ChobialChobial compared: Apple Camera, Halide, VSCO Capture, mood.camera and Lightroom
Choosing a camera app is choosing how you want to work. Here is how Chobial compares with five apps people often ask about. It includes the rows where the others are ahead, because those matter as much as the ones where we are.
At a glance
| Chobial | Apple Camera | Halide Mark III | VSCO Capture | mood.camera | Lightroom mobile | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shoots RAW | Yes, incl. ProRAW | Partly1 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes (DNG) |
| Film look live while you frame | Yes | Partly2 | Yes | Yes | No, by design3 | Partly4 |
| Make your own look | Yes, with film controls9 | No | No: Lux's Looks, adjustable | No: 50+ VSCO presets | Yes, custom presets | Yes, presets |
| Share a look with someone else | Yes: QR code or file | No | No | No | Partly5 | Yes, presets |
Import / export .cube LUTs | Yes / Yes | No / No | No / No | No / No | No / No | Partly6 / No |
| Re-develop an old photo with another look | Yes, any film | Partly2 | Yes, with Lux's Looks | Yes, in the VSCO app | No | Yes |
| Masks (sky, subject, drawn) | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Remove spots and wires | Yes: heal and clone | Partly: Clean Up (AI) | No | Partly: AI Remove, paid | No | Yes, including generative |
| Manual shutter and ISO | Yes: P, S, ISO, M | Partly7 | Yes | Yes | Partly: exposure dial | Yes |
| Open RAW files from other cameras | Yes | Partly: in Photos | Yes (beta) | Partly: in the VSCO app | No | Yes |
| Video | No | Yes | No8 | Yes | No | Yes |
| iPad or Mac | No | iPad | iPad | The VSCO app on iPad | No | iPad and Mac |
| Generative AI | None | Yes | None | Yes, in the VSCO app | None | Yes |
| Account needed | None | Apple Account | None | VSCO account | None | Adobe ID |
| How you pay | Free until you export | Free | Free trial, then subscription or one-time | Free; VSCO memberships for the editor | Free trial, then one-time or monthly | Free core; Premium subscription |
- ProRAW on Pro iPhones only. Other iPhones get no RAW in the Camera app.
- Photographic Styles preview live and can be changed later in Photos, but they aren't available when you shoot RAW. On iPhone 18 Pro, Film texture and Grain apply to HEIF only.
- mood.camera's FAQ says the lack of a live preview is deliberate, to keep you in the moment. It also doesn't save RAW files.
- Presets can be applied while shooting, but not previewed live when capturing DNG. Adobe's feature request for it is still open.
- mood.camera publishes community presets as pages of settings to dial in by hand. Importing presets is left out on purpose.
- Lightroom takes profiles and presets, not
.cubefiles directly. A LUT has to be turned into a profile on a computer first. - iPhone 18 Pro adds shutter, aperture and white balance controls to the Camera app, but not manual ISO.
- Lux makes a separate app, Kino, for video.
- Curves, an 8-band colour mixer, split toning, grain modelled on real stocks, halation, and
.cubeLUTs as a starting point.
"No" means the feature isn't offered according to the app's own website and App Store listing on the date above. We left out rows we couldn't confirm for every app, such as zebras and Apple Watch support.
Where the others are ahead
- Track record. Halide, VSCO and Lightroom have years of updates and many thousands of App Store ratings. Chobial is new.
- Video. Apple Camera, VSCO Capture and Lightroom shoot or edit video. Chobial is a stills camera and has no plans to change that.
- iPad, Mac and Android. Halide and VSCO run on iPad, and Lightroom runs everywhere. Chobial is iPhone only.
- Looks made by names you know. Halide's Looks are made with colourist Cullen Kelly. VSCO has over 50 well-known presets. Chobial ships 15 films and gives you the tools to make more, but no famous collaborations yet.
- Pro monitoring. Halide adds a waveform to its histogram, zebras and focus peaking.
- Price to start. Apple Camera and VSCO Capture are free, and mood.camera's one-time price is low. Chobial is free until you export.
Which one should you pick?
Apple Camera
You want the quickest shot, Night mode, video and Apple's processing, and don't need RAW with a look.
Halide
You want a polished pro camera with curated Looks, a waveform and an iPad workflow.
VSCO Capture
You want free, live VSCO presets and video, and don't mind an account.
mood.camera
You want a simple point-and-shoot with film character and no editing at all.
Lightroom
You already edit in Lightroom on a computer and want one library everywhere.
Chobial
You want to make your own film, see it live, and use it on any RAW you've ever taken, with no account.
Also worth knowing
- Grayn is the app closest to Chobial's idea: a film camera with recipes you make yourself, QR sharing, and
.cubeimport and export. It's also on Android. It bakes the look into each shot and has no editor or masks. - Moment Pro Camera II and (Not Boring) Camera show a
.cubeLUT live while you shoot, with full pro controls. Neither has a look editor. Moment also shoots Log and ProRes video. - ProCamera has one of the deepest pro toolkits on iPhone, including video, and runs on iPad.
- Leica LUX offers Leica Looks and lens simulations with background blur, by subscription.
- Dazz Cam and Hipstamatic are playful film cameras that finish each photo as you take it. Dazz also does retro video.
- RNI Films and Dehancer are film editors for photos you've already taken, with deep film profiles. Dehancer also does video and has desktop plug-ins.
Sources, all opened on 28 September 2026: the App Store listings for Halide Mark III, VSCO Capture, mood.camera and Lightroom; halide.cam, vsco.co/capture, mood.camera and its FAQ, Adobe's Lightroom mobile page and its feature request; Apple Newsroom on iPhone 18 Pro; Grayn, Moment, (Not Boring) Camera, ProCamera, Leica LUX, Dazz, Hipstamatic, RNI and Dehancer. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Questions
Is Chobial better than Halide?
It's different. Halide is a mature pro camera with curated Looks, an iPad app and a waveform. Chobial is for making your own film and using it on any photo, past or future. The Halide comparison goes row by row.
Which of these apps is free?
Apple Camera and VSCO Capture are free (VSCO Capture needs a VSCO account). Lightroom's core is free. Chobial is free to shoot, develop and make films in, and you pay to export. Halide and mood.camera have a free trial, then a subscription or a one-time purchase.
How do you keep this fair?
Every cell comes from the other app's own website or App Store listing, checked on the date at the top. Where we couldn't confirm a feature, we left the row out rather than guess. If something here is wrong or out of date, email [email protected] and we'll fix it.