Camera Apps That Upgrade Your Photography in 2026
These apps offer powerful features for capturing photos and videos on any device
Randy Tarampi / Unsplash
The following apps are some of the best and most widely used camera apps on Android and iOS. They provide more advanced controls, creative options, and customization than the default camera app so that you can upgrade your photography and videography experience.
01 of 07
For Landscape-Orientation Enthusiasts: Horizon Camera
What We Like
-
Great for folks always stuck in portrait orientation.
-
Adjusts and resizes the frame with rotation.
What We Don't Like
-
Limited number of camera control options.
With the free Horizon Camera app, you'll never end up with a vertical video or photo again. The motion sensor in the app detects your phone's orientation and automatically creates a landscape-oriented frame for your photo.
Rotate your device? No problem. The app adjusts the frame as you move to ensure that you always capture a horizontal image.
Download For:
02 of 07
Best for Creative Cloud Members: Lightroom
What We Like
-
Free image capture and edit options.
What We Don't Like
-
Sign in with Facebook, Google, or an Adobe account.
Adobe's Lightroom app combines custom camera controls with a variety of image editing options in a single app. You can take images and make basic edits with the free version of the app.
A paid monthly upgrade adds access to more selection and editing tools, auto-tagging, and storage. (Adobe Creative Cloud members receive these benefits after they sign in, as well.)
Download For:
03 of 07
Best for Stop-Motion Animators: Lapse It
What We Like
-
Can add songs to finished time-lapses.
-
Supports time-lapse and stop-motion photography.
What We Don't Like
-
You can't move your phone during capture.
-
No update since 2019.
While most camera apps capture either a single image or a video, the developers of Lapse It designed it to capture images at intervals. That makes it an excellent tool for time-lapse or stop motion photography. It includes a variety of controls so you can adjust the time interval frequency and resolution, as well as the exposure, speed, and white balance.
The free version limits capture to 360p or 480p resolution, while a one-time paid upgrade improves image capture quality to 720p or 1080p.
04 of 07
Make your Camera Smarter: Google Lens
What We Like
-
Point, tap, then learn more or act.
-
Gives glimpse of how smart cameras could be.
What We Don't Like
-
Requires internet for access to Google's systems.
On iOS, Google Lens is a feature found within the Google app. But on Android, Google Lens is a complete, installable app.
While Lens isn't a conventional camera app, it may be the smartest camera app you've used: It can identify many plants, animals, and landmarks, and it can recognize phone numbers, event dates, and addresses in text.
Download For:
05 of 07
Best for Social Photos: Instagram
What We Like
-
Captures classic, square Instagram image format.
-
Shoot, edit, share all within one app.
What We Don't Like
-
Limited camera controls.
You might not think of Instagram as a camera app, but it may be the most widely used free image-sharing platform. The Android app includes both camera and video capture options. Take a picture, then choose from one of several filters and adjust brightness, add a caption and tags, and then share it.
Download For:
06 of 07
Best General-Purpose Camera Upgrade: ProShot
What We Like
-
Cleanly arranged control interface.
-
Can adjust the aspect ratio of the image.
What We Don't Like
-
Phone hardware might be a limitation.
ProShot, from Rise Up Games, gives you control over the file format (JPEG, RAW, or RAW + JPEG), exposure, aspect ratio (16:9, 4:3, 1:1, or a custom ratio you choose), and shutter speed.
It also offers bracketing, which takes several shots at different exposure levels. A light painting mode lets you create an image as the lens gradually captures light. The app also supports video and time-lapse modes.
Download For:
07 of 07
Social Sharing Without Social Pressures: VSCO
What We Like
-
Strong set of editing controls.
-
Social network without followers, likes, etc.
What We Don't Like
-
Many filters available to members only.
The camera portion of VCSO is fairly straightforward. Open, point, tap to focus, adjust flash, capture the image. VSCO excels at editing, with exposure, contrast, crop, sharpen, and saturation adjustments, along with a long list of filter options. The app also offers a social network, too.
An optional membership upgrade gives you access to additional editing tools.
Download For:
Related: 8 Best Selfie Apps of 2025
Read the original article on Lifewire
