Comparison

Codecam vs Sidepic

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

Head to head
About

Codecam

Unlock the full potential of your iPhone camera with advanced manual controls for both photos and videos. Adjust settings like shutter speed, ISO, white balance, and focus for professional-quality results. Explore various compression and frame rate options for video recording.

Highlights
  • Manual shutter speed and ISO
  • Manual white balance (temperature, tint)
  • Manual focus control
  • Adjustable video compression and frame rates
  • Video zoom with focal length display
  • Video stabilization options
Features
Read full description

All the power of the iPhone camera at your fingertips! With the incredibly capable camera that is your iPhone, and Codecam, the most simple, easy to use, yet very powerful app, you can enjoy the unlimited possiblities that the complete control over your iPhone's camera can provide! Photo features: - shoot in JPEG, like the stock camera app, or shoot JPEG+RAW, which also records a DNG file next to your jpeg (it will still look like a single photo in the photos app). You can import the DNG to you computer, or edit it on your iPhone with an app that supports DNG raw files. - manual shutter speed, ISO. Lock your exposure by picking a new value, or by long pressing the automatically selected one. Long press again to go back to auto. You can also swipe up and down on the screen to apply an exposure compensation while in automatic exposure mode. - manual white balance: temperature and tint. You can lock the current value just like the exposure, or pick the exact values. White balance presets are also available: Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, plus two Incandescent and Fluorescent presets. - manual focus: switch between auto an manual focus by tapping the button, or by tapping an area on the image to focus on it. A slider to manually focus is also available. Video features: - video zoom: you can zoom by pinching the image, up until the point where upscaling would occur. For 4K, you can override this behaviour to allow zooming until the 1080p crop. The approximate focal length for the given zoom is also shown on the screen (converted to the equivalent focal length of a Super 35 or Full Frame sensor). - the same manual controls for shutter speed, ISO, white balance and focus as in photo mode. Smooth autofocus using Focus Pixels on the iPhone 6 or newer is available. - compressions supported: 15 Mbit, 25 Mbit, 50 Mbit, 75 Mbit, 100 Mbit, 200 Mbit, 400 Mbit in H.264 (or H.265 in newer devices) with selectable IPB or ALL-I modes, and MPJEG compression with either optimal (9/10 or 8/10 for 4K) or full quality (10/10) setting (note: the displayed bitrate in MJPEG mode is an estimation of the maximum possible bitrate) - frame rates supported: 1080p24, 1080p25, 1080p30 - additional frame rates supported by iPhone 5s: 720p50, 720p60 - additional frame rates supported by the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 6: 720p120 - additional frame rates supported by the iPhone 6: 1080p50, 1080p60, 720p240 - additional frame rates supported by the iPhone 6s and 7: 1080p120, 2160p30, 2160p25, 2160p24 - additional frame rates supported by the iPhone 8, X, 11, 11 Pro: 1080p240, 2160p50, 2160p60 - video stabilization is supported, you can toggle between on, off or cinematic, depending on availability on your device - show shutter angle instead of shutter speed - cinematic 1:2.35 overlay: crop mark option is available in the settings menu to switch between 16:9 and cinemascope. This feature is for composition only, the image that will be recorded is the full 16:9 frame. Additional features: - automatic save to camera roll: all images and supported videos are saved to the camera roll - gallery: You can see the images and videos you took in a grid or loupe view, with full metadata. You can also share them, or delete them right in the app.

About

Sidepic

This app provides a separate space to store photos, keeping them out of your main device library. Easily import images from various sources, including your camera roll, clipboard, and cloud storage, for organized, private access.

Highlights
  • Separate photo library
  • Import from Photo Library
  • Paste from clipboard
  • Share from other apps
  • Import from iCloud Drive
  • Direct camera capture
  • Unlimited photo storage unlock
Features
Read full description

Sidepic stores images separate from your main photo library. It’s perfect for pictures you don’t want cluttering your photo library. Maybe it’s pics you don’t want synced by the Photos app, images you gather from the web, or any photos you just want to keep separate. Sidepic stores photos on your device so they are always available, just off to the side. It’s easy to get photos into Sidepic: – add from the Photos app – add from the Files app – add from any other app that can share an image – capture directly from the Camera app – paste images from the clipboard – drag and drop from your Mac – sync from an SMB server (Pro only) Sidepic includes handy interface features: – sort by newest or oldest – flag low-resolution images – view basic details about images (size, resolution, and date) – switch between square previews or original aspect ratio – change the app icon (light or dark) Try out Sidepic with up to 50 photos. To store more photos, upgrade to Sidepic Unlimited (in-app purchase). To do even more, upgrade to Sidepic Pro (in-app purchase) and unlock SMB server sync, duplicate photo detection, basic cropping, background privacy, plus unlimited photos. If you’ve already purchased Sidepic Unlimited, you’ll automatically see a discounted upgrade price for Sidepic Pro.

Screenshots

Codecam2 screens
Sidepic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Sidepic at 100% against Codecam's 50%. Sidepic also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.0). Codecam's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (monthly vs every 7 months). On price, ads and device support 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. Sidepic sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Codecam asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sidepic holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Codecam has 24 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Codecam's written reviews are positive against 100% of Sidepic's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Codecam ships an update monthly, Sidepic every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Codecam versus Sidepic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCodecamSidepic
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (24 ratings)4.8 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings24 — better4
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLaszlo VaradiWells Consulting LLC

Customer experience

Codecam

All ratings24 ratings
Positive70.8%
Neutral8.3%
Negative20.8%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative40.0%

Sidepic

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Codecam

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Sidepic

One-time3
  • Sidepic Unlimited$0.99
  • Sidepic Pro Upgrade$1.99
  • Sidepic Pro$2.99

Questions

Is Codecam free?
Codecam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sidepic free?
Sidepic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Codecam or Sidepic?
Sidepic is rated higher. Codecam averages 4.0 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while Sidepic averages 4.8 from 4 ratings.
Do Codecam or Sidepic have ads?
Neither Codecam nor Sidepic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Codecam or Sidepic?
Codecam ships an update monthly, and Sidepic every 7 months. Most recently, Codecam was updated on September 9, 2026 and Sidepic on September 22, 2026.

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