Comparison

Darkroom Clock vs Light Meter Ultra

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

Head to head
About

Darkroom Clock

This app provides a customizable timer for film and photo development, allowing users to create unique development recipes. It features a darkroom-safe mode, a clear display, and a full-screen start/stop button for ease of use. Receive notifications if a timer is running when you leave the app.

Highlights
  • Configurable development recipes
  • Darkroom mode for B&W paper
  • Clear information display
  • Full screen start/stop button
  • Running timer notifications
Features
Read full description

Darkroom Clock is a flexible darkroom timer app suitable for both film and photo development. Build your own development recipes with separate timers for each stage of your development process. The app includes - fully configurable development recipes. - darkroom mode (safe to use with B&W photographic paper). - clear display with all the information you need. - the whole screen is the start/stop button for the timers - notifications if you leave the app while a timer is still running Also the app is free so there is no reason to not download it.

About

Light Meter Ultra

This app provides precise light metering for film photography, eliminating the need for external hardware. It offers various metering modes and customizable profiles to ensure perfect exposures for manual cameras. Advanced features like reciprocity failure correction are available with a PRO plan.

Highlights
  • Aperture Priority Metering
  • Shutter Priority Metering
  • Exposure Priority Metering
  • Customizable ISO, Shutter Speed, Aperture
  • Exposure Compensation
  • Reciprocity Failure Correction
  • Custom Camera Profiles
Read full description

Fast, precise and easy to use. Get perfect exposures every time. No additional hardware required. Say goodbye to arcane Sunny 16. Figuring out the best exposure settings for your manual camera doesn’t have to be difficult. Light Meter Ultra for iPhone gives you the exact readings you need for your camera by simply pointing your device at the scene. Precise measurements mean you can dial in the perfect exposure settings for capturing the widest dynamic range, whilst customizable shooting profiles allow you to switch between settings with a single tap. Download now and take advantage of our free plan which includes our precision Aperture Priority metering mode, limited settings, and single-use shooting profiles. Or choose one of our PRO plans and gain access to everything the app has to offer, including our full suite of professional metering modes, quick-select reusable shooting profiles, plus advanced features such as reciprocity failure correction that you won't find elsewhere. Capture your creative vision with powerful features, including: - Aperture Priority Metering Mode - Shutter Priority Metering Mode* - Exposure Priority Metering Mode* - Stop increment selection of full, half or third stops* - Customizable ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture ranges* - Exposure Compensation - Exposure Lock - Sample Offset - Custom Camera Profiles* - Detachable Lens Profiles* - Film/Emulsion Profiles* - Bulb-mode* - Reciprocity Failure Correction* *Features marked with an asterisk require an active PRO plan Download now and start metering on your iPhone today. Terms of Use: https://lightmeterultra.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://lightmeterultra.com/privacy

Screenshots

Darkroom Clock3 screens
Light Meter Ultra4 screens

Verdict

The call

Darkroom Clock and Light Meter Ultra both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 83% of Darkroom Clock's written reviews are positive against 38% of Light Meter Ultra's. Darkroom Clock also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 6) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 18.6). Light Meter Ultra's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (738 vs 85). On price, rating, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Light Meter Ultra sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. Darkroom Clock asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Darkroom Clock against 4.7 for Light Meter Ultra. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Light Meter Ultra has 738 ratings behind it against 85, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of Darkroom Clock's written reviews are positive against 38% of Light Meter Ultra's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Darkroom Clock ships an update every 3 months, Light Meter Ultra every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Darkroom Clock versus Light Meter Ultra: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDarkroom ClockLight Meter Ultra
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (85 ratings)4.7 (738 ratings) — better
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews — better37.9% of reviews
Number of ratings85738 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB81 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdam FowlerUltrafine

Customer experience

Darkroom Clock

All ratings84 ratings
Positive90.5%
Neutral3.6%
Negative6.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral8.3%
Negative8.3%

Light Meter Ultra

All ratings738 ratings
Positive92.0%
Neutral2.4%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews87 reviews
Positive37.9%
Neutral11.5%
Negative50.6%

Bugs and requests

Darkroom Clock

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Light Meter Ultra

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Camera integration issues causing failed exposures
  • Inconsistent metering results compared to standalone meters

Requested features

4 requests
  • Offline mode for remote shooting
  • Wider aperture and shutter speed range
  • Support for more camera/film types
  • Customizable exposure bias/compensation

In-app purchases

None

Darkroom Clock

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Light Meter Ultra

Subscriptions3
  • Light Meter7 Days trial2 variants$7.997 Days
  • Light Meter2 variants$11.991 Month
  • Light Meter2 variants$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Darkroom Clock free?
Darkroom Clock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Light Meter Ultra free?
Light Meter Ultra is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Darkroom Clock or Light Meter Ultra?
Light Meter Ultra is rated higher. Darkroom Clock averages 4.6 out of 5 from 85 ratings, while Light Meter Ultra averages 4.7 from 738 ratings.
Do Darkroom Clock or Light Meter Ultra have ads?
Neither Darkroom Clock nor Light Meter Ultra shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Darkroom Clock or Light Meter Ultra?
Darkroom Clock ships an update every 3 months, and Light Meter Ultra every 8 days. Most recently, Darkroom Clock was updated on October 20, 2026 and Light Meter Ultra on November 3, 2026.

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