III was updated on October 28, 2026 and Obscura on October 27, 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.*