Comparison

DiscoMachine Lite vs Lumen

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

Head to head
About

DiscoMachine Lite

Features
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β—†An AR camera app that transforms the space in front of you into a sparkling neon disco. β—†Instantly turns any space into a party vibe. Perfect for fun videos with friends or loved ones. β—†Every scene β€” night views, indoors, city streets β€” comes alive with glittering neon effects. Effects move rhythmically to the BGM, creating endlessly entertaining visuals. β—†In addition to built-in BGM, you can also use your own music as the background track. *DRM-protected songs (such as purchased songs) may not be available for playback. β—†Share your recorded videos directly to TikTok, Instagram, X (Twitter), and more. β—†Lite Version Limitations Only one built-in song can be selected. A LITE VERSION watermark will be added. β—†If you enjoy the Lite version, please consider purchasing the full version "DiscoMachine" β€” enjoy it without the watermark. *Before purchasing the paid version, we recommend first confirming that the Lite version works satisfactorily on your device.

About

Lumen

Features
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Lumen is an on-device AI camera for still photos. It reads the scene live and tunes focus, exposure and tone for you, then finishes each photo with a hand-crafted, film-inspired color look. Still photography only: Lumen does not record video. TWO MODES β€’ AI Β· 12MP: scene-aware processing plus your chosen film look. The preview is WYSIWYG, so what you see is what you get. β€’ MAX (Pro): the largest photo size iOS offers for your lens (24MP on iPhone 17 Pro) with the phone's native processing. Lumen's AI finishing and film looks are not applied in MAX. AI CAPTURE: QUALITY OR SPEED In the Β·Β·Β· menu you choose how AI mode balances processing and waiting time. Quality is the default; Speed asks iOS to trade a little processing for a shorter wait after the shutter. FILM LOOKS 14 looks (including Off), inspired by classic analog film: from neutral and soft to warm golden tones, high-contrast black & white, silvery monochrome and sepia, plus punchy street looks like Hard Light and Midnight Glow. Off, Standard and Classic are free; the other looks come with Lumen Pro. Swipe the strip to compare. MACRO, BUILT IN (Pro) Macro switches to the ultra-wide lens itself instead of digitally cropping the main camera. Focus Peaking colors the sharpest edges as you shoot, so you always know what's in focus once depth of field gets razor-thin. Turn on Focus Stacking and Lumen shoots a few frames at different focus distances and merges them into one photo, sharp from front to back, entirely on your iPhone. Best with a steady hand or a small tripod. FOCUS TRIGGER (free) Tap a small detail, hold the shutter and rock the phone gently. Lumen watches that exact spot and fires the moment it's sharp. LUMEN BUDDY (Pro) A small mascot watches the live view and gives short, friendly tips on sharpness, keeping the horizon level and framing. When it recognizes your subject it may suggest a film look. Buddy only advises; it never touches the shutter or your settings. PORTRAIT (Pro, LiDAR devices) Background blur built on your iPhone's LiDAR depth data. Choose an f-stop from f/1.4 to f/8 and Lumen scales both the blur and the depth-of-field zone. Requires iPhone 12 Pro or later Pro models. LOW-LIGHT (Pro) Not Apple's Night mode: Lumen allows exposures of up to half a second so the sensor can use a lower ISO, then adds noise reduction and gentle shadow recovery. Hold steady after the shutter click. PRO MANUAL AND RAW (Pro) Control shutter speed, ISO, white balance and focus by hand, and shoot a DNG alongside the JPEG for editing in Lightroom, Darkroom or any RAW editor. BUILT FOR SPEED AND CONTROL β€’ Tap to focus and meter anywhere, with an exposure slider next to the focus box. β€’ Zoom presets that follow your iPhone's lenses, plus pinch. β€’ Camera Control on iPhone 16 and 17: click to shoot, swipe to zoom. β€’ Responsive Capture where your iPhone supports it, so you can keep shooting while the previous photo finishes processing. β€’ Full EXIF preserved; photos are saved to your Photos library in a dedicated album. FREE AND LUMEN PRO Free: AI mode, the Off, Standard and Classic looks, tap-to-focus, zoom, flash and Focus Trigger. Lumen Pro is a one-time purchase, no subscription, and unlocks all film looks, MAX, Pro manual with RAW, Portrait, Low-Light, Macro with focus stacking, Focus Peaking and Buddy. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Everything runs on your device. No accounts, no servers, no analytics, no tracking. Your photos never leave your phone unless you share them.

Screenshots

DiscoMachine Lite3 screens
Lumen4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: DiscoMachine Lite at none against Lumen's 1. DiscoMachine Lite also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Lumen's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 19 months). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Lumen sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. DiscoMachine Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DiscoMachine Lite ships an update every 19 months, Lumen every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences Β· 2 level
DiscoMachine Lite versus Lumen: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDiscoMachine LiteLumen
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 19 monthsEvery 6 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 β€” better17.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size109 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKOJI HARAMario Steenbergen

In-app purchases

None

DiscoMachine Lite

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Lumen

One-time1
  • Lumen Pro$6.99

Questions

Is DiscoMachine Lite free?
DiscoMachine Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Lumen free?
Lumen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do DiscoMachine Lite or Lumen have ads?
Neither DiscoMachine Lite nor Lumen shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DiscoMachine Lite or Lumen?
DiscoMachine Lite ships an update every 19 months, and Lumen every 6 days. Most recently, DiscoMachine Lite was updated on October 4, 2026 and Lumen on October 15, 2026.

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