Comparison

Impact by Focusrite vs REC

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

Head to head
About

Impact by Focusrite

Easily create professional-sounding music videos on your iPhone. Apply high-quality audio mastering effects and edit video clips directly within the app. Share your polished creations instantly to platforms like YouTube and Facebook.

Highlights
  • High-quality audio mastering effects
  • Plug and play audio interface support
  • Direct video trimming
  • Instant YouTube sharing
  • Instant Facebook sharing
Features
Read full description

Impact is the quickest and easiest way to create truly exceptional sounding music videos on your iPhone, then upload them directly to YouTube. Instantly Improve Your Sound Apply high quality post production audio mastering effects, which instantly improve the sound of your recording Use with Just About Anything Plug and play support for Core Audio Compliant iPhone audio interfaces (including Focusrite audio interfaces) Directly Edit Video Easily trim the start and end points of your video directly in the app, for a polished finish Share with the World Instantly share your recording on Facebook and YouTube – Compatible with iOS 10 and above

About

REC

This app offers advanced video and audio controls for professional-quality recordings. It provides extensive camera settings, stabilization, resolutions, frame rates, and audio options. Features like timecode synchronization and intuitive manual controls help creators achieve precise results.

Highlights
  • Advanced camera settings
  • Manual focus and exposure control
  • Timecode synchronization
  • Multiple resolutions and frame rates
  • External microphone support
  • ProRes format support
  • External storage support
Features
Read full description

Elevate your video capturing with REC! Tailored for creators, it provides extensive video and audio options for professional-quality production effortlessly. Choose from a range of camera settings, stabilization options, resolutions, frame rates, and more to capture the perfect video every time. And with intuitive controls and an easy-to-read heads-up display, you can adjust focus, exposure, and more with just a tap. Plus, with REC's timecode feature, you can easily synchronize footage from multiple devices for seamless, multi-angle videos. Choose from "Time of Day" timecode or use Bluetooth sync with Tentacle Sync devices for precise, one-frame resolution synchronization. And with seamless management options, including preview, watch, and send directly to your photo library or favorite editing app, you can create and share professional-quality videos with ease. Here's a quick summary of REC's plethora of video options: - Camera: Front, Telephoto, Wide, Ultra-Wide (As available on your device.) - Camera Stabilization (As available by device and camera selection.) - Resolution: Open Gate, 4K, 1080p, 720p (As available by device.) - FPS: 240, 120, 60, 50, 48, 30, 29.97, 25, 24, 23.98 (As available by device and camera selection.) - Bit Rate: Normal, High, Max - Dynamic Range: 8 Bit, 10 Bit, 10 Bit HDR (As available by device and other selections.) - Format: HEVC, H.264, ProRes 422 HQ, ProRes RAW HQ (As available by device and other selections.) - Lock Exposure and White Balance when recording begins. - Apple Log and Apple Log 2 support when recording in ProRes. - External storage support for iPhone 15 to 17 Pro using USB-C, Audio Here's a quick summary of REC's extensive audio options: - Microphone: Front, Back, Bottom, External (As available on your device.) - Microphone Gain control - Microphone Polar Pattern control: Choose omni, subcardioid, cardioid or stereo pickup depending on what best fits your usage. (As available by device and microphone.) - Sample Rate: 24Khz, 44.1Khz, 48Khz - Format: AAC, PCM Lot of options! But REC gives you simplicity along with flexibility, you'll never be able to select a combination that doesn't work with your device. Captivating Controls REC's floating buttons put pro level controls at your fingertips, and keeps them out of the way while you're focusing on what's important, shooting your video! A single tap brings up any of the control menus where you can adjust the white balance, shutter speed, ISO, EV, and focus manually. Or, use our intuitive touch controls to specify precisely where in your frame focus on and expose to. Quickly swap between the Wide, Ultra-Wide, Telephoto, or Front cameras and different formats with a flick of your finger, and your selection is always available at a glance. Optionally overlay a grid, and zoom in or out to help you frame the perfect shot every time. Terrific Timecodes REC provides two Timecode methods. The first one is "Time of Day", which simply records your device's clock information alongside the video. In order for it to work, just make sure all your devices are set to the same time. For really accurate and extremely simple synchronization, REC also provides Bluetooth sync using Tentacle Sync devices. Using Tentacle Timecode, REC is able to synchronize your iPhone footage with high accuracy. You can find more about the Tentacle Sync solutions at https://tentaclesync.com. Marvelous Management REC saves all of your videos seamlessly to the built-in manager that lets you quickly and easily preview your creations. Watch your shots at different speeds, and preview them without sound if you're trying to find the right shot to share in a sensitive environment. Sending a video to your photo library or favorite editor is just a tap away. Or if you'd prefer, send videos directly to the Photo Library and enjoy its seamless integration with any app that supports video. Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Impact by Focusrite1 screens
REC4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: REC at 3.8 against Impact by Focusrite's 3.1. REC also leads on review sentiment (55% vs 32%) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). Impact by Focusrite's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 26.0). On price, ratings volume, 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. REC sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Impact by Focusrite asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

REC holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 40 and 70 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 32% of Impact by Focusrite's written reviews are positive against 55% of REC's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Impact by Focusrite ships an update every 3 months, REC monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Impact by Focusrite versus REC: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterImpact by FocusriteREC
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (40 ratings)3.8 (70 ratings) — better
Positive reviews32.2% of reviews55.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4070 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS10.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFocusrite Audio EngineeringLateNiteSoft S.L.

Customer experience

Impact by Focusrite

All ratings40 ratings
Positive42.5%
Neutral17.5%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews326 reviews
Positive32.2%
Neutral16.0%
Negative51.8%

REC

All ratings70 ratings
Positive68.6%
Neutral7.1%
Negative24.3%
Written reviews98 reviews
Positive55.1%
Neutral13.3%
Negative31.6%

User reviews

Impact by Focusrite

From 40 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎵 High-quality audio recording and effects
  • 🎬 Easy video and audio simultaneous recording
  • ✨ Excellent reverb and room effects
  • 💰 Free app with no ads
  • 🎚️ Good audio level adjustment controls

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes during save/export
  • 🐛 Video rendering freezes and fails
  • 📱 Landscape-only recording orientation
  • 🔌 Bluetooth/wireless headphone compatibility issues
  • 💾 Videos fail to save to camera roll

REC

From 70 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 High quality video recording
  • 👍 Professional results for educators
  • 👍 Reliable and feature-rich
  • 👍 Simple and intuitive UI
  • 👍 In-app storage for videos

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Audio issues (no audio, hiss)
  • 🐛 App crashes (ProRes, audio interface)
  • 🐛 Video not saving/lost footage
  • 🐛 Freezing/lagging during recording
  • 🐛 Stabilization issues

Bugs and requests

Impact by Focusrite

Reported bugs

15 issues
  • App crashes when saving/exporting videos
  • Video rendering gets stuck mid-process
  • Screen rotation not working properly
  • Record button disappears or not visible
  • Audio not detected or recorded
Show 10 more
  • External microphone causes rendering failure
  • App stuck on 'rotate phone' screen
  • Incompatibility with iOS 11 and later versions
  • Audio/video sync issues after 1-2 minutes
  • Effects not saved when exporting video
  • Wireless earphone connection drops
  • App freezes during normalization process
  • Files cannot be accessed or opened
  • Gyroscopic sensor integration failure on some devices
  • Screen goes black when external mic connected

Requested features

13 requests
  • Portrait/vertical video recording mode
  • Import videos from camera roll for editing
  • Bluetooth/wireless headphone support
  • Higher video resolution (1080p, 4K)
  • Background recording capability
Show 8 more
  • Video trimming/cropping improvements
  • Ability to delete recorded videos
  • Support for iPad recording
  • Multi-track audio editing
  • Custom AU effects support
  • Audio-only recording option
  • Audiobus integration
  • Better file management and export options

REC

Reported bugs

23 issues
  • No audio after iOS update
  • ProRes recording errors
  • Footage not saved
  • App freezes during recording
  • App crashes when choosing ProRes
Show 18 more
  • App crashes when connected to audio interface
  • Video flickers when enabling autofocus
  • Stabilization not working
  • Black screen on iOS 16
  • Timecode not working (elapsed time only)
  • External mic button not touchable
  • App automatically starts recording
  • Gallery part of the app is malfunctioning
  • Cannot save to Photos (storage error)
  • Focus gets stuck at minimum distance
  • Recorder won't save recordings
  • Tools sometimes freeze
  • Stabilization not working at start/end of shots
  • Cannot monitor audio with EarPods
  • External stereo mic records in mono
  • Image stabilization not as good as native app
  • App crashes when opening gallery
  • App doesn't launch

Requested features

31 requests
  • Add pause and resume functionality
  • Add log profile for iPhone 15
  • Add LUT option
  • Add 50/60 kHz fix for framerates
  • Add focus loop
Show 26 more
  • Add focus peaking
  • Add zebra stripes
  • Add false colors
  • Add more resolution options
  • Add bitrate control
  • Add 59.94p frame rate option
  • Add offset option for frame rates
  • Add Apple Watch companion app for monitoring
  • Add log profile support
  • Add Slog3 support
  • Add German language support
  • Add remote control with preview for Apple Watch
  • Add 4K 60fps enablement
  • Add HDR 10bit 4K60fps support
  • Add manual zoom slider and buttons
  • Add support for iPad
  • Add stereo recording with external mics/interfaces
  • Add image stabilization improvement
  • Add automatic video saves to camera roll
  • Add manual mic audio adjustment
  • Add ability to disable microphone when needed
  • Add flash during video recording
  • Add user guide or documentation
  • Add zoom function
  • Add ability to switch to Camera+2 quickly
  • Add presets and ability to save/switch between them

In-app purchases

None

Impact by Focusrite

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

REC

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • One-Time Purchase$49.99

Questions

Is Impact by Focusrite free?
Impact by Focusrite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is REC free?
REC is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Impact by Focusrite or REC?
REC is rated higher. Impact by Focusrite averages 3.1 out of 5 from 40 ratings, while REC averages 3.8 from 70 ratings.
Do Impact by Focusrite or REC have ads?
Neither Impact by Focusrite nor REC shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Impact by Focusrite or REC?
Impact by Focusrite ships an update every 3 months, and REC monthly. Most recently, Impact by Focusrite was updated on October 21, 2026 and REC on October 22, 2026.

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