ManualShot vs Arsenal 2
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ManualShot
Take more complex photos and videos with advanced camera controls. Adjust focus, white balance, shutter speed, and ISO for creative effects. Unlock manual shooting capabilities beyond your device's default camera app.
- Manual focus control
- White balance adjustment
- Shutter speed and ISO settings
- Background blur effects
- Photo and video recording modes
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Achieve more complicated shots with your camera not possible with built in camera app. • Blur the background by lowering the focus distance. • Change the mood with white balance adjustments • Lock in your exposure with shutter speed and ISO controls. All possible manual shooting controls (focus*, exposure, white balance) usable in both photo and video recording. * Manual focus support only available to certain devices only. This is a hardware limitation.
Arsenal 2
This app provides intelligent remote control for DSLR and mirrorless cameras, offering both automated smart settings and full manual control. It helps photographers capture challenging scenes like HDR and timelapses with ease, ensuring sharp focus and perfect exposure.
- Smart Mode with machine learning scene analysis
- Full manual camera control via smartphone
- Live shot preview
- High Dynamic Range (HDR) automation
- Focus stacking for sharp images
- Automated timelapse capture
- Remote shutter trigger up to 100 feet
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Arsenal 2 is an intelligent assistant for your DSLR or mirrorless camera. The Arsenal 2 app provides you with complete remote control of Arsenal and your camera. NEVER MISS THE PERFECT SHOT: Like your own personal photography assistant, Arsenal lets you focus on the parts of photography you love while it takes care of the rest. In Smart Mode, Arsenal 2’s machine learning algorithm understands the scene you’re shooting, chooses smart settings, and fine tunes them using 18 different environmental factors. GET COMPLETE CONTROL: When you want full creative control, Arsenal 2’s Manual Mode turns your smartphone into the world’s best wireless camera remote. Set your camera’s shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. See a live preview of your shot. And trigger the shutter... all from up to 100 feet away! TAKE GREAT SHOTS IN TRICKY LIGHT: Capture scenes with High Dynamic Range (HDR) without spending hours in front of your computer. Arsenal 2 automates advanced exposure stacking techniques. KEEP EVERYTHING SHARP: With focus stacking, you can get your entire scene in sharp focus. CAPTURE STUNNING TIMELAPSES: Arsenal 2 makes capturing “holy grail” timelapses a breeze. Simply start your timelapse and let Arsenal 2 adjust the exposure as the light changes for a smooth day-to-night transition. You can even preview your timelapse while it’s being recorded. WORKS WITH MOST POPULAR CAMERA MODELS: Arsenal 2 fully supports nearly 100 popular DSLR and mirrorless camera models from Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Fuji. To see if your camera is supported, visit https://witharsenal.com/supported-cameras You can learn more about Arsenal 2 at https://witharsenal.com
Screenshots
Verdict
ManualShot and Arsenal 2 both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 73% of ManualShot's written reviews are positive against 29% of Arsenal 2's. ManualShot also leads on monetization model (free vs paid) and device support (3 vs 1). Arsenal 2's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 21 months) and ratings volume (944 vs 13). On price, rating, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for ManualShot against 4.4 for Arsenal 2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Arsenal 2 has 944 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 73% of ManualShot's written reviews are positive against 29% of Arsenal 2's.
ManualShot ships an update every 21 months, Arsenal 2 monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ManualShot | Arsenal 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (13 ratings) | 4.4 (944 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 72.7% of reviews — better | 28.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 13 | 944 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 21 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 17.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 498 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | RIEU Limited | North of You, LLC |
Customer experience
ManualShot
Arsenal 2
Bugs and requests
ManualShot
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Arsenal 2
Reported bugs
4 issues- Fails to save/load panoramic files
- Incompatible with certain camera models/lenses
- Night mode turns off camera during 'star focus'
- Upside down/portrait orientation issues with phone mount
Requested features
5 requests- Add support for GPS data
- Improve panorama functionality
- Implement true BULB mode support
- Provide raw/DNG file output for stacked images
- Add iPad app version with larger interface
In-app purchases
ManualShot
No in-app purchases
Arsenal 2
No in-app purchases
