Comparison

Colorbolt vs Readlight

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

Head to head
About

Colorbolt

Adjust screen brightness and display custom colors with a simple swipe. This minimalist utility offers a distraction-free experience, providing hex and RGB values for chosen colors. It's designed for one-handed use and prevents screen locking or dimming.

Highlights
  • Brightness control by swiping anywhere
  • Custom color selection with Hex/RGB values
  • Distraction-free, no UI/settings
  • One-handed operation
  • Prevents screen locking and dimming
  • Delightful haptic feedback
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Colorbolt turns your phone into a full-screen color Swiss Army Knife. Pick a color and swipe anywhere on the screen to control the actual brightness of your device. Use it as a fill light for photos, a mood lamp, a concert lighter, a nightlight, to sneak into bed without waking anyone, or just because it looks good. PREMADE PALETTES • 30 curated colors across three palettes — Basics, Vibes, and Moods. Useful, atmospheric, and very attractive. THREE ONE-TAP MODES • Global Pulse — Every Colorbolt pulses once per second in perfect sync and shares the same slowly drifting color. No pairing or setup. Great for concerts and festivals. • Pulse — Your chosen color rises and falls on a steady once-per-second pulse. • Rainbow — A smooth, authored 12-second journey through the full color spectrum. CUSTOM COLORS • Color wheel — Drag to any hue and saturation. • Kelvin temperature slider — Dial in warm candlelight at 1800 K or crisp daylight at 6500 K. • RGB + HEX entry — Find values from the colors, or colors from the values. • Save your favorites — Build a personal library of colors you love and use. HOME SCREEN WIDGET Access fullscreen colors directly from your home screen — white, red, your last used color, or a shortcut straight to the color picker. No ads. No in-app purchases.

About

Readlight

Transform your phone into an eye-friendly reading lamp. Enjoy a customizable, soft glow that reduces eye strain and aids relaxation, perfect for reading in bed without disturbing others. Features include a smart sleep timer and always-on display.

Highlights
  • Screen as a reading lamp
  • Eye care and blue light filter
  • Smart sleep timer
  • Adjustable brightness
  • Always-on display
Features
Read full description

Love reading in bed but hate straining your eyes or waking your partner? Readlight turns your phone into the perfect, eye-friendly book lamp. Instead of a harsh screen glare, Readlight emits a soft, customizable glow that reduces eye fatigue and helps you relax before sleep. No ads, no subscriptions, just uninterrupted reading. WHY YOU WILL LOVE IT: - Screen as a Reading Lamp: Emits an even, soothing light. - Eye Care and Blue Light Filter: Choose warm or cool tints to protect your vision. - Smart Sleep Timer: Automatically turns off to save battery if you fall asleep. - Fully Adjustable: Precision brightness control for any dark room. - Always-On Display: Your light won't turn off while you are immersed in your book. - Bookmarks with Page Photos: Save the book, the page and a short note, or snap a photo of the page where you stopped. - Quick Access: Long press the app icon to start a 30 minute timer or open your bookmarks. Ask Siri to start your reading timer and add Readlight to Control Center (iOS 18 or later). PERFECT SCENARIOS: - Reading novels in bed without disturbing others - A soft nightlight for nursing a baby - Studying late in a shared dorm room - A subtle lantern for camping in a tent - Relaxing on red-eye flights Download Readlight today and discover the most comfortable way to read in the dark.

Screenshots

Colorbolt4 screens
Readlight4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Readlight at Free against Colorbolt's $0.99. Readlight also leads on ratings volume (359 vs 12). Colorbolt's advantage is chart position (#193 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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

Readlight is free to download; Colorbolt costs $0.99 up front. Colorbolt sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Readlight sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Colorbolt against 4.7 for Readlight. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Readlight has 359 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Colorbolt ships an update fortnightly, Readlight every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Colorbolt versus Readlight: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterColorboltReadlight
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (12 ratings) — better4.7 (359 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings12359 — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#193 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB61 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAir Pie LLCEmre Balli

Customer experience

Colorbolt

All ratings12 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral8.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Readlight

All ratings349 ratings
Positive92.8%
Neutral3.4%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Colorbolt

One-time2
  • Leave a Tip$0.99
  • Colorbolt Illuminated$2.99
8 purchases

Readlight

Subscriptions4
  • Water$1.991 Month
  • Coffee$3.991 Month
  • Tea$6.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • Teapot$19.991 Month
One-time4
  • Water$1.99
  • Coffee$3.99
  • Uncle Iroh's Tea$6.99
Show 1 more
  • Teapot$19.99

Questions

Is Colorbolt free?
Colorbolt costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Readlight free?
Readlight is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Colorbolt or Readlight?
Colorbolt is rated higher. Colorbolt averages 4.8 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while Readlight averages 4.7 from 359 ratings.
Do Colorbolt or Readlight have ads?
Neither Colorbolt nor Readlight shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Colorbolt or Readlight?
Colorbolt ships an update fortnightly, and Readlight every 3 weeks. Most recently, Colorbolt was updated on October 24, 2026 and Readlight on October 24, 2026.

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