astra vs Scene
Both lock photos until a reveal. The difference is the film, and what each one is willing to sell you.
At a glance
| astra | Scene | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | up to 10 people | up to 5 guests |
| Film | 18 stocks, simulated from real emulsions | 3 film styles |
| Extra film | not for sale at any price | unlimited shots, $9.99 add-on |
| Locked reveal | yes | yes |
| Guests install anything | no, the link works in the browser (the app is iPhone only) | no |
| Works offline | no | yes |
| Host can set up on the web | no | yes |
| Audio guest book | no | yes |
| Something to use on a Tuesday | yes, a daily roll | no, events only |
How they actually differ
The film is the actual difference
Scene offers three film styles. astra has eighteen stocks, each with its own tone curve, halation, channel crosstalk and colour balance, modelled on real emulsions rather than applied as a colour wash. If you cannot tell the difference between a filter and a film simulation, this will not matter to you. If you can, it is the only thing that does.
Scene sells more film. astra will not.
Scene offers unlimited shots as a $9.99 add-on. astra does not sell frames at any price — you get one to three rolls a day, earned by shooting in someone else’s capsule or hosting one someone joins. That is a real constraint and you should pick the one you want. Unlimited captures make a bigger gallery; a finite roll makes people think before they press it.
Both lock the reveal
This is sometimes presented as a difference and it is not. Scene holds photos until a host-set time exactly as astra does. The one early look astra has is a peek: one random photo, bought by one person and shown only to them, which a host can switch off.
Scene does things astra does not
An audio guest book, offline shooting, and setting up an event from a browser rather than the app. If any of those decide it for you, Scene is the better buy and you should take it.
Which one to buy
Choose Scene if you want unlimited captures, an audio guest book, offline shooting, or you need to set the whole thing up on a laptop.
Choose astra if the look of the photographs is the point, you want the same camera on an ordinary Tuesday and not just at events, or you actively want the limit of a real roll.
Compared in September 2026 against Scene’s own published material. Both products change; check theirs before deciding. Where a price is not quoted here it is because we could not verify it on the day, not because it is unfavourable.