AllApps

Camera apps you buy once.

Buy ProCam. It covers manual stills, RAW and video in one app and is the usual answer for anyone who has outgrown the stock camera. Camera M is cleaner and cheaper if you only shoot stills. Slow Shutter Cam is a one-trick app and worth it for that trick alone. ProMovie Recorder is the video equivalent. Read the catch on each — every one of them has reviewers reporting it dropping shots.

The filter. Every app here is a single purchase. None of them can start charging you monthly for what you already bought. See every app under this rule ›
Top pick

ProCam - Pro Camera

Tinkerworks Apps
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$9.99 once4.6★ (35,265)Updated Sep 12, 2026
Verdict
The complete one. Manual everything, RAW, slow shutter, and a video mode, in the app most people who outgrow the stock camera end up buying.
Best for
Someone who wants one app to replace the built-in camera rather than a tool for one trick.
The catch
Eleven of the last two hundred reviews report it crashing or shooting slowly, and a few describe it firing several frames when they wanted one. On a camera, missing the shot is the whole failure.
One-time purchaseManual controlsRAWNo subscription

Camera M - Pro Manual Camera

bxb
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$7.99 once4.5★ (1,407)Updated Jun 4, 2026
Verdict
Cleaner than the one above and cheaper, with the manual controls laid out where your thumb already is.
Best for
Someone shooting stills deliberately who wants the controls visible, not buried.
The catch
There is a learning curve and reviewers say so — and unlike the top pick it is stills only, so anyone who also shoots video needs something else.
One-time purchaseManual stillsNo tracking

Slow Shutter Cam

Cogitap Software
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$2.99 once4.6★ (2,802)Updated Aug 3, 2026
Verdict
Does one thing and is loved for it. Light trails, silky water, star trails — the long-exposure shots a phone is not supposed to be able to take.
Best for
Anyone who has tried to photograph moving water or traffic and been disappointed.
The catch
It is a single effect. Outside of long exposures there is no reason to open it, and you will still want a normal camera app for everything else.
One-time purchaseLong exposureLight trails

ProMovie Recorder +

Panda Apps Limited
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$2.99 once4.7★ (2,978)Updated Apr 27, 2026
Verdict
The video counterpart to the others: manual exposure, focus and frame rate while recording, at a price that makes it easy to try.
Best for
Someone filming who needs the exposure locked so it stops hunting mid-shot.
The catch
Reviewers report audio drifting out of sync once footage is exported elsewhere, and several say emails to the developer went unanswered.
One-time purchaseManual videoFrame rate control

Side by side.

AppPriceStillsVideoSpecialismUpdated
ProCam - Pro Camera$9.99YesYesEverythingSep 12, 2026
Camera M - Pro Manual Camera$7.99YesNoManual stillsJun 4, 2026
Slow Shutter Cam$2.99YesNoLong exposureAug 3, 2026
ProMovie Recorder +$2.99NoYesManual videoApr 27, 2026

Who should skip this entirely.

Almost everyone. The built-in Camera shoots RAW on Pro models, holds focus and exposure on a long press, and now does long exposures on Live Photos. If you have not hit a specific wall — a shutter speed you cannot set, a frame rate you cannot pick — you are buying controls you will not touch. And no app changes the lens, which is what actually limits a phone photograph.

Questions.

Will one of these make my photos sharper?No. They give you control over exposure, focus and file format. The lens and sensor set the ceiling, and no software moves it.
Do I need one of these to shoot RAW?Not on a Pro iPhone — ProRAW is built in. On other models, yes, a third-party camera is the only way to get a RAW file.