Comparison

Zone Tool vs Lightme

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Zone system exposure calculation
  • Shadow and highlight measurement
  • Film ISO input
  • Shutter speed adjustment
  • Development time calculation
  • Aperture determination
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Lightme

This app helps analog photographers meticulously track their film rolls, shots, and development processes. It allows for detailed logging of gear and consumables, with features for data visualization and export. Users can also manage film holders and add post-development notes with photos of final results.

Highlights
  • Log film rolls, shots, and development
  • Track gear and consumables
  • Data visualization with graphs/histograms
  • Data export in JSON/CSV formats
  • Manage large format film holders
  • Post-development notes with photos
Features
Read full description

Lightme - Logbook is a clean and powerful tool to record and keep track of your rolls, shots, developments, and all the gear that revolves around shooting film — from 35mm to medium and large format. The idea behind it is simple: logging a shot should take seconds, not steal time from actually shooting. Lightme pairs a beautiful, immediate interface with enough depth and flexibility to fit any workflow, whether you shoot a couple of rolls a year or fill several large format holders in an afternoon. LOGGING, EFFORTLESSLY • Log a shot in seconds: aperture, shutter speed, focal length, filters, bellows correction, measured EV, notes and more • Log straight from your wrist with the companion Apple Watch app, with Siri and Shortcuts, or from the home screen and lock screen widgets • Together with the Lightme Lightmeter app, your meter readings can prefill a new shot automatically • Every shot can carry a location and address, a preview photo, and later its final scan, plus a star rating ROLLS, SHEETS AND DEVELOPMENTS • Track rolls from loading to unloading, with film stocks from a growing database and a processing pipeline: waiting for development, off to the lab, back from the lab, to be scanned, scanned • Keep detailed development notes — developer, dilution, time, temperature, agitation — for rolls and single sheets alike, including push/pull (N+ / N-) development • Add post-development notes and a photo of the final result to rolls, sheets and individual shots YOUR GEAR, ORGANIZED • Cameras and lenses with nicknames, formats (including custom formats you define), pinhole and bellows flags, custom shutter speeds and selectable shutter step sizes • Roll film backs and lens filters with their exposure compensation • Film holders and backs can be marked as compatible with specific cameras, and everything is searchable from a single bar LARGE FORMAT, COVERED • Keep track of your film holders with three states — unloaded, loaded and exposed — always knowing which film is inside each one • Group holders together and follow every sheet from exposure through development INSIGHTS FROM YOUR DATA • Build and save custom queries, filtering by date (fixed or rolling windows), camera, lens, film stock, format, ISO, aperture, shutter speed, focal length and notes • Visualize results with histograms — by camera, lens, film stock, shutter speed, aperture, focal length, ISO, format, rating or hour of the day — alongside aggregate stats like mean aperture and average exposure • Save the queries you use most and re-run them anytime YOUR DATA, YOURS • Everything syncs privately through iCloud across your iPhone and iPad • Export any selection of data as CSV or JSON, or as a beautifully formatted PDF with customizable columns and a contact-sheet mode, bundled with your images in a single ZIP • Batch-write shooting metadata (EXIF) onto your scans — for a whole roll at once, or by matching files from the Files app • Viewing and exporting your data is free, forever; adding and editing is unlocked with a one-time purchase or a subscription AND MORE • Full-text search, favourites and an archive to keep things tidy • Available in English, Italian, Spanish, Japanese and Simplified Chinese • A roadmap of what's coming next lives right in the app — new very cool features are on the way :) If you have any suggestion or issue, write me at lightme.apps@gmail.com Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Zone Tool1 screens
Lightme4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Lightme at Free against Zone Tool's $0.99. Lightme also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.8) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 38 months). Zone Tool's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and review sentiment (100% vs 75%). On 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

Lightme is free to download; Zone Tool costs $0.99 up front. Lightme sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Zone Tool asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lightme holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lightme has 102 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 75% of Lightme's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Zone Tool ships an update every 38 months, Lightme every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 1 level
Zone Tool versus Lightme: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZone ToolLightme
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating2.8 (6 ratings)4.8 (102 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings6102 — better
Update frequencyEvery 38 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS12.2 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size0 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJouni ErolaGiuseppe Bertolini

Customer experience

Zone Tool

All ratings6 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Lightme

All ratings102 ratings
Positive97.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative12.5%

In-app purchases

None

Zone Tool

No in-app purchases

8 purchases

Lightme

Subscriptions4
  • 1 Cappuccino7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Focaccia Barese7 Days trial$12.991 Year
  • Spaghetti Carbonara7 Days trial$29.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Homemade Pizza party7 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time4
  • A smile :)Free
  • Box of Prosecco$59.99
  • Fuel for my '90s camper$119.99
Show 1 more
  • Terme for two$239.99

Questions

Is Zone Tool free?
Zone Tool costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Lightme free?
Lightme is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Zone Tool or Lightme?
Lightme is rated higher. Zone Tool averages 2.8 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Lightme averages 4.8 from 102 ratings.
Do Zone Tool or Lightme have ads?
Neither Zone Tool nor Lightme shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Zone Tool or Lightme?
Zone Tool ships an update every 38 months, and Lightme every 2 weeks. Most recently, Zone Tool was updated on September 21, 2026 and Lightme on October 13, 2026.

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