Pocket Light Meter vs Lightme
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.
Lightme
This powerful light meter app offers a clean, intuitive interface optimized for one-handed use. It displays multiple aperture and shutter speed combinations simultaneously, aiding quick setting selection. Suitable for beginners and experienced photographers alike, it includes advanced features like spot metering, reciprocity failure compensation, and pinhole mode.
- Multiple exposure settings display
- One-handed operation
- Spot metering with zoom
- Reciprocity failure compensation
- Pinhole mode
- Incident light metering
- Film database
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Lightme - Lightmeter is a clean, simple to use yet very powerful lightmeter. It is optimised for an easy one-handed use, both for left-handed and right-handed users, with the main controls within your thumb's reach, without the fatiguing juggling of your precious smartphone. A core distinguishing feature of Lightme - Lightmeter is that - differently from most of the other apps - it can show multiple combinations of valid settings for aperture and shutterspeed at the same time by working like a - stretched out - old needle and wheel lightmeter. This allows the user to quickly pick the desired settings without having to scroll on a tiny wheel picker. The app is designed to be welcoming to people who are just starting out, with a simple one-button use. But it offers many useful and advanced features for the more experienced shooters/users: Continuous metering (by pressing and holding or double tapping the measure button) Spot metering with a variable zoom (for more precision) which also supports average metering, and a very intuitive implementation of the zone system Automatic reciprocity failure compensation (for 25+ films, if you see exposure times in red, they are being compensated) A dedicated pinhole mode with precise exposure times for user defined apertures (multiple apertures at a time), with the possibility of setting a timer (through a shortcut) Incident light metering with calibration when using the front facing camera And more ... It also includes some other features that are enjoyable by any kind of user: Black and white preview The ability to use any of the cameras on your smartphone (swipe left/right on the preview) Multiple presets for your different camera/film/lens setups Framelines for previewing your shot, before setting up your tripod etc. A searchable list of useful tips to make better use of the application's potential A searchable list of more than 70 films to choose from with the possibility of selecting a few favourites Dark mode support and a useful level of customisation You can find even more info in the tips inside the app or you can have a look at full user manual by tapping on manual (in the settings) The app is free in all its many functionalities, but it offers In-App-Purchases in order to support the project. The only minor perk you can enable only via certain IAPs is the replacement of the Ad button with a label containing the name of your current preset, check under settings -> coffee for more info. Don't panic though, even if there's an Ad button it doesn't mean I'm going to show you ads. In fact unless you decide to tap on that button I'm never going to show you any. But if you have a few minutes to spare, watching a few of them sure helps keeping this project alive :) Try it, and, if you like it, share it with your friends and consider writing a (mini) review ;) Have a nice day, and good light!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Lightme at Free against Pocket Light Meter's $9.99. Lightme also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5). Pocket Light Meter's advantage is chart position (#126 vs unranked). On review sentiment, 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
Lightme is free to download; Pocket Light Meter costs $9.99 up front. Pocket Light Meter sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Lightme sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Lightme holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1K and 925 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of Pocket Light Meter's written reviews are positive against 91% of Lightme's.
Pocket Light Meter ships an update fortnightly, Lightme every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pocket Light Meter | Lightme |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.5 (1K ratings) | 4.8 (925 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 87.1% of reviews | 90.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1K — better | 925 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #126 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 34 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nuwaste studios | Giuseppe Bertolini |
Customer experience
Pocket Light Meter
Lightme
User reviews
Pocket Light Meter
From 1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Accurate light metering
- 📷 Useful for film photography
- 🔍 Spot metering feature
- 🔧 Customizable settings
- 🔋 Always available on phone
Room to improve
- 🐛 Freezes or crashes in low light or with recent iOS updates
- 🔍 Unclear if spot or average metering
- 📊 Outdated user interface design
- 🔌 Ads can be distracting
Lightme
From 925 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Accurate metering
- 👍 Intuitive and clean interface
- 💡 Comprehensive features (spot metering, zone system, film stock selection, etc.)
- 🚀 Consistently accurate exposures
- 👍 Thoughtful design with user's needs in mind
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
- 👎 Confusing or cluttered interface for some users
- 👎 Tedious film selection process
- 🐛 Inaccurate metering in certain lighting conditions
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
Lightme
Reported bugs
2 issues- Crashes on iOS 16
- Metering issues with certain camera/lens combinations
Requested features
5 requests- Add shutter angle adjustment for cinematography
- Implement ISO lock feature
- Add more film stock profiles
- Improve film selection process (e.g. search, categories)
- Provide more customization options (e.g. interface themes)
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
Lightme
- Espresso ristretto$1.99
- Pecorino Romano$4.99
- Guanciale$9.99
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Parmigiano$16.99
- Pizza for two$29.99
- Do this full-time$59.99
Questions
Is Pocket Light Meter free?
Is Lightme free?
Which has better reviews, Pocket Light Meter or Lightme?
Do Pocket Light Meter or Lightme have ads?
Which is updated more often, Pocket Light Meter or Lightme?
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