Best Camera App for Android: Try the One You Have First

For ordinary photos, start with the camera app that came with your phone. It was written for that phone’s lenses, and no app on Google Play can count on reaching all of them. Install another camera app when you want something specific that yours lacks, such as manual shutter speed, RAW files or proper video controls.

We read Google’s developer documentation and the phone makers’ help pages to see where the built-in camera has the advantage, then went through the Google Play listings of the camera apps. Three of the ten apps this article listed in 2019 can no longer be found on the store.

Why the built-in camera has an edge

The camera app on your phone comes from the company that chose the lenses and sensors. Google’s Android developer documentation says that since Android 9 most phones open all their cameras to other apps, where older phones often exposed only one. Most is not all. Open Camera’s own help page still warns that some devices do not let outside apps reach their extra cameras. It adds that high frame rates are often available only to the built-in app, because that app is written for one phone and does not have to go through the standard Android camera interface.

The processing modes are the other gap. Night, HDR and portrait blur are the phone maker’s own software. Android lets makers share those modes with other apps through what it calls camera extensions. Google’s documentation says not every device supports them, and a device that does need not offer every mode.

So another app can give you more control over a shot. It cannot promise you the phone’s best night mode or its zoom lens.

What your phone’s camera already does

Pixel: Pixel Camera is Google’s own app. Google’s help pages cover Night Sight for low light, astrophotography for the night sky and a setting that saves a RAW file alongside the JPEG. On the Pixel 9 and later, and on some earlier Pro models, you can choose the ultrawide, wide or telephoto lens yourself. Pro controls, a slider for focus, shutter speed and ISO, are listed for Pro models only.

Samsung Galaxy: open the Camera app, tap the mode button and choose Pro. Samsung’s support site says Pro mode gives manual control of ISO, shutter speed, white balance and exposure. For RAW files there is Expert RAW, a second camera app from Samsung. It comes from the Galaxy Store and runs on supported Galaxy phones.

Motorola: the camera on newer phones is listed on Google Play as Moto Camera Pro. Its Pro mode covers focus, white balance, shutter speed, ISO and exposure. The listing says it only works on selected phones launched from 2025.

We have not checked every other maker. If your camera already has a Pro mode, a manual camera app may add nothing, so look through its modes before you pay for anything.

Camera apps for Android compared

The prices are the ones Google Play shows in the United States. The store will show yours in your own currency.

Open Camera: the free one to start with

Open Camera costs nothing and is open source. Its listing covers most of what the paid apps sell: manual ISO, exposure and focus, RAW files, exposure and focus bracketing, HDR, panorama, an on-screen histogram and focus peaking. It can also level a photo automatically so the horizon comes out straight. On phones that share their camera extensions, it can use those too.

Google Play marks the app as containing ads. The developer’s own description says there are no third-party ads inside the app and that the ads run only on his website.

The listing is honest about the limits. Some features depend on the phone, and the manual ones need what Android calls the Camera2 API, which you switch on in the app’s settings. The developer also says he cannot test every phone and asks you to try the app before you film your wedding with it. That is good advice for everything in this article.

ProShot: the paid pick

ProShot is a single purchase with no ads label and no in-app purchases. Its listing describes a layout borrowed from a DSLR: Auto, Program and Manual modes plus two custom ones, with shutter priority and ISO priority in between. It saves RAW, JPEG or both, and has a histogram, focus peaking and a light painting mode for star trails and moving water.

The same controls work in video mode. The listing gives frame rates from 24 to 240fps, Log and flat colour profiles, external microphone support and up to 8K on phones that can manage it. It also says the app collects no data.

Before you buy, install the free ProShot Evaluator. It reports which of these features your phone supports, including RAW and each manual control.

Camera FV-5 and Manual Camera

Camera FV-5 is for still photos. Its listing offers exposure bracketing from three to seven frames, an intervalometer for timelapses, long exposures and RAW on phones with full Camera2 support. It deliberately has no scene modes. The free Camera FV-5 Lite is the same app with limited picture resolution and no RAW. The description still names the Nexus 5 and Nexus 6 as the only phones with full support, which tells you how long that paragraph has stood.

Manual Camera does five things: manual shutter speed, focus distance, ISO, white balance and exposure compensation. It also saves RAW. The developer has a free compatibility test to run first. The same developer still sells DSLR Camera Pro from our old list for $2.99, with a live histogram and a two-stage shutter button but no mention of RAW.

Both cost less than ProShot, and their listings promise less. Open Camera matches most of it for free.

Video: Blackmagic Camera, mcpro24fps and MotionCam Pro

Blackmagic Camera is free, with no ads label and no in-app purchases. It comes from the company behind Blackmagic cinema cameras and the DaVinci Resolve editor. The listing puts frame rate, shutter angle, white balance and ISO a tap away and says it records up to 8K. It can also send footage straight to Blackmagic Cloud for editing in DaVinci Resolve. Some features depend on the phone.

mcpro24fps goes further and charges for it. The listing covers 10-bit and HDR recording on many phones, a long list of Log modes with on-screen LUTs, focus peaking, zebras and support for anamorphic lenses. A free demo app shows which modes your phone allows. The listing warns that results depend on what the manufacturer permits other apps to use.

MotionCam Pro is the specialist. It records RAW video from the sensor, which you then process and grade yourself. Its free trial app has every feature but stops each recording after five seconds.

Filmic Pro was on our old list as an expensive one-off purchase. It is now published by Bending Spoons and sold as a weekly or yearly subscription. With Blackmagic Camera free, that is hard to justify unless you already know you need Filmic.

HedgeCam 2 and Footej Camera 2

HedgeCam 2 is built on Open Camera’s source code and adds a more customisable interface, with separate settings for each hardware key. It is free with in-app purchases.

Footej Camera 2 replaced the Footej Camera we listed in 2019, and it is now published by ZipoApps. It shows ads, and its listing puts video longer than two minutes, the histogram and video stabilisation in the premium package. Open Camera gives you a histogram without paying.

Pixel Camera and GCam on other phones

Pixel Camera, which used to be called Google Camera, is on Google Play. Its listing says the latest version only works on Pixel devices running Android 16 and above.

The “GCam” APK files passed around online are unofficial, modified copies of it. They do not come from Google or from Google Play, so we do not link to them.

Which one to pick

• Everyday photos: the camera your phone came with.
• Manual control and RAW for free: Open Camera.
• A camera-style layout you pay for once: ProShot, after the free Evaluator confirms your phone supports it.
• Video: Blackmagic Camera. Move to mcpro24fps only if you need 10-bit Log footage and its demo works on your phone.
• A Samsung phone: Pro mode first, then Expert RAW from the Galaxy Store.

What happened to the old list

Camera MX and Google’s Cardboard Camera no longer have Google Play pages, and Bacon Camera does not turn up in a search of the store.

Camera360 and Cymera are still listed, both free with ads and in-app purchases. Their listings are about selfie filters, face retouching and collages, so they are photo editors more than cameras. They suit you if filters are what you are after.

Quick answers

Which camera app is best for Android?

For most photos, the one already on your phone. For manual control, Open Camera is the free choice and ProShot the paid one.

What is the best free camera app for Android without ads?

Blackmagic Camera is free and carries no ads label, but it is a video app. For photos, Open Camera’s developer says the app itself shows no third-party ads, although Google Play marks it as containing ads.

Can I install Pixel Camera on a Samsung or Xiaomi phone?

No. Its Google Play listing says it only works on Pixel devices.

What is the best camera app for a Samsung phone?

Samsung’s own. Use Pro mode in the Camera app, and add Expert RAW from the Galaxy Store if your model supports it.

Which camera app is best for video recording?

Blackmagic Camera, which is free. mcpro24fps and MotionCam Pro are paid apps for people who grade their footage afterwards.