Comparison

RED Tools vs YCOnion

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

Head to head
About

RED Tools

This app assists filmmakers and camera operators with camera setup by providing tools for crop factor, recording time, flicker-free video, depth of field, panning speed, and exposure. It offers customizable settings for various shooting situations and RED camera systems.

Highlights
  • Crop factor preview
  • R3D recording time evaluation
  • Flicker-free video calculation
  • Depth of field estimation
  • Panning speed guidance
  • Exposure assistance
Features
Read full description

RED Tools is a convenient reference tool designed for use by filmmakers and camera operators to outline best practices in camera set-up for a variety of shooting situations. Each tool is customizable based on a selected RED camera and sensor type. Standard film formats are also included for comparison. RED Tools is also included in the RED Control app, which also provides free, full-featured camera control and video streaming for RED’s latest DSMC3 products. TOOLS INCLUDED: CROP FACTOR Preview how a given focal length will appear depending on resolution setting and sensor type. Illustration depicts viewable area relative to a traditional 35 mm stills photography sensor by default, but other reference sensors are selectable within the drop-down menu. R3D RECORDING TIME Evaluate the video data rate and available recording time based on your RED camera settings. This can help you understand media requirements and production costs in advance of a shoot. FLICKER FREE VIDEO Find a flicker-free shutter speed and frame rate combination when shooting under artificial lighting. DEPTH OF FIELD Understand how various camera settings influence depth of field. PANNING SPEED Estimate the panning speed where judder will likely become too pronounced. The goal is to provide a more accessible tool than the charts and tables commonly referenced in cinematography manuals. It uses the standard rule of thumb that camera panning should not cause objects to transit the entire horizontal extent of an image in any less than seven seconds. EXPOSURE Assist with exposure when one camera setting has to change. Example usage scenarios include when a higher frame rate needs to be used for slow motion, when the T-stop has to change for depth of field, or when the shutter angle has to change to minimize flickering in artificial light. NIKKOR Z Lens Coverage Use this tool to understand how NIKKOR Z lenses will look on your RED Z Mount camera bodies. The tool shows the extent the light will fall off at different sensor formats, and if any hard vignetting occurs.

About

YCOnion

Control various YCOnion smart devices like electric chocolate slides and pipe lights via Bluetooth. This program offers a central hub for managing your YCOnion product ecosystem.

Highlights
  • Bluetooth device control
  • Manage electric chocolate slide track
  • Control electric hot dog slide track
  • Operate pipe light
  • Pudding SE control
Features
Read full description

This is a multi-functional control program launched by YCOnion, which USES Bluetooth to control its "electric chocolate slide track", "Electric Hot dog 3 electric slide track", "pipe light" and "Pudding SE".

Screenshots

RED Tools4 screens
YCOnion3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: RED Tools at 3.3 against YCOnion's 2.2. RED Tools also leads on review sentiment (50% vs 15%). YCOnion's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 21 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RED Tools holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 2.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 15 and 15 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of RED Tools's written reviews are positive against 15% of YCOnion's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RED Tools ships an update every 21 months, YCOnion every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
RED Tools versus YCOnion: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRED ToolsYCOnion
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (15 ratings) — better2.2 (15 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews — better15.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1515
Update frequencyEvery 21 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRED Digital CinemaDongguan YC Onion Network Technology Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

RED Tools

All ratings13 ratings
Positive53.8%
Neutral7.7%
Negative38.5%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral16.7%
Negative33.3%

YCOnion

All ratings15 ratings
Positive26.7%
Neutral6.7%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive15.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative80.0%

In-app purchases

None

RED Tools

No in-app purchases

None

YCOnion

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RED Tools free?
RED Tools is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is YCOnion free?
YCOnion is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, RED Tools or YCOnion?
RED Tools is rated higher. RED Tools averages 3.3 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while YCOnion averages 2.2 from 15 ratings.
Do RED Tools or YCOnion have ads?
Neither RED Tools nor YCOnion shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RED Tools or YCOnion?
RED Tools ships an update every 21 months, and YCOnion every 3 weeks. Most recently, RED Tools was updated on September 19, 2026 and YCOnion on September 13, 2026.

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