Pocket Light Meter vs Luxilux Light Meter
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pocket Light Meter
This app functions as a portable light meter, essential for film photographers using manual cameras. It accurately measures reflected light and provides reciprocity calculations for precise exposure control.
- Portable light meter
- Reflected light measurement
- Reciprocity calculations
- Indispensable for film photography
- Manual camera compatible
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A light meter that is always in your pocket. It is indispensable for film photography with all manual camera. Measures reflected light, and allows reciprocity calculations.
Luxilux Light Meter
This app functions as a portable light meter for photographers, especially those using film cameras without built-in meters. It allows for precise exposure readings, offers various shooting modes, and lets you save your settings with preview images.
- Average and spot metering
- Aperture priority mode
- Shutter priority mode
- Manual exposure mode
- Save exposure settings with photos
- Customizable camera profiles
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You like using your old film camera but it doesn't have a built-in light meter? The built-in meter is broken or requires special batteries? With Luxilux you always have a light meter in your pocket. --- METERING --- Luxilux will take an average reading of the image you see in the preview. Specify the area for the meter reading even more accurately by zooming in or out. If your device has two or three back cameras, you can switch between them. You can also tap on points of interest to expose correctly for them. --- MODES --- Use Luxilux in aperture priority mode (Av) by choosing the ISO and aperture, and Luxilux will calculate the right shutter speed to get a proper exposure. Use it in shutter priority mode (Tv) by choosing the ISO and the shutter speed, and Luxilux will calculate the right aperture to get a proper exposure. Manual mode (M) lets you change all values and shows you how much they differ from the calculated optimal exposure. --- SAVE EXPOSURES --- Tap "Save" and the currently selected settings are saved alongside a preview image into your photo library. If you give location permission you can also save where the measurement was taken. You can view your saved photos in Luxilux or in the Photos app. --- PROFILES --- You can choose between full stops, half stops or third stops for ISO, aperture and shutter speed. Specify the minimum and maximum values that your combination of camera, lens and film supports. Save these settings in profiles so you can quickly recall them.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Luxilux Light Meter at none against Pocket Light Meter's 3. Luxilux Light Meter also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.5) and price ($5.99 vs $9.99). Pocket Light Meter's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (1K vs 75). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Pocket Light Meter costs $9.99 and Luxilux Light Meter $5.99 up front. Pocket Light Meter sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Luxilux Light Meter asks for nothing beyond the download.
Luxilux Light Meter holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pocket Light Meter has 1K ratings behind it against 75, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 87% of Pocket Light Meter's written reviews are positive against 78% of Luxilux Light Meter's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Pocket Light Meter ships an update fortnightly, Luxilux Light Meter every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.
| Parameter | Pocket Light Meter | Luxilux Light Meter |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | $5.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.5 (1K ratings) | 4.9 (75 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 87.1% of reviews — better | 77.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1K — better | 75 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #98 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 34 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nuwaste studios | Christian Lobach |
Customer experience
Pocket Light Meter
Luxilux Light Meter
Bugs and requests
Pocket Light Meter
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes or freezes with recent iOS updates
- Inconsistent metering in low light conditions
- Issues with saving metering data to photos
Requested features
6 requests- Add histogram display
- Implement manual mode to lock aperture/shutter
- Support for flash metering
- Improve low-light performance
- Provide more metering mode options (spot, center-weighted, etc.)
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- Add option to save metering data to photo metadata
Luxilux Light Meter
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Pocket Light Meter
- ads remover$1.99
- pint for the developer and get rid of the ads$5.99
- donation to the developer$5.99
Luxilux Light Meter
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Pocket Light Meter free?
Is Luxilux Light Meter free?
Which has better reviews, Pocket Light Meter or Luxilux Light Meter?
Do Pocket Light Meter or Luxilux Light Meter have ads?
Which is updated more often, Pocket Light Meter or Luxilux Light Meter?
Other comparisons
