Light vs Thunderstorm Simulator
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Light
Enhance your photos with unique light effects and custom messages. Choose backgrounds, paintbrushes, and colors to create personalized images for social media, greeting cards, or smartphone wallpapers.
- Add light effects to photos
- Select backgrounds from templates or own photos
- Choose from various paintbrushes and colors
- Adjust brush size
- Add custom messages
- Save and share creations
- Undo/erase unwanted edits
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Add a gleam to your photos with the unique LEDVANCE Light-Painter! No matter whether you are talking about vacation photos, selfies or everyday snapshots – you can add a personal touch to them in a snap with the help of the Light-Painter app. How? It's a piece of cake! Just select a background. This can be your own photo or one found in our many image templates. You then select a paintbrush, the brush size and the color. Various effects can be produced with the different types of brushes – from a shimmering light to dual strands of light and 3D effects. Tap the brush that you want to use and then set the brush size by moving the slider from left to right with your finger. After everything is just the way you want it, you can close the control panel and get started. Use light to accentuate your images and add a message at will. You can also select something from the Light-Painter templates that you can integrate into your photo. Don’t like the result? Simply use the eraser to remove certain areas or go back one work step using the back arrow. Once you have finished your piece of art, you can save it and share it with your friends. You can use your self-designed images as background photos for your smartphone, as an enhancement for your social media account or as a special greeting card. What are you waiting for? Pick up a brush and create a sparkle!
Thunderstorm Simulator
Create a personalized thunderstorm experience with adjustable rain, thunder, and lightning effects. Customize sound volumes, lightning occurrences, and light colors to relax or fall asleep. Includes a sleep timer and options for background nature sounds.
- Adjustable rain sounds and volume
- Customizable thunder and lightning occurrences
- Screen or camera flash lightning effects
- Background nature sounds
- Sleep timer with fade-out
- Keep Awake mode
- Lightning on Demand control
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Summon a thunderstorm on your mobile device. Relax and fall fast asleep to the sounds of rain and thunder. The screen or camera flashes when lightning strikes.* *Defaults to screen for lightning light effects if camera flash is not available. THUNDERSTORMS • Strong Thunderstorm — Heavy rain with frequent lightning and thunder nearby • Normal Thunderstorm — Steady rain with a full range of lightning and thunder • Weak Thunderstorm — Light rain with occasional lightning and thunder far off • Passing Thunderstorms — Rain and lightning intensity changes as the storms pass SETTINGS Rain • Toggle rain sound effects • Change rain audio: Default, Heavy, Steady, Light, On Tin Roof • Change rain volume Lightning/Thunder • Toggle thunder sound effects • Change thunder volume • Change delay lightning (Wireless audio delay offset) • Toggle delay thunder • Toggle lightning light effects • Change lightning output: Camera Flash, Screen • Change lightning transition effects • Change lightning/thunder occurrence: Default, Occasional, Normal, Frequent • Change color and max brightness of lightning light effects (Screen only) Passing Thunderstorms • Change starting storm for Passing Thunderstorms: Weak, Normal, Strong • Change cycle time for Passing Thunderstorms: 15m, 30m, 60m Background Sounds • Toggle background sounds: Birds, Cicadas, Crickets, Frogs • Change background sounds volume General • Keep Awake to prevent your device from going to sleep so lightning effects remain visible • Select a mode to automatically start when the app opens • Choose a time to automatically stop the selected mode • Choose a time to automatically restart the selected mode when the sleep timer ends, enabling a recurring cycle ADDITIONAL FEATURES • Sleep Timer — Set a timer with a gradual audio fade-out. • Turn Screen Black — Adds a black overlay and sets the device to minimum brightness. Use the Screen Brightness Delay setting to compensate for brightness ramp-up on some devices. Set to 0.25–1 second if lightning effects do not reach peak brightness when thunder is loudest. • Lightning on Demand — Start a storm and use the lightning buttons at the bottom of the screen for manual control. • Bluetooth Support — Connect to Bluetooth speakers. Adjust the Delay Lightning setting to offset wireless audio delay. Please contact me at support@thunderstorm.scottdodson.dev if you experience any issues. I'd love to hear your thoughts and appreciate you taking the time to rate and review the app. I want to continue to improve Thunderstorm Simulator and create a great experience for you and future users. Thank you! —Scott Ad-supported version: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/thunderstorm-simulator-w-ads/id1482707561
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Light at Free against Thunderstorm Simulator's $1.99. Light also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0.0). Thunderstorm Simulator's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 2.7) and review sentiment (100% vs 63%). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Light is free to download; Thunderstorm Simulator costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Thunderstorm Simulator holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Light's written reviews are positive against 100% of Thunderstorm Simulator's.
Light ships an update monthly, Thunderstorm Simulator every 4 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Light | Thunderstorm Simulator |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.99 |
| Rating | 2.7 (3 ratings) | 4.5 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 62.5% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 15.0.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 72 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | LEDVANCE GmbH | Scott Dodson |
Customer experience
Light
Thunderstorm Simulator
In-app purchases
Light
No in-app purchases
Thunderstorm Simulator
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Light free?
Is Thunderstorm Simulator free?
Which has better reviews, Light or Thunderstorm Simulator?
Do Light or Thunderstorm Simulator have ads?
Which is updated more often, Light or Thunderstorm Simulator?
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