# Best Android camera apps: 4 with genuine reasons to install *Published:* 2025-05-10 *Author:* Farzan Hussain ### TL;DR **The pick:** ProShot for manual control on any Android phone, GCam (Google Camera port) for older phones that didn’t ship with computational photography, Snapseed for editing, and Lightroom for serious post-processing. Four [apps](https://bestforandroid.com/best/apps-android/ "Best Apps Category") cover most photographers’ Android workflow. **Runner-up:** the stock camera on a Pixel 9 Pro or Galaxy S25 Ultra is genuinely excellent; you only need third-party apps for specific control or for older phones that didn’t ship with the same imaging pipeline. **Skip if:** you only take occasional snapshots. The stock camera plus Google Photos covers it without adding a paid app. .bfa-hero-stat-trio-block, .bfa-hero-stat-trio-block *, .bfa-hero-stat-trio-block *::before, .bfa-hero-stat-trio-block *::after { box-sizing: border-box; } .bfa-hero-stat-trio-block { container-type: inline-size; container-name: bfa-hero-trio; font-family: "Source Serif 4", Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; color: #0E1A1A; background: #FAF7F2; border: 1px solid #E8E0D2; border-radius: 20px; padding: 36px 28px; margin: 28px 0; } .bfa-hero-stat-trio-block .bfa-hero-trio__eyebrow { font-family: "Inter", system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0.18em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #44706E; margin: 0 0 12px 0; } .bfa-hero-stat-trio-block .bfa-hero-trio__title { font-family: "Fraunces", Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: 600; font-size: 32px; line-height: 1.15; margin: 0 0 14px 0; color: #0E1A1A; } .bfa-hero-stat-trio-block .bfa-hero-trio__title em { font-style: italic; color: #1F3837; } .bfa-hero-stat-trio-block .bfa-hero-trio__intro { font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.55; color: #4B5C5B; margin: 0 0 28px 0; } .bfa-hero-stat-trio-block .bfa-hero-trio__grid { display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr; gap: 14px; } .bfa-hero-stat-trio-block .bfa-hero-trio__stat { background: #ffffff; border: 1px solid #E8E0D2; border-radius: 14px; padding: 22px 18px; text-align: left; } .bfa-hero-stat-trio-block .bfa-hero-trio__value { font-family: "Fraunces", Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-feature-settings: "tnum" 1; font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums; font-weight: 600; font-size: 44px; line-height: 1; color: #1F3837; } .bfa-hero-stat-trio-block .bfa-hero-trio__unit { font-family: "Inter", system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #44706E; margin-left: 6px; letter-spacing: 0.04em; } .bfa-hero-stat-trio-block .bfa-hero-trio__caption { font-family: "Inter", system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: #728483; margin: 8px 0 0 0; line-height: 1.4; } @container bfa-hero-trio (min-width: 560px) { .bfa-hero-stat-trio-block .bfa-hero-trio__grid { grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr); gap: 16px; } .bfa-hero-stat-trio-block .bfa-hero-trio__title { font-size: 38px; } } @media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) { .bfa-hero-stat-trio-block .bfa-hero-trio__value { transition: none; } } Android camera apps audit Four apps. *Genuine reasons.* Skip the rest of the App Store. ------------------------------------------------------------- The stock camera on flagship [Android phones](https://bestforandroid.com/ "best for android") is excellent. The four apps below add genuine capability for users who need more than the stock provides; the rest of the camera-app market is mostly aesthetic filters. 0appsWorth installing for serious photography 0freeSnapseed; the others are modest one-time or subscription 0phonesTested across Pixel 9 Pro, Galaxy S25 Ultra, OnePlus 13 (function () { function init(block) { if (block.getAttribute("data-bfa-trio-bound") === "1") { return; } block.setAttribute("data-bfa-trio-bound", "1"); var values = block.getElementsByClassName("bfa-hero-trio__value"); var reduce = window.matchMedia("(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)").matches; function animate(el) { var target = parseInt(el.getAttribute("data-bfa-trio-value"), 10) || 0; if (reduce) { el.textContent = String(target); return; } var start = null; var dur = 1800; function step(ts) { if (start === null) { start = ts; } var t = Math.min(1, (ts - start) / dur); var eased = 1 - Math.pow(1 - t, 3); el.textContent = String(Math.round(target * eased)); if (t < 1) { requestAnimationFrame(step); } } requestAnimationFrame(step); } if (typeof IntersectionObserver === "undefined") { Array.prototype.forEach.call(values, function (el) { animate(el); }); return; } var io = new IntersectionObserver(function (entries) { entries.forEach(function (entry) { if (entry.isIntersecting) { animate(entry.target); io.unobserve(entry.target); } }); }, { threshold: 0.4 }); Array.prototype.forEach.call(values, function (el) { io.observe(el); }); } function run() { var blocks = document.getElementsByClassName("bfa-hero-stat-trio-block"); Array.prototype.forEach.call(blocks, function (b) { try { init(b); } catch (e) {} }); } if (document.readyState === "loading") { document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", run); } else { run(); } })(); Most Android phones in 2025 ship with a competent camera app. Pixel and Galaxy flagships have computational photography pipelines that beat what third-party apps can do. Where third-party apps still add value: manual control on any phone, computational photography on older phones that didn't ship with it, and editing tools that the stock app doesn't include. 1. ProShot ---------- **Best for:** manual control (shutter speed, ISO, focus distance, white balance) on any Android phone. ProShot is the most polished manual-camera app on Android. Full DSLR-style control set, RAW capture, intervalometer for time-lapses, and bracketing for HDR work. About $6 one-time. Worth it if you actually use manual control; overkill if you don't. [Visit ProShot](https://www.riseupgames.com/) [Get on Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.riseupgames.proshot) 2. GCam (Google Camera port) ---------------------------- **Best for:** computational photography on older phones that didn't ship with it. The Google Camera app's HDR+, Night Sight, and Portrait Mode are part of why Pixel cameras outperform their hardware. GCam ports bring that pipeline to non-Pixel phones, with results that often equal or beat the OEM camera app on the same hardware. Sideload from GCam Hub or XDA threads. Free, open-source, but not in the Play Store. [Visit GCam (Google Camera port)](https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/android/google-camera/) [Get on Play Store](None) 3. Snapseed ----------- **Best for:** free, fast mobile editing. Snapseed (Google) is the cleanest free photo editor on Android. Selective edits, healing brush, RAW support, and a curve-tool that's better than what's in many paid apps. Free, no ads. [Visit Snapseed](https://snapseed.online/) [Get on Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.niksoftware.snapseed) 4. Adobe Lightroom Mobile ------------------------- **Best for:** serious post-processing tied to a desktop workflow. Lightroom Mobile is the industry-standard mobile editor. Full RAW support, identical edit-stack as desktop Lightroom, with sync across devices for users in the Adobe ecosystem. Free for basic editing; about $10/month for the Photography Plan with Lightroom Classic plus Photoshop included. [Visit Adobe Lightroom Mobile](https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-lightroom.html) [Get on Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.adobe.lrmobile) What about Lightroom Mobile vs. Lightroom Classic? -------------------------------------------------- Lightroom Mobile is the touch-first editor; Lightroom Classic is the desktop-first one. Most users are better with Mobile (free) on the phone and Classic ($10/month) on the desktop, with the cloud-sync Adobe Photography Plan tying the two together. The mobile-only "Lightroom" subscription tier is rarely the right buy. What we'd skip -------------- VSCO, A Color Story, and the long tail of "[film](https://bestforandroid.com/movie-streaming-apps/ "best free movie apps") simulation" apps. They're aesthetic filters wrapped around the same underlying edits Snapseed and Lightroom Mobile already handle. The presets are nice; they're not worth the subscriptions when free alternatives exist. Verdict ------- ProShot for manual capture, GCam port for older phones, Snapseed for free editing, Lightroom Mobile for serious work. Four apps, modest total cost, every gap a stock camera leaves is filled. Skip the filter apps. #### How we tested Tested across Pixel 9 Pro (Android 16), Galaxy S25 Ultra (One UI 7), and OnePlus 13 (OxygenOS 15) plus a Pixel 6a and Galaxy S22 (older devices for GCam testing). Affiliate links may earn BFA a small commission.