# Golden Hour vs VACOS

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Golden Hour at 49% against VACOS's 0%. Golden Hour also leads on rating (4.7 vs 1.2) and ratings volume (399 vs 11). VACOS's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Golden Hour sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. VACOS asks for nothing beyond the download.

Golden Hour holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Golden Hour has 399 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 49% of Golden Hour's written reviews are positive against 0% of VACOS's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Golden Hour | VACOS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (399 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/golden-hour/id1148036991/reviews)** | [1.2 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vacos/id1491862065/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **399** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | **48.9% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 21 MB | 95 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **8.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Applorium Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1688522804) | [Shenzhen Kean Digital co., LTD.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1018160450) |

## What reviewers say

### Golden Hour

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/golden-hour/id1148036991)

Find the optimal times for photography with the best natural light based on your chosen location and date. It also provides sun positions and offers a convenient watch app for real-time golden hour information.

**Highlights:** Optimal light time calculation, Sun position data, Location and date specific, Watch app integration, Gorgeous light for pictures

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lifetime upgrade | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 👍 Great for photographers
- 👍 Clean UI, no ads
- 👍 Accurate golden hour times
- 👍 Works well on watch (sometimes)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App not opening/loading
- 🐛 Errors after update
- 🐛 Location search broken
- 🐛 Inaccurate weather
- 🐛 Not optimized for iPhone SE/X

**Reported bugs**

- App not opening
- App not loading on watch
- Unknown error message on launch
- App crashes after update
- Search for other locations broken (time zone issue)

**Requested features**

- Add blue hour timeframes
- Add labels for map lines
- Add option to save last location
- Add live wallpapers
- Add diagram for shots


### VACOS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vacos/id1491862065)

Easily access and control your smart home devices remotely. Stay connected with your family through seamless network technology, ensuring your data is secure with advanced encryption.

**Highlights:** Remote device control, Home monitoring, Family connectivity, Secure data encryption, Seamless network technology

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Golden Hour free?

Golden Hour is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is VACOS free?

VACOS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Golden Hour or VACOS?

Golden Hour is rated higher. Golden Hour averages 4.7 out of 5 from 399 ratings, while VACOS averages 1.2 from 11 ratings.

### Do Golden Hour or VACOS have ads?

Neither Golden Hour nor VACOS shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Golden Hour or VACOS?

Golden Hour ships an update every 2 months, and VACOS every 2 months. Most recently, Golden Hour was updated on November 6, 2026 and VACOS on November 5, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*