# Darkroom Clock vs Light Meter Ultra

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Darkroom Clock | Light Meter Ultra |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (85 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/darkroom-clock/id1401045393/reviews) | **[4.7 (738 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/light-meter-ultra/id1558108173/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 85 | **738** |
| Positive reviews | **83.3% of reviews** | 37.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 7 MB | 81 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adam Fowler](https://appshunter.io/developer/1216484604) | [Ultrafine](https://appshunter.io/developer/1558108175) |

## What reviewers say

### Darkroom Clock

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/darkroom-clock/id1401045393)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Light Meter Ultra

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/light-meter-ultra/id1558108173)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Light Meter | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Light Meter | $11.99 | per month |
| Light Meter | $39.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Accurate and fast metering
- 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
- 💡 Customizable settings (aperture, shutter, ISO)
- 🔍 Useful for analog/film photography

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🔒 Locked features behind paywall
- 🐛 Unreliable performance in low-light conditions
- 📱 Requires internet connection for full functionality

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


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