Telescope next to the others
DroidCam, Iriun and Camo have been around for years and they're good apps. Here's how they line up with Telescope on the things people usually ask about. Everything about them comes from their own websites and app store pages, linked at the bottom.
| Telescope | DroidCam | Iriun | Camo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, all of it | Free at standard definition (640x480), Pro upgrade for HD | Free, Pro version available | Free up to 720p, Pro for more |
| Watermark on the free version | None | On HD video until you buy Pro | Yes, Pro removes it | None |
| Ads on the free version | None | Yes, Pro removes them | Yes, Pro removes them | None |
| Manual exposure and white balance from the computer | Free | Pro | Pro | Not stated |
| Computer | Windows, Linux | Windows, Linux, Mac through the OBS plugin | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS |
| Phone | Android 8+, or any phone with a browser | Android, iPhone | Android, iPhone | Android 7+, iPhone (iOS 15+) |
| Source code | Public, AGPL-3.0 | I couldn't find published source for any of them | ||
Where Telescope is different
- Every lens. Pick the ultra-wide, main or telephoto sensor yourself. Zooming in hops over to the telephoto once the framing fits, which is why it gets sharper instead of blurrier.
- Full manual control of ISO, shutter, focus, white balance and noise reduction, live from the desktop and not locked behind a Pro version.
- Up to four phones at once, each showing up as its own webcam.
- Starts automatically when an app opens the camera if you want it to, and stops once nothing's using it.
- No account, no cloud, no tracking in the apps. Video goes straight from phone to computer, encrypted. The apps only go online to check GitHub for updates, or to fetch adb or VB-Cable when you ask.
- Made on Linux. The phone's mic shows up as Telescope Microphone through PulseAudio or PipeWire, with nothing extra to install on most desktops.
Where the others win
- iPhone app and macOS. Telescope's phone app is Android only and the desktop app runs on Windows and Linux. On an iPhone, Browser camera works with no install, but a native app does more.
- Years of polish. They've had a lot more time and a lot more phones to test on.
- DroidCam's OBS plugin feeds OBS directly, with no virtual camera in between.
Something here out of date or wrong? Open an issue and I'll fix it.