# Golden Hour vs Phonesty

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Phonesty at none against Golden Hour's 1. Phonesty also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 17.0). Golden Hour's advantage is ratings volume (399 vs 1). 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. Phonesty asks for nothing beyond the download.

Phonesty holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Golden Hour has 399 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Golden Hour ships an update every 2 months, Phonesty monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Golden Hour | Phonesty |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (399 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/golden-hour/id1148036991/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phonesty/id1565264787/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **399** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 48.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 21 MB | 64 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **9.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Applorium Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1688522804) | [Phonesty GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1565251620) |

## 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


### Phonesty

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phonesty/id1565264787)

This video conferencing app offers secure and affordable meetings with a high participant capacity. Features include automatic muting with a "raise hand" option, customizable room settings for various uses like teaching or webinars, and the ability to record conferences. Participants can also join via phone dial-in or receive automated calls.

**Highlights:** High participant capacity, Plenum Mode with "raise hand", Customizable conference rooms, Automatic speaker switching, Conference recording, Phone dial-in and automated calls

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Golden Hour free?

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

### Is Phonesty free?

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

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

Phonesty is rated higher. Golden Hour averages 4.7 out of 5 from 399 ratings, while Phonesty averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Golden Hour or Phonesty have ads?

Neither Golden Hour nor Phonesty shows ads.

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

Golden Hour ships an update every 2 months, and Phonesty monthly. Most recently, Golden Hour was updated on November 6, 2026 and Phonesty on November 3, 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.*
