# Halide camera app

18 Hacker News commenters recommended Halide camera app and 6 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 7 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Recommended for manual control and RAW shooting on iPhone, and for reliable photo saving. Most common caveat: purchase and subscription access problems on the App Store.

## Why people recommend it

- Shoots RAW for unprocessed photos (4 comments): "One of the big benefits of Halide (and working with raws) is that I'm not beholden to the aesthetic preferences of its creator." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47042241)) "getting a camera app like Halide and shooting in one of the RAW formats will let you do this and more" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46416551)) "I recommend trying out RAW photography with the Extended Dynamic Range setting set to on" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46582528))
- Reliable saves, no lost shots (3 comments): "I've had it save a number of photos that the native app couldn't handle. But as a lifelong photographer, technologist, and occasional developer, I still somehow get really lost in the inscrutable icons" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47040732)) "people using Halide's app were able to capture correctly" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47038047)) "I can't remember the last time I lost a shot." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49267181))
- Well made and worth paying for (3 comments): "They very obviously care deeply, and that's reflected in the product" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47039472)) "Love Halide, and Pro Raw and Nitro, and pay for these" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47030824)) "I bought Halide and it is indeed a nice app" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47039006))

## What people warn about

- Purchase tied to one App Store account (2 comments): "the grandfathering somehow stopped working for me because I didn't buy it on my primary App Store account" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47280980)) "only works if I'm logged into the App Store account I purchased it from." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47280118))
- Subscription and update access broke (2 comments): "Halide's subscription system seems to have broken since late 2024/early 2025" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49265793)) "that doesn't unlock the new updates sadly" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49264148))
- Feels slower and stagnant (2 comments): "Also slower and I haven’t noticed any changes or improvements in the last two years." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49264035)) "it feels like it's getting behind" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49265612))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Open Camera](https://hackerapproved.com/p/open-camera.md): 16 recommend
- [Google Camera](https://hackerapproved.com/p/google-camera.md): 10 recommend
- [iPhone dual-lens photo fusion app](https://hackerapproved.com/p/show-hn-iphone-dual-lens-photo-fusion-app.md): 8 recommend
- [GCam (Google Camera port)](https://hackerapproved.com/p/gcam.md): 5 recommend
- [GrapheneOS Camera](https://hackerapproved.com/p/grapheneos-camera.md): 5 recommend

## Where to get it

- [Visit the official site](https://halide.cam/)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Halide camera app", https://hackerapproved.com/p/halide/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).