Comparison

Manual Camera 4 vs Beastcam

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

Head to head
About

Manual Camera 4

Take professional-quality photos and videos with granular control over camera settings. Adjust focus, exposure, ISO, and more, with advanced features like RAW capture and real-time histograms. This app offers DSLR-like functionality for mobile photography enthusiasts.

Highlights
  • Manual focus control
  • Adjustable exposure and ISO
  • RAW photo capture
  • Real-time histogram
  • Focus peaking
  • Video format switching
  • HDR and 4K video recording
Read full description

Capture photos and videos with precise control over focus, exposure, ISO, shutter speed, white balance, and flash level. Manual Camera gives you DSLR-like control with an intuitive, easy-to-use interface. Also includes: • RAW photo capture • Real-time histogram • Focus peaking • Lock exposure, focus, and white balance • Manual lens selection • Quick video format switching • HDR (Dolby Vision / HLG) on iPhone 12 and later • 4K at 60p / 24p, and slow motion on supported devices • Ultra Wide and Telephoto lens support • Audio level meter • Photo and video filters • Live shutter speed preview in viewfinder • Cinematic video stabilization • Timer • Smooth focus transitions while recording • Save photos and videos directly to the camera roll — browse and delete within the app • Geotagging • Wide-gamut color capture • Face-driven autofocus • Apple ProRAW capture on iPhone 12 Pro and later • Apple ProRes recording on iPhone 13 Pro and later • 48MP resolution support on iPhone 14 Pro and later

About

Beastcam

This app offers advanced controls for capturing professional-quality photos and videos on your iPhone. It provides granular control over settings like focus and exposure, supports external lenses and microphones, and includes features for efficient file management and organization.

Highlights
  • Complete control over focus, exposure, zoom, and white balance
  • Support for anamorphic lenses and external microphones
  • Advanced presets for workflow organization
  • Project and scene-based file management
  • Focus peaking, false colors, and histogram analysis
  • Image stabilization and aspect ratio guides
Features
Read full description

Beastcam makes it easier than ever to capture the best possible photos and videos on your iPhone. It’s fast and easy-to-use, but powerful and customizable as a professional camera when you need it. We believe Beastcam is the most intuitive and advanced camera app ever created for capturing life’s special moments, expanding the capabilities of your iPhone camera to its fullest potential, and taking your #iPhoneography to the next level! *Complete control Easily set, fine-tune, and lock the most important settings you need in seconds, such as focus, exposure, zoom, white balance, and more using Beastcam’s intuitive design, quick-access buttons, precise value sliders, focus, and exposure reticles. All are available with a single tap on the home screen. *Hardware support Enhance your creativity with built-in support for DOF adapters, 1.33X & 1.55X anamorphic lenses in both photo and video mode. Improve your sound quality with external microphones and dial in the perfect settings for your environment, such as gain, audio format, sample rates. *Advanced presets Speed up and organize your workflow with shareable presets for every available setting. Save time setting up your camera with unlimited customizable presets for all available settings that can be applied at any time. Perfect for multi-phone setups, DOF Adapters, 1.33X & 1.55X anamorphic lenses, and other commonly used settings like frame rate, resolution, etc. *File management Save time finding your files by creating projects and scenes that auto-generate readable file names based on the project name, scene name and take # and prioritize your best footage (or delete your worst) with a single tap as soon as you’ve finished recording, or later in the built-in gallery. Conveniently manage and share all of your organized photos and videos with the built-in gallery. -SSD recording support on iPhone 15 and 16 Pro Series # Features - Set and lock focus and exposure with reticles - Precisely adjust white balance, focus, zoom, and exposure settings right from the home screen - Analyze your shots accurately: focus peaking, false colors, zebras, and histogram - Take steadier shots with standard or cinematic image stabilization - De-squeeze footage to 2.39:1 for 1.33X anamorphic lenses and 2.76:1 for 1.55X anamorphic lenses - Rotate orientation for DOF lens adapters - quick zoom, perfect for manual focus - Switch between any of your iPhone cameras - Monitor audio levels, microphone type, format, and sample rate right on the home screen - Compose your shots with 1:1, 2.39:1, and 2.76:1 aspect ratio guides and grids - Show/hide all of the menus from your home screen - Built-in flash/torch control - Create projects and scenes that auto-generate easy-to-read folder and file names based on the project name, scene name, take # - Prioritize your best footage (or delete your worst) with a single tap as soon as you’ve finished recording or later in the gallery - View, rename, move, share, or delete files with the built-in gallery - Custom local presets for white balance, zoom, and focus - Create shareable global presets for all available settings (video mode only) - Custom settings/rules for a fresh start - Easily adjust exposure, focus, zoom with gesture controls # Video - 4K 3840x2160, QHD 2560x1440, FHD 1920x1080 or HD 1280x720 resolutions - 24, 25, 30, 48, 50, 60, 120, or 240 FPS options - Bit rates: Low, Standard, High, Beast (up to 160 Mbit/s) - 10-bit Dolby Vision HDR - 10-bit SDR - ProRes (+Apple Log on iPhone 15, 16, and 17 Pro Series) Note: Some resolution and FPS options are not available on older iPhone models. The bit rate may vary depending on the resolution, FPS, and scene of your video # Audio - ACC, PCM, AIFF audio formats - 44.1kHz and 48kHz audio sample rates (device-dependent) - Supports built-in and external microphones - Control gain for external microphones #Photo - JPEG, HEIF, RAW, file formats - 1:1 , 4:3, 3:2, and 16:9 aspect ratios

Screenshots

Manual Camera 44 screens
Beastcam4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Manual Camera 4 at 4.6 against Beastcam's 4.0. Manual Camera 4 also leads on review sentiment (67% vs 55%). Beastcam's advantage is chart position (#34 vs unranked) and price ($2.99 vs $3.99). On ratings volume, update cadence, 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

Manual Camera 4 costs $3.99 and Beastcam $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Manual Camera 4 holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 343 and 197 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Manual Camera 4's written reviews are positive against 55% of Beastcam's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Manual Camera 4 ships an update every 5 weeks, Beastcam every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Manual Camera 4 versus Beastcam: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterManual Camera 4Beastcam
Price$3.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.6 (343 ratings) — better4.0 (197 ratings)
Positive reviews67.3% of reviews — better55.3% of reviews
Number of ratings343 — better197
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank—#34 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB35 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKenneth KaoBeastGrip

Customer experience

Manual Camera 4

All ratings343 ratings
Positive91.0%
Neutral2.9%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews110 reviews
Positive67.3%
Neutral9.1%
Negative23.6%

Beastcam

All ratings195 ratings
Positive73.8%
Neutral6.7%
Negative19.5%
Written reviews329 reviews
Positive55.3%
Neutral15.2%
Negative29.5%

User reviews

Manual Camera 4

From 343 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Intuitive and easy-to-use interface
  • 🎥 Excellent manual control over camera settings (ISO, shutter speed, white balance, focus)
  • 💰 Affordable one-time purchase with no subscriptions
  • 🎬 Strong video recording capabilities with multiple frame rates and resolutions
  • 🔍 Precise manual focus control with focus peaking feature

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes on certain iOS versions and devices
  • ⚠️ Inconsistent slider precision for fine adjustments
  • ❌ No aperture control available
  • 🔧 Limited shutter speed range (maximum ~1/1000 or 1/2 second)
  • 🎨 No HDR support

Beastcam

From 197 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great interface
  • 🔒 Lots of manual controls
  • 👍 Saves presets
  • 🚀 Cinematic stabilization
  • 👍 Good for videography

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • 🐛 Buggy and unreliable
  • 🐛 Issues with zoom and lens switching
  • 🐛 Video recording problems
  • 🐛 Exporting/saving issues

Bugs and requests

Manual Camera 4

Reported bugs

21 issues
  • App crashes on iOS beta versions
  • App crashes immediately upon opening
  • Crashes during video recording on longer clips
  • Crashes when zooming in video mode
  • Crashes when setting shutter speed to half second
Show 16 more
  • Shutter speed not accurate
  • Photos save differently than displayed
  • Zoom function jumps from 1.0x to 1.4x during recording
  • Focus lock doesn't work as advertised
  • Blurry images with flash in dark environments
  • Blank photos saved to camera roll
  • Video files not saving to camera roll
  • Settings revert to auto after reviewing footage
  • Histogram display persists after turning off
  • Gyroscope orientation confusion with histogram
  • EV control has no effect after setting shutter speed
  • ISO and shutter speed appear linked together
  • Slider adjustments snap to unintended values
  • Interferes with keyboard functionality
  • Bluetooth shutter release causes volume adjustment
  • Safari redirection to malicious sites

Requested features

22 requests
  • Physical camera button support
  • HDR mode (On/Off/Auto)
  • 1:1 aspect ratio support
  • Mute shutter sound option
  • Longer shutter speeds (bulb/time exposure mode)
Show 17 more
  • Aperture control
  • Preset saving functionality
  • Dropdown menu for video resolution/frame rate selection
  • App icon redesign
  • Wide Color Gamut (P3) compatibility
  • Zoomed preview for precision focusing
  • Smooth zoom without jerky motion
  • Multiple simultaneous sliders on screen
  • Time-lapse function
  • Faster shutter speeds (above 1/1000)
  • Temperature and tint control in video mode
  • Lock all settings button
  • Manual number input for white balance
  • Real-time filters and masks
  • TIFF file format support
  • Settings persistence after app closure
  • Increment/decrement buttons for ISO and shutter speed

Beastcam

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Crashes on iPhone 14 Pro Max
  • ProRes and 10-bit HDR not working
  • Upside down camera on some devices
  • Settings reset when changing lenses
  • Video recording not saving properly
Show 1 more
  • Compatibility issues with newer iPhones

Requested features

7 requests
  • Add support for Log/Flat profiles
  • Implement true constant frame rate
  • Add focus racking and focus peaking
  • Integrate with Apple Watch for remote control
  • Improve anamorphic lens support
Show 2 more
  • Add 48MP photo mode
  • Implement Dolby Vision and ProRes support

In-app purchases

None

Manual Camera 4

No in-app purchases

None

Beastcam

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Manual Camera 4 free?
Manual Camera 4 costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Beastcam free?
Beastcam costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Manual Camera 4 or Beastcam?
Manual Camera 4 is rated higher. Manual Camera 4 averages 4.6 out of 5 from 343 ratings, while Beastcam averages 4.0 from 197 ratings.
Do Manual Camera 4 or Beastcam have ads?
Neither Manual Camera 4 nor Beastcam shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Manual Camera 4 or Beastcam?
Manual Camera 4 ships an update every 5 weeks, and Beastcam every 2 months. Most recently, Manual Camera 4 was updated on October 24, 2026 and Beastcam on October 24, 2026.

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