FilmHolders vs Filter Simulation
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
FilmHolders
Easily track the status of your large format film holders. This dedicated app focuses solely on managing your film sheets, offering simple data saving and reloading to ensure your information persists. Designed for large format photographers, it's straightforward to use.
- Track film holder status
- Store large format film data
- Easy data saving and reloading
- Dedicated to large format photography
- Tested on iOS 15
Read full descriptionHide full description
The FilmHolders App allows to store the status of your large format film holders. It is a one purpose application which does not aspire to solve other problems, like registering your 35mm or 120 rolls (you find better apps for this in the store). I have also made sure that it is easy to save and reload the data, since part of the motivation was the frustrating experience that apps come and go in the app store. So if you don't want to feel notches in the dark you might want to use this functionality;) I appreciate everybody using it and giving feedback below. I programmed this purely for my needs and for my education but believe that I am not the only one in need of such an application. The app is largely self-explanatory to those who have ever shot large format. It was tested extensively on my iPhone 12pro Max under iOS 15 but should work on older or newer models as well. Maybe the UI suffers a bit on smaller screens.
Filter Simulation
Simulate the effects of real optical filters for black and white photography. This app accurately mimics the luminance modulation of red, yellow, green, blue, and orange filters. It also includes an automatic shutter speed calculator for ND filters and a pinhole photography simulator.
- Simulate optical filters for B&W
- Mimics red, yellow, green, blue, orange filters
- Custom CIColorKernel shaders
- Automatic shutter speed calculator for ND filters
- Pinhole photograph simulation
Read full descriptionHide full description
Simulate real optical filters in black & white. This app uses custom CIColorKernel shaders to modulate grayscale luminance based on color vector similarity—accurately mimicking red, yellow, green, blue, and orange filters as used in film photography. Then, if needed, save the filtered image with filter information. Then, swipe left and find an automatic shutter speed calculator for applying various ND filters And that's not all; keep on swiping and you can simulate pinhole photographs before shooting!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Filter Simulation at 100% against FilmHolders's 67%. Filter Simulation also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6). FilmHolders's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (14.5 vs 16.6). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Filter Simulation holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of FilmHolders's written reviews are positive against 100% of Filter Simulation's.
FilmHolders ships an update every 3 weeks, Filter Simulation monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | FilmHolders | Filter Simulation |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (5 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 14.5 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Guido Haak | Ari Jaaksi |
Customer experience
FilmHolders
Filter Simulation
In-app purchases
FilmHolders
No in-app purchases
Filter Simulation
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is FilmHolders free?
Is Filter Simulation free?
Which has better reviews, FilmHolders or Filter Simulation?
Do FilmHolders or Filter Simulation have ads?
Which is updated more often, FilmHolders or Filter Simulation?
Other comparisons















