Comparison

MyGearVault vs Lightme

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

MyGearVault

This app helps photographers and videographers catalog their equipment. It allows users to input details, organize items into categories or custom kits, and track their value. It also offers features to protect gear, including a stolen item database and access to insurance quotes.

Highlights
  • Input gear details
  • Organize by category
  • Create custom kits
  • Track item value
  • Stolen item database
  • Insurance quotes
Read full description

MyGearVault is the best way to “Input • Organize • Protect” your gear! MyGearVault is a FREE app designed to help photographers and videographers from professionals, to amateurs, to even hobbyists, know what they have and what it’s worth. Quickly and securely input all of your gear into your personal vault. We’ve made it easy for you to store all the important information about your gear. Store and verify your serial number, picture of your receipt, date purchased and much more. Even if your item doesn’t have a serial number ,you can still add it to your vault. We know you have a lot of gear, that’s why we help you organize it in a few unique and effective ways. First, each item can be saved into a specific category (i.e. Cameras, Lens, Computers, Data Storage, etc.). When you click on a category, you will see the total value of items based on the gear inside. Secondly, you can create custom kits of gear, like a wedding kit, travel kit, studio kit, video kit and more. This is a great way to know the value of gear you’re taking with you. Protect your gear. Get piece of mind that your gear has a level of protection when it’s stored inside your vault. For example, if your camera is stolen, simply click the “stolen” button inside the app and your serial number will be entered into our stolen database. If someone tries to verify your lens as their own, we will be notified. We at MyGearVault understand the importance of protecting your gear. That’s why we’re working with licensed professionals with access to top-rated insurance companies to find a solution that fits your needs. Right now inside MyGearVault you can take a short questionnaire to receive an insurance quote. And in about one business day, you can have full comprehensive coverage from one of our licensed insurance partners. MyGearVault: Input • Organize • Protect

About

Lightme

This app helps analog photographers meticulously track their film rolls, shots, and development processes. It allows for detailed logging of gear and consumables, with features for data visualization and export. Users can also manage film holders and add post-development notes with photos of final results.

Highlights
  • Log film rolls, shots, and development
  • Track gear and consumables
  • Data visualization with graphs/histograms
  • Data export in JSON/CSV formats
  • Manage large format film holders
  • Post-development notes with photos
Features
Read full description

Lightme - Logbook is a clean and powerful tool to record and keep track of your rolls, shots, developments, and all the gear that revolves around shooting film — from 35mm to medium and large format. The idea behind it is simple: logging a shot should take seconds, not steal time from actually shooting. Lightme pairs a beautiful, immediate interface with enough depth and flexibility to fit any workflow, whether you shoot a couple of rolls a year or fill several large format holders in an afternoon. LOGGING, EFFORTLESSLY • Log a shot in seconds: aperture, shutter speed, focal length, filters, bellows correction, measured EV, notes and more • Log straight from your wrist with the companion Apple Watch app, with Siri and Shortcuts, or from the home screen and lock screen widgets • Together with the Lightme Lightmeter app, your meter readings can prefill a new shot automatically • Every shot can carry a location and address, a preview photo, and later its final scan, plus a star rating ROLLS, SHEETS AND DEVELOPMENTS • Track rolls from loading to unloading, with film stocks from a growing database and a processing pipeline: waiting for development, off to the lab, back from the lab, to be scanned, scanned • Keep detailed development notes — developer, dilution, time, temperature, agitation — for rolls and single sheets alike, including push/pull (N+ / N-) development • Add post-development notes and a photo of the final result to rolls, sheets and individual shots YOUR GEAR, ORGANIZED • Cameras and lenses with nicknames, formats (including custom formats you define), pinhole and bellows flags, custom shutter speeds and selectable shutter step sizes • Roll film backs and lens filters with their exposure compensation • Film holders and backs can be marked as compatible with specific cameras, and everything is searchable from a single bar LARGE FORMAT, COVERED • Keep track of your film holders with three states — unloaded, loaded and exposed — always knowing which film is inside each one • Group holders together and follow every sheet from exposure through development INSIGHTS FROM YOUR DATA • Build and save custom queries, filtering by date (fixed or rolling windows), camera, lens, film stock, format, ISO, aperture, shutter speed, focal length and notes • Visualize results with histograms — by camera, lens, film stock, shutter speed, aperture, focal length, ISO, format, rating or hour of the day — alongside aggregate stats like mean aperture and average exposure • Save the queries you use most and re-run them anytime YOUR DATA, YOURS • Everything syncs privately through iCloud across your iPhone and iPad • Export any selection of data as CSV or JSON, or as a beautifully formatted PDF with customizable columns and a contact-sheet mode, bundled with your images in a single ZIP • Batch-write shooting metadata (EXIF) onto your scans — for a whole roll at once, or by matching files from the Files app • Viewing and exporting your data is free, forever; adding and editing is unlocked with a one-time purchase or a subscription AND MORE • Full-text search, favourites and an archive to keep things tidy • Available in English, Italian, Spanish, Japanese and Simplified Chinese • A roadmap of what's coming next lives right in the app — new very cool features are on the way :) If you have any suggestion or issue, write me at lightme.apps@gmail.com Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

MyGearVault4 screens
Lightme4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Lightme at 4.8 against MyGearVault's 3.1. Lightme also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 47%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). MyGearVault's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.6). On price, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Lightme sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. MyGearVault asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lightme holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 148 and 104 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 47% of MyGearVault's written reviews are positive against 75% of Lightme's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MyGearVault ships an update monthly, Lightme every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
MyGearVault versus Lightme: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMyGearVaultLightme
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (148 ratings)4.8 (104 ratings) — better
Positive reviews46.7% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings148 — better104
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMyGearVault LLCGiuseppe Bertolini

Customer experience

MyGearVault

All ratings145 ratings
Positive47.6%
Neutral12.4%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews152 reviews
Positive46.7%
Neutral14.5%
Negative38.8%

Lightme

All ratings102 ratings
Positive97.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative12.5%

Bugs and requests

MyGearVault

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Gear data gets lost when switching apps
  • Unable to delete account
  • Receipts are heavily compressed and unreadable
  • Login and password reset not functioning
  • App not working on older devices

Requested features

7 requests
  • Add weight field for gear
  • Implement iPad version
  • Allow custom categories and organization
  • Provide desktop/web app version
  • Add barcode/QR code scanning
Show 2 more
  • Implement gear check-in/out feature
  • Enable gear list import from spreadsheets

Lightme

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

MyGearVault

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

Lightme

Subscriptions4
  • 1 Cappuccino7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Focaccia Barese7 Days trial$12.991 Year
  • Spaghetti Carbonara7 Days trial$29.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Homemade Pizza party7 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time3
  • Box of Prosecco$59.99
  • Fuel for my '90s camper$119.99
  • Terme for two$239.99

Questions

Is MyGearVault free?
MyGearVault is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Lightme free?
Lightme is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MyGearVault or Lightme?
Lightme is rated higher. MyGearVault averages 3.1 out of 5 from 148 ratings, while Lightme averages 4.8 from 104 ratings.
Do MyGearVault or Lightme have ads?
Neither MyGearVault nor Lightme shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MyGearVault or Lightme?
MyGearVault ships an update monthly, and Lightme every 2 weeks. Most recently, MyGearVault was updated on November 2, 2026 and Lightme on November 3, 2026.

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