Zone Tool vs The Darkroom Lab
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Zone Tool
Calculate photographic exposure and development adjustments using zone system theory. Measure shadows and highlights, input film ISO and desired shutter speed to determine aperture and development time modifications.
- Zone system exposure calculation
- Shadow and highlight measurement
- Film ISO input
- Shutter speed adjustment
- Development time calculation
- Aperture determination
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With this tool you can calculate your exposure and needed adjustment for development. It uses zone system theory originally invented by Ansel Adams and Fred Archer. First decide zone of your shadows and measure the shadows. Then device highlight zone and measure the highlights. Measure these with the film ISO you are going to use. You also need to decide shutter speed in beforehand. The app calculates exposure aperture for you and also tells if you need to shorten (N+..) or expand (N-..) your development time. You will get best results with a spot light meter but mobile apps will probably do fine.
The Darkroom Lab
View your developed film photos as soon as they are scanned. This app connects you to a professional film developing service with decades of experience.
- View scanned film photos
- Professional film developing
- Experienced lab professionals
- Access photos as soon as scanned
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Since 1976 The Darkroom has developed literally millions of rolls of film with experienced lab professionals and film enthusiasts This free app enables you to view your photos as soon as they've been scanned in the lab.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Zone Tool at 100% against The Darkroom Lab's 45%. Zone Tool also leads on iOS requirement (12.2 vs 15.1). The Darkroom Lab's advantage is price (Free vs $0.99) and rating (3.7 vs 2.8). On ads, in-app purchases 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
The Darkroom Lab is free to download; Zone Tool costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
The Darkroom Lab holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Darkroom Lab has 90 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of Zone Tool's written reviews are positive against 45% of The Darkroom Lab's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Zone Tool ships an update every 38 months, The Darkroom Lab every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Zone Tool | The Darkroom Lab |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 2.8 (6 ratings) | 3.7 (90 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 44.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6 | 90 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 38 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.2 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 0 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jouni Erola | The Darkroom |
Customer experience
Zone Tool
The Darkroom Lab
In-app purchases
Zone Tool
No in-app purchases
The Darkroom Lab
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Zone Tool free?
Is The Darkroom Lab free?
Which has better reviews, Zone Tool or The Darkroom Lab?
Do Zone Tool or The Darkroom Lab have ads?
Which is updated more often, Zone Tool or The Darkroom Lab?
Other comparisons
