Comparison

Camera Lucida™ vs Light Tablet

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

Head to head
About

Camera Lucida™

This app uses your device's camera to superimpose a reference image onto your drawing surface, guiding your hand to create detailed art. It offers advanced features and tools to enhance your sketching and painting skills, making art creation easy and fun.

Highlights
  • AR image superposition for drawing
  • Advanced image filters
  • Zoom lock for detail
  • Session save and restore
  • Time-lapsed recording
  • External USB camera support
Features
Read full description

Draw Like a Pro with Camera Lucida™: AR Drawing One-Time Purchase: No subscriptions! Buy it once and use on your devices. Enhance Your Art Skills: Whether you're sketching with a pencil or painting with a brush, Camera Lucida™ helps you become a better artist. Unmatched Functionality: With 12+ years of development, Camera Lucida™ offers features that no competitor can match. Create stunning physical art using your iPhone or iPad's camera. Simply point your device at your drawing surface, and watch the screen to see your reference image superimposed over your work. It's more versatile than a light table, better than a projector, and easier to use than a traditional Camera Lucida™. How It Works: Place your iPhone or iPad between your eyes and your drawing surface. The app shows a virtual image on your screen, guiding your hand as you draw. This clever method makes it easy and fun to create detailed art. Top Features: • Buy it once for lifetime use. • Advanced Image Filters: See with an artist's eye. • Zoom in Lock: For ultra detailed drawing. • Session Save & Restore: Automatically realign your camera, sketch, and reference image. • Full Color Palette Control: Use your own paints, markers, and more. • Camera Adjustments: Use your device camera and adjust for different setups manually or with an in-app purchase to auto-adjust. • Time-Lapsed Recordings: Share your drawing process on social media. • Advanced Tools: Vertical split screen sliders, timed image fading, and more. • Video Tutorials: Watch tutorials within the app or on YouTube. • Comprehensive User Manual: Accessible from within the app. • Reliable Customer Support: Plus, an active user community for inspiration. • External USB Camera Support: For USB-C equipped iPads running iOS 17. Easy Setup: Secure your iPhone or iPad above your drawing surface using common household items like a stack of books or a vase. Tutorials are included to help you get started. Contact: For any questions or support, email cameralucida@bigidesign.com.

About

Light Tablet

Transform your device into a virtual light table for tracing and sketching. Load images, adjust them, and lock the screen to prevent accidental touches. Save your progress as projects for easy access.

Highlights
  • Light table simulation
  • Zoom and pan image adjustment
  • Screen lock for tracing
  • Save and organize projects
  • Trace photos from device
Features
Read full description

Light Tablet lets you easily turn your iPhone or iPad into a virtual light table—perfect for artists, students, and hobbyists who love to trace, sketch, or design. Simply load an image, adjust its position by zooming and panning, then lock your screen in place. Place a sheet of paper on your device’s screen and start tracing—no more sliding images or accidental screen touches. You can even save your work as projects and revisit them anytime. Features: - Light Table Simulation: View your images brightly and clearly, just like a real light table. - Zoom & Pan: Position your image exactly where you want it for hassle-free tracing. - Screen Lock: Prevent the image from shifting while you trace. - Project Saving: Save and organize multiple images for quick reloading. Whether you’re practicing calligraphy, sketching comic panels, or copying diagrams, Light Tablet makes tracing a breeze!

Screenshots

Camera Lucida™4 screens
Light Tablet4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Light Tablet at Free against Camera Lucida™'s $14.99. Light Tablet also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Camera Lucida™'s advantage is ratings volume (1.9K vs 1) and chart position (#6 vs unranked). On ads 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

Light Tablet is free to download; Camera Lucida™ costs $14.99 up front. Camera Lucida™ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Light Tablet asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Light Tablet holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Camera Lucida™ has 1.9K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Camera Lucida™'s written reviews are positive against 100% of Light Tablet's.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Camera Lucida™ versus Light Tablet: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCamera Lucida™Light Tablet
Price$14.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (1.9K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews89.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.9K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#6 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCamera LucidaClaudia Wey

Customer experience

Camera Lucida™

All ratings1,947 ratings
Positive95.9%
Neutral1.2%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews272 reviews
Positive89.3%
Neutral1.1%
Negative9.6%

Light Tablet

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Camera Lucida™

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
  • Occasional crashes or freezes

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to draw larger images
  • More camera settings and controls
  • Integration with other art apps

Light Tablet

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Camera Lucida™

One-time1
  • Auto-Correct For Perspective$4.99
None

Light Tablet

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Camera Lucida™ free?
Camera Lucida™ costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Light Tablet free?
Light Tablet is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Camera Lucida™ or Light Tablet?
Light Tablet is rated higher. Camera Lucida™ averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.9K ratings, while Light Tablet averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Camera Lucida™ or Light Tablet have ads?
Neither Camera Lucida™ nor Light Tablet shows ads.

Other comparisons