ChobialChobial vs Film(ish): measured film on iPhone, two ways
Film(ish) and Chobial are cousins who took different jobs. Both care a lot about film behaving like film: grain that's part of the picture, halation around the highlights, curves with a proper roll-off. Film(ish) is an editor with 88 stocks it says are measured from thousands of scans, for photos and video. Chobial is a camera: the film is live in the viewfinder, the RAW is kept, and you can build your own film from scratch.
| Chobial | Film(ish) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A film camera with an editor | A film editor for photos and video |
| Film live while you frame | Yes | No: there's no camera |
| Built-in films | 46: 35 colour, 11 black and white | 88 in 8 families, plus print films and paper |
| Where the films come from | The looks of film simulations, camera recipes, and Kodak and Fujifilm datasheets | Measured, it says, from thousands of scans |
| Make your own look | Yes: build a whole film, from scratch or from a .cube | Yes: grade on top of a stock and save presets |
Import / export .cube LUTs | Yes / Yes | A conversion LUT for Log video / not described |
| Share a look | QR code or file | Preset sharing |
| RAW | Shoots ProRAW and RAW, or HEIF and JPEG | Develops RAW, ProRAW and HEIF, and exports DNG |
| Masks | Subject, sky, people, faces, brush, linear, radial, colour, luminance, tap an object | Linear, radial, luminance, colour, depth, sky, subject, brush |
| Scopes | Histogram | Histogram, waveform, RGB parade, vectorscope |
| Video | No | Yes, the same films on every frame |
| Devices | iPhone, iPhone Duo and iPad | iPhone, iPad and Android |
| Account | None | None |
| How you pay | Free to shoot, develop, edit and make films, and to save in 22 films. Pro saves in every film, with masks and heal: $29.99 once, $14.99 a year or $1.99 a month | Free with 12 films; Pro $19.99 once |
Where Film(ish) is ahead
- More stocks. 88 of them, from Kodachrome to stocks that vanished decades ago, and a print stage that can put any photo on Kodak 2383, Eterna or photographic paper. A film nerd's sweet shop.
- Video. The whole film pipeline on every frame, Log and HDR included. Chobial is stills only.
- Android. Film(ish) is on Google Play too. Chobial is iPhone and iPad only.
- Colourist scopes. A waveform, RGB parade and vectorscope, with a clipping warning that knows each stock's latitude.
- Any photo you already have. Its listing talks about developing RAW "the same across cameras". Chobial imports photos taken on an iPhone or iPad only.
- A lower one-time price. $19.99 for everything, once.
Where Chobial is ahead
- It's a camera. You see the film before you press the shutter, with manual ISO and shutter, focus peaking and zebras. Composing for a film is half the fun.
- Build the film itself. Not a grade on top of someone else's stock: tone curves, an 8-band colour mixer, split toning, grain modelled on real stocks and halation. See making a film.
- LUTs both ways. Start a film from any
.cube, and export yours for Lightroom or Resolve. - QR codes. Show a friend your film on screen; they scan it and shoot with it.
- Big screens. Layouts for iPad and iPhone Duo, with the editor beside the photo.
Pick Film(ish)
You want the most stocks, video and scopes, on photos you've already taken, on iPhone or Android.
Pick Chobial
You want to see the film while you shoot, make your own, and keep the RAW to develop again. Join the beta.
Sources, opened on 26 October 2026: filmish.app and its App Store listing (its description, in-app purchase and devices). The listing says "100+ film simulations"; we used the 88 on its website. See all apps on the comparison page. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Questions
Is Film(ish) a camera?
No. Film(ish) is an editor: you take the photo or video with any camera, then develop it in a film stock. Chobial is a camera first, with the film live in the viewfinder, and an editor for the photos afterwards.
How much is Film(ish)?
Film(ish) is free with twelve film simulations. Film(ish) Pro is $19.99 once in the US and opens every stock, print film and tool. Chobial is free to shoot, develop, edit and make films, with 22 of its 46 films free to save; Pro is $29.99 once, $14.99 a year or $1.99 a month during the beta.
Can I use both?
Yes, and they get on well. Shoot RAW in Chobial with a film live, then open the original DNG in Film(ish) if you want one of its stocks or a print-film pass. Exporting the original DNG from Chobial needs Pro.