Comparison

Color Splash vs iLightningCam AI

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

Head to head
About

Color Splash

Transform your photos by selectively applying color to black and white images. This app uses an intuitive brush interface to highlight specific areas, creating dramatic and eye-catching visuals. Easily edit details with zoom and multiple brush options.

Highlights
  • Selective colorization
  • Black and white conversion
  • Intuitive brush interface
  • Zoom for detail work
  • Multiple brush types
  • Undo functionality
  • Alternative view mode
Read full description

Color Splash lets you give photos a dramatic look by converting them to black and white, while keeping your chosen details in color. This effect draws the viewers' attention to the colored areas, creating striking images. The intuitive and responsive multi-touch user interface makes Color Splash amazingly easy and fun to use. Use your finger as a brush to "paint" sections of your image black and white, or to bring back the original color. Zooming in and out using the two-finger pinching gesture allows you to work on details with pixel-accuracy. Features: - Short tutorial videos explain the use of all features and will have you editing your images in minutes. - Choose photos to edit from your iPhone photo library or from Dropbox or Flickr. - Save multiple sessions to resume your work later. - Email your creations to friends, share them on Flickr or save them to your Dropbox. - Undo any number of accidental brush strokes. - An alternative view mode highlights the regions that will remain in color with a red tint. This makes it easier to see and adjust the boundaries between color and black & white regions. - Choose from 4 different brushes (hard or soft edged, opaque or transparent) and adjust the brush size. - Hide the toolbars in full screen mode.

About

iLightningCam AI

Capture stunning lightning strike photos in real-time with your iPhone or iPad. This app automatically detects and photographs lightning, offering both fully automatic and manual ISO controls for expert users. Enjoy high-resolution images without interpolation.

Highlights
  • Real-time lightning detection
  • Full AUTO mode
  • Manual ISO adjustment
  • Original photo resolution
  • Double-shot blending
  • Modern design
Features
Read full description

iLightningCam AI – photograph lightning without pressing the shutter. Set up your iPhone and point it at the storm. The app watches the camera image and takes the shot automatically at every strike. Each detected strike appears as a card with all images of that moment and a combined image that brings all phases together. Save the images you choose to the Photos app. iLightningCam AI is the successor to iLightningCam 2 and to iLightningCam, the first lightning app for iOS, available on the App Store since 2011. Existing owners of iLightningCam 2 receive iLightningCam AI as an update. Why “AI”: the parameters for lightning detection and for post-processing in the Studio were determined with artificial intelligence, using thousands of real lightning images from iLightningCam 2 and iLightningCam AI. iLightningCam AI is a genuine photo app. It uses no generative AI to create images. The Studio, too, only optimizes and enhances your own shots and never creates artificial lightning. WHAT THE APP DOES • Real-time lightning detection, day and night, with images at photo resolution • More phases per strike: high temporal resolution captures how a strike develops across several individual images • Much improved detection, especially in daylight against a bright sky, with few false triggers • Higher image quality thanks to the new engine and the HEIC format • Automatic exposure, frame rate and capture mode, tuned for lightning and for your iPhone • Modes for every storm: Auto, Normal, Near Lightning, Distant Lightning, Sheet Lightning and Manual, with your own ISO range • Horizon line: nothing below it is analyzed, so cars and streetlights don’t interfere • Focus calibration for every lens, optimized for storm photography • Detailed in-app manual in eight languages, including the basics of lightning photography iLightningCam Studio (in-app purchase) The optional add-on brings editing tools to the app: • Choose the best phases of a strike and combine them into an image of your own • Lightning Repair: bring out the bolt, remove dark edges along it, soften the bright horizontal band the camera can produce. Many image defects can be reduced considerably this way, but not all. • Crop and fine-tune light and color • Save as an image, Live Photo or video clip • Time-lapse of the entire storm, with separate speed settings for the strikes and the storm One-time purchase, Family Sharing included, no subscription. Your originals stay untouched. The Studio only works with strikes captured with iLightningCam AI. Images from iLightningCam 2, from other apps or from the Photos app cannot be imported. REQUIREMENTS iPhone with iOS 17 or later, iPad with iPadOS 17 or later. For good results, use a tripod or steady support and make sure you have a clear view of the storm. SAFETY Thunderstorms are life-threatening. Seek shelter immediately as soon as a storm can be seen or heard, and never stay outdoors. Only take photos from inside an enclosed building, through a window. You are responsible for your own actions and for any resulting damage. The app is not intended for children or for people who cannot protect themselves from thunderstorms. The full safety information is in chapter 1 of the in-app manual.

Screenshots

Color Splash4 screens
iLightningCam AI4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Color Splash at 4.9 against iLightningCam AI's 3.9. Color Splash also leads on ratings volume (6.5K vs 95) and review sentiment (88% vs 67%). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Color Splash costs $1.99 and iLightningCam AI $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Color Splash holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Color Splash has 6.5K ratings behind it against 95, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 88% of Color Splash's written reviews are positive against 67% of iLightningCam AI's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Color Splash ships an update every 5 weeks, iLightningCam AI every 4 months. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Color Splash versus iLightningCam AI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterColor SplashiLightningCam AI
Price$1.99 — better$3.99
Rating4.9 (6.5K ratings) — better3.9 (95 ratings)
Positive reviews88.3% of reviews — better67.2% of reviews
Number of ratings6.5K — better95
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank#111 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB51 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPocket Pixels Inc.Florian Stiassny

Customer experience

Color Splash

All ratings6,462 ratings
Positive97.7%
Neutral1.5%
Negative0.7%
Written reviews1,048 reviews
Positive88.3%
Neutral3.3%
Negative8.4%

iLightningCam AI

All ratings93 ratings
Positive73.1%
Neutral4.3%
Negative22.6%
Written reviews122 reviews
Positive67.2%
Neutral6.6%
Negative26.2%

User reviews

Color Splash

From 6.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💎 High-quality results
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🎨 Versatile editing capabilities
  • 🕰️ Saves time compared to manual editing
  • 🔍 Precise control with zoom feature

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs or crashes
  • 🖌️ Desire for more precise selection tools
  • 🎨 Limited color customization options
  • 📱 Compatibility issues with newer devices
  • 💰 Paid app, some users want free version

iLightningCam AI

From 95 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📸 Captures amazing lightning
  • 🚀 Works automatically
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🤩 Creates stunning photos
  • 💰 Worth the price

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Blurry photos on newer iPhones
  • 🐛 White/gray bars on photos
  • 🐛 Overexposed photos
  • 🐛 Misses many lightning strikes
  • 🐛 Outdated UI

Bugs and requests

Color Splash

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login screen freezes
  • Incompatible with older devices
  • Unexpected color mixing when using red overlay

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to change original colors
  • Implement a pen/brush tool for finer control
  • Introduce more editing options like filters, effects
  • Develop an iPad-specific version of the app
  • Provide a free version with limited features

iLightningCam AI

Reported bugs

22 issues
  • White bar across the top of the image
  • Pictures are blurry on newer iPhone models
  • App captures nothing or everything is overexposed
  • Auto setting not getting lightning, only brightness and out of focus
  • Large lightning setting gets nothing
Show 17 more
  • Misses a lot of strikes, ones caught are out of focus
  • Constantly out of focus on 13 pro max
  • Only 2x zoom works, other cameras are blurry
  • White bar showing up
  • App takes 4 pics but captures nothing
  • Weird pink light but no lightning strike
  • Focus not working on iPhone 12 max pro
  • Took a lot of blank pictures and lots of duplicates
  • Out of focus on iPhone 12
  • Every photo is out of focus on 13 pro max
  • App freezes
  • Not triggering camera on newest version
  • Tells user to upgrade to iOS 10 when on iOS 11
  • App freezes after a minute
  • App not saving photos despite access rights
  • App not working well on iPhone 5
  • App not capturing lightning bolts, only sheet lightning

Requested features

15 requests
  • Vertical mode
  • RAW format output
  • More control over aperture and shutter speed
  • Higher resolution output (24MP)
  • HEIC or RAW format saving
Show 10 more
  • Option to choose more than 2 shots for composite
  • Timelapse/Video/Live Photo mode
  • Way to review shots within the app
  • 5x zoom
  • Daytime lightning capture
  • German language support
  • Tutorial for settings
  • Improve UI/UX
  • Higher resolution camera optimization
  • Fix bug with x0.5 lens focus

In-app purchases

None

Color Splash

No in-app purchases

None

iLightningCam AI

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Color Splash free?
Color Splash costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is iLightningCam AI free?
iLightningCam AI costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Color Splash or iLightningCam AI?
Color Splash is rated higher. Color Splash averages 4.9 out of 5 from 6.5K ratings, while iLightningCam AI averages 3.9 from 95 ratings.
Do Color Splash or iLightningCam AI have ads?
Neither Color Splash nor iLightningCam AI shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Color Splash or iLightningCam AI?
Color Splash ships an update every 5 weeks, and iLightningCam AI every 4 months. Most recently, Color Splash was updated on October 29, 2026 and iLightningCam AI on October 29, 2026.

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