Colorbolt vs Readlight
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
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.
- Screen as a reading lamp
- Eye care and blue light filter
- Smart sleep timer
- Adjustable brightness
- Always-on display
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
Colorbolt ships an update fortnightly, Readlight every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Colorbolt | Readlight |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (12 ratings) — better | 4.7 (359 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 12 | 359 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #193 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 61 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Air Pie LLC | Emre Balli |
Customer experience
Colorbolt
Readlight
In-app purchases
Colorbolt
- Leave a Tip$0.99
- Colorbolt Illuminated$2.99
Readlight
- Water$1.991 Month
- Coffee$3.991 Month
- Tea$6.991 Month
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- Teapot$19.991 Month
- Water$1.99
- Coffee$3.99
- Uncle Iroh's Tea$6.99
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- Teapot$19.99
Questions
Is Colorbolt free?
Is Readlight free?
Which has better reviews, Colorbolt or Readlight?
Do Colorbolt or Readlight have ads?
Which is updated more often, Colorbolt or Readlight?
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