Comparison

Codecam vs Ultralapse

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

Ultralapse

Create mesmerizing time-lapses of life's moments by recording short videos over time. Track children's growth, transformations, or even pets and plants with smart face recognition and helpful reminders. Save and share your unique creations with ease.

Highlights
  • Record short videos for time-lapses
  • Smart face recognition for alignment
  • Set daily/weekly/monthly reminders
  • Create multiple albums
  • FullHD/4K video export (premium)
  • Save and share videos
Features
Read full description

Remember that beautiful and touching video "Portrait of Lotte"? Well, now you can make similar time-lapses yourself! What makes Ultralapse so special? While other time-lapse apps just use photos, Ultralapse lets you record short videos over the years. In the end it creates mesmerizing time-lapses of your kids growing up. Ultralapse is also perfect for tracking: – Growing baby bump – Weight loss transformation – Daily makeup – Fun facial hair – Pets & plants – All of life's moments WHAT YOU'LL GET: – Create albums of your kid(s) – Set reminders (daily/weekly/monthly) to make sure that you never miss a moment – Record short videos – Smart face recognition to line up the face day after day – For the final video, you can use one of the 6 bundled songs (more to come) – After your time-lapse is ready you can save it to your photo library or share it with friends and family Ultralapse integrates with Siri Shortcuts and User Activities (“3D Touch”). We care about your PRIVACY. That’s why we don’t log your activity or send anything to our servers. What happens on your device, stays on your device. ~ Designed by parents for parents ~ SUBSCRIPTION PRICING AND TERMS Premium subscription is optional. With the free version of Ultralapse you’ll be able to create one album and record a new video once every month. For some parents, this is more than enough. As a subscriber there are no such limitations. You’ll also enjoy FullHD/4k video export (depending on your device) and much more. Ultralapse offers two auto-renewing subscription options: $7.49 per 6 months $9.99 per year These prices are for United States customers. Pricing in other countries may vary and actual charges may be converted to your local currency depending on the country of residence. Terms of service: https://www.alstertouch.com/ultralapse/terms_and_conditions.html Privacy policy: https://www.alstertouch.com/ultralapse/privacy_policy.html

Screenshots

Codecam2 screens
Ultralapse4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Codecam at 50% against Ultralapse's 0%. Codecam also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). Ultralapse's advantage is iOS requirement (11.2 vs 13.0). 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. Ultralapse sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.49 per 6 months. Codecam asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Codecam holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 24 and 5 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Codecam's written reviews are positive against 0% of Ultralapse's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Codecam ships an update monthly, Ultralapse every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Codecam versus Ultralapse: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCodecamUltralapse
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (24 ratings) — better3.8 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings24 — better5
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.011.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB33 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLaszlo VaradiKonstantin Gonikman

Customer experience

Codecam

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

Ultralapse

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral66.7%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

None

Codecam

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Ultralapse

Subscriptions2
  • Ultralapse Premium (6 months)$7.496 Months
  • Ultralapse Premium (yearly)$9.991 Year

Questions

Is Codecam free?
Codecam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ultralapse free?
Ultralapse is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Codecam or Ultralapse?
Codecam is rated higher. Codecam averages 4.0 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while Ultralapse averages 3.8 from 5 ratings.
Do Codecam or Ultralapse have ads?
Neither Codecam nor Ultralapse shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Codecam or Ultralapse?
Codecam ships an update monthly, and Ultralapse every 4 months. Most recently, Codecam was updated on September 26, 2026 and Ultralapse on October 2, 2026.

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