The 7 Best Video Recording Apps for iPhone and Android

Great for Advanced Users: FiLMic Pro

FiLMic Pro is powerful, feature-rich, and ready to line up against any other video application and come out on top. In addition to manual controls for virtually every function, the app brings features from professional video cameras, such as zebra stripes for exposure warnings, focus peaking, and log gamma curve recording for later color grading.

You'll also find more common features like frame rates from 24 to 240 and various file format options. Audio recording is equally professional, with support for 16- and 24-bit audio, granular controls, and advanced tools for experienced filmmakers.  

If you're serious about recording video on your smartphone, especially on iPhone, this is the app you need. The app is free and offers in-app purchases for many of the most professional features. 

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Cinema Quality for iPhone: MAVIS

MAVIS is another dense recording tool. It's packed with professional and broadcast-level features like shutter angle, a real-time color vectorscope and exposure waveform, and custom frame rates between 3fps and 240fps. Audio recording options are impressively broad, including audio monitoring passthrough and support for recording audio through devices connected to the iPhone's Lightning port.

Shooting assistant options include zebra bars, false color for exposure and ranges, and focus peaking for precision focusing. Uniquely, selectable bitrates range from 10Mbps up to 100Mbps, and embedded timecodes appear in video files. 

Like FiLMic, MAVIS offers a massive array of professional controls. The interface is clean and professional, but the broad toolset is available only to iOS users for $6.

Advanced Control for Beginners: MoviePro

If you're serious about filming on your iPhone, but you don't want to invest in MAVIS, MoviePro is a good compromise. The app offers an impressive number of features, including manual controls for nearly every feature of the app and a range of video recording options.

Audio recording and monitoring options are just as flexible, with on-screen audio meters and Bluetooth microphone input options. 

For users that like taking videos on their devices but might be overwhelmed by the feature range and complexity of FiLMic Pro and MAVIS, MoviePro is an excellent choice. This app is also free to use with in-app purchases for desired advanced features.

Straightforward Android Camera Enhancer: Open Camera

Open Camera is primarily built for still images, but its video recording capabilities are impressive as well. It's completely free, with no in-app purchases.

The feature list includes desirable functions that enhance the the built-in camera app. Open Camera also supports the newest Camera2 API. This API allows the app to set manual focus, ISO, exposure, white balance, exposing burst mode, RAW capture (via DNG), and slow-motion video. 

Open Camera is a capable camera application that can ably replace the built-in app on your Android phone at no additional charge. 

Ideal for Content Creators: Videoshop Video Editor

Videoshop isn't a camera recording app, but it's an essential companion to one. It's a straightforward and capable application for producing simple edited videos on your smartphone.

You can combine multiple clips, add music, insert titles, and apply filters to your sequence, then share it to nearly any social media channel. All of this can be done within the app, with no need for a computer. 

The Videoshop app is free, but access to pro-level features requires in-app purchases that range from $1 to $40.

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A Powerful Choice for All Levels: LumaFusion

If you want a professional editor to go with your professional iOS video recording app, look at LumaFusion. It's one of the most powerful video editing apps on the App Store. And it's also available in the Play Store for Android devices.

LumaFusion delivers professional multi-track editing and many of the tools you'd expect to find in a desktop non-linear editing (NLE) application. It will run you nearly $30, but the pro-level features fit the price.

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