Comparison

Halide Mark III vs VSCO Capture

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

VSCO Capture

Capture photos and videos with over 50 live filters and real-time effects. Offers granular manual controls for exposure, ISO, and more, allowing for precise aesthetic control as you shoot. Supports RAW capture and seamless syncing with a photo editor.

Highlights
  • 50+ live photo filters
  • Real-time video presets
  • Live Bloom and Halation effects
  • Live film grain
  • Manual camera controls (exposure, ISO, white balance, shutter speed)
  • RAW capture support
  • Seamless syncing with VSCO editor
Read full description

“VSCO’s Capture app is free and offers plenty of granular controls that will even please the “pro mode” fans among us.” - Digital Trends “The iPhone's camera goes from good to great with the just-released VSCO Capture app.” - PhoneArena “The presets deliver incredible results straight out of camera, and I love that I can adjust the intensity in real time.” - Jaime Angel, Photographer VSCO Capture brings together 50+ live photo filters, real-time effects, and intuitive controls to shape your vision as it comes to life. Perfect for photography enthusiasts and seasoned pros alike, VSCO Capture is designed for those who want to shoot with intention, emotion, and a distinctly personal aesthetic. FREE CAMERA APP VSCO Capture is made for shooting in the moment. Choose from 50+ live presets inspired by retro, contemporary, and vintage film looks. Apply real-time effects as you shoot, and easily toggle between automatic and manual settings. You can even shoot in RAW for more flexibility when editing later in the VSCO app. LIVE CAMERA FILTERS Shoot with over 50 preset filters that let you define your style before you press the shutter. From analog classics and black-and-white to retro film and photographer-inspired looks, each preset is designed to help you see and customize your aesthetic in the moment — no editing required. REAL-TIME PHOTO EFFECTS Shape light as you shoot. Add live Bloom and Halation photo effects to soften highlights, lift glow, and bring a cinematic, film-inspired character to your photos. Dial in intensity, size, and range in real time, so what you see on screen is exactly what you capture. VIDEO WITH LIVE PRESETS Shoot video in your style. Apply your favorite VSCO presets in real time to capture motion with the same look you trust for photos. With 50+ iconic presets, create a consistent aesthetic, frame by frame. LIVE FILM GRAIN Add analog texture in the moment. Apply live, film-inspired Grain to bring depth, character, and a tactile feel to your photos. Customize strength, size, and color as you shoot for an authentic aesthetic that looks and feels like the real thing. EASY MANUAL CONTROLS Dial in your look with intuitive manual controls. Toggle flash modes, adjust exposure, ISO, and white balance, and change your shutter speed with a UI that’s made for in-the-moment shooting. Easily capture long exposures with blur or recreate the look of a disposable camera with a pop of flash. Whether you're going full manual or letting auto do the work, you control your unique aesthetic. EDIT SEAMLESSLY Shoot first, edit later. Sync your photos seamlessly with the VSCO photo and video editor where you can fine tune photos with our full suite powerful tools and 200+ presets. Access all the latest features and support every step of your process with VSCO Pro Membership.

Screenshots

Halide Mark III4 screens
VSCO Capture4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: VSCO Capture at none against Halide Mark III's 3. VSCO Capture also leads on review sentiment (67% vs 41%) and iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.0). Halide Mark III's advantage is ratings volume (14K vs 224) and chart position (#172 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence 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

Both are free to download. Halide Mark III sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. VSCO Capture 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 4.4 for VSCO Capture. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Halide Mark III has 14K ratings behind it against 224, 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 67% of VSCO Capture's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 11 days. Both last shipped on October 22, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Halide Mark III versus VSCO Capture: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHalide Mark IIIVSCO Capture
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (14K ratings) — better4.4 (224 ratings)
Positive reviews41.3% of reviews67.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings14K — better224
Update frequencyEvery 11 daysEvery 11 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#172 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.016.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size87 MB95 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperLux Optics IncorporatedVisual Supply Company

Customer experience

Halide Mark III

All ratings13,589 ratings
Positive86.4%
Neutral2.5%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews881 reviews
Positive41.3%
Neutral8.1%
Negative50.6%

VSCO Capture

All ratings222 ratings
Positive85.1%
Neutral5.0%
Negative9.9%
Written reviews189 reviews
Positive67.2%
Neutral12.2%
Negative20.6%

User reviews

Halide Mark III

From 14K 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

VSCO Capture

From 224 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Beautiful and Fun
  • 🚀 Cool looks, easy to use
  • 🚀 Super slick, great features
  • 🚀 Love it!!!
  • 🚀 Fuji-style experience on iOS!

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Black Box when adjusting the preset
  • 🐛 Love it, but needs some bug fixing
  • 🔒 Can't export full quality

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

VSCO Capture

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Can't switch to 5x lens on iPhone 16 Pro Max
  • Can't select a lens after tapping the lens option button

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add grain, adjust/lock ISO, and adjust/lock white balance
  • Multiple exposures, slow shutter/light trails, and video
  • Consolidated with the main VSCO app

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

VSCO Capture

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Halide Mark III free?
Halide Mark III is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is VSCO Capture free?
VSCO Capture is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Halide Mark III or VSCO Capture?
Halide Mark III is rated higher. Halide Mark III averages 4.4 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while VSCO Capture averages 4.4 from 224 ratings.
Do Halide Mark III or VSCO Capture have ads?
Neither Halide Mark III nor VSCO Capture shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Halide Mark III or VSCO Capture?
Halide Mark III ships an update every 11 days, and VSCO Capture every 11 days. Most recently, Halide Mark III was updated on October 22, 2026 and VSCO Capture on October 22, 2026.

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