Panoramic pictures have taken the photography world by storm. With the rise of VR technology and the spread of 360-degree cameras, now is the perfect time to get into panoramic photography. But you don’t need a headset or a fancy camera to use these panoramic camera apps, and in some cases, you don’t even need to move the phone.

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Best 360 Camera App for Business: Panorama 360

What We Like

• Works with most 360 cameras and Androids.

• Designed for professionals.

• Can take pictures with a VR headset.

What We Don’t Like

• Buggy history with iOS.

• More features than amateurs need.

• Share feature doesn’t always work.

Panorama 360 has been available since 2011. It’s also one of the most fully-featured apps for panoramas, and it works with 360 cameras and other VR technology.

The professional focus can be great if that’s what you’re looking for, but if you’re looking for something more basic, or you’re not interested in anything beyond the occasional vacation photo, this may be more app than you need. Also, some of the high-end features are locked behind an in-app purchase paywall.

Our one other dislike boils down to iOS. While the iOS version is far from shaky, the Android version has a bit less of a bug history.

Download For:

iOS

Android

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Best Basic Panoramic Camera App: iOS Camera

What We Like

• Right there on the iPhone with a swipe.

• Easy sharing.

• Works smoothly with zero bugs in iOS.

What We Don’t Like

• Just one feature in a broader app.

• Requires practice before you can use it smoothly.

Apple pioneered the panorama game, introducing it in iOS 6 as part of a broader push into turning your iPhone into a Swiss Army Knife of photography.

By and large, the iPhone camera takes pretty good panoramic photos. Just press start, keep the arrow level, and move slowly in a circle, and you’ll have a perfect panorama (although you should probably spend a little time practicing in the backyard before you use it on the family vacation).

But this is all you get. If you’re looking to use the app for professional purposes or need more features, you’ll have to venture into the app store.

Read About Pano Mode

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Best Panoramic Camera App for Instagram: PanoramaCrop for Insta

What We Like

• Great tool to turn big photos into panoramas.

• User-friendly interface.

• Keeps resolution when you crop.

What We Don’t Like

• Loads of ads and in-app purchases get in the way.

• Practically demands shooting in landscape with your phone.

• Can’t enter aspect ratios.

If you prefer to shoot images with a DSLR camera, and also want to upload some cool panoramas to Instagram, PanoramaCrop offers a speedy way to do that.

Feed it a picture, and it’ll let you crop it to a panoramic view. It’s a useful tool to have on your phone if you’re shooting and want control without booting up Photoshop, and the panorama cropping is easily scaled.

PanoramaCrop includes ads and in-app purchases, but it’s still usable—and probably the most effective cropping app we’ve found. Also potentially annoying, though: If you use your phone to shoot, it may take a little work to arrange and properly crop a photo that was shot in landscape mode; shooting in portrait mode is easier to crop, which is odd.

Download For:

iOS

Android

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Best Panorama App to Learn On: Photoaf Panorama

What We Like

• “Bubbles” make it easier to level the camera.

• Plenty of tips and tricks for rookies.

What We Don’t Like

• Extremely limited in free mode.

• Outdated, cheesy interface.

• Android only.

Photoaf might be the most granular of the panoramas, with little “bubble” levels on the screen helping you keep your phone in the proper orientation to create the image you want. On some level, Photoaf is a newbie-friendly app with accessible tips and tricks to help you learn more about the app and how to use it.

However, the HD version is locked away unless you pay up. Furthermore, the app has a chunky, dated interface. Looks aren’t everything, and the lack of style isn’t crippling, but if you’re new to panoramas, test out a few other apps first to ensure this is the one that you want before you pay for the app.

Download for Android