CloudTether vs Photo Mechanic
CloudTether tethers your camera to your phone over USB or Wi-Fi and delivers every shot to the cloud in real time — no laptop, no SD-card shuffle. Here's how it compares to Photo Mechanic.
Cloud storage
Galleries & proofing
Messaging
Transfer & servers
What Photo Mechanic is
Photo Mechanic is a fast desktop ingest, culling and metadata tool (Mac and Windows) loved by working pros for rapidly browsing, rating and tagging huge take-downs once the cards come out of the camera.
Where CloudTether is different
They work at different stages. Photo Mechanic starts once images are already on a computer — it's built for speed-culling and metadata, not for getting images off the camera. CloudTether runs during the shoot, on your phone: every frame is pulled from the camera and delivered to the cloud in real time, with no card-shuffle and no laptop.
Why photographers choose CloudTether
- Auto-delivers every shot to the cloud — Dropbox, Google Drive, SmugMug, ShootProof, FTP and more — seconds after the shutter.
- Runs on your phone — no laptop to carry, set up, or keep powered on location.
- Works across Canon, Sony, Nikon and Fujifilm from a single app.
- Upload once, fan out to multiple destinations in one session (Pro).
- Uploads over your phone's mobile data — no venue Wi-Fi required.
- Local mode saves straight to your phone's photo library when you're offline.
When Photo Mechanic is the better choice
For blazing-fast culling, star-rating, captioning and IPTC metadata at a desk after a shoot, Photo Mechanic is in a class of its own, and CloudTether doesn't try to replace it. CloudTether's job is the step before: getting every shot off the camera and delivered while you're still working.
FAQ
Is CloudTether a Photo Mechanic alternative?
They solve different problems. Photo Mechanic is a desktop tool for culling and tagging images you've already imported; CloudTether gets images off the camera and into the cloud in real time from your phone. Many photographers use both — CloudTether on set, Photo Mechanic back at the desk.
Can CloudTether deliver shots during the shoot instead of after?
Yes — that's the point. CloudTether detects each capture and delivers the full-resolution file from your phone to destinations like Dropbox, Google Drive, SmugMug and ShootProof as you shoot, over USB or Wi-Fi.
See it for yourself
CloudTether is available on iOS and Android.
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