# Pocket Light Meter vs Light Meter Ultra

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Pocket Light Meter at 87% against Light Meter Ultra's 38%. Pocket Light Meter also leads on chart position (#122 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.6). Light Meter Ultra's advantage is price (Free vs $9.99) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Light Meter Ultra is free to download; Pocket Light Meter costs $9.99 up front. Pocket Light Meter sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Light Meter Ultra sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Light Meter Ultra holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1K and 738 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 87% of Pocket Light Meter's written reviews are positive against 38% of Light Meter Ultra'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, Light Meter Ultra every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pocket Light Meter | Light Meter Ultra |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.5 (1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-light-meter/id381698089/reviews) | **[4.7 (738 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/light-meter-ultra/id1558108173/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1K** | 738 |
| Positive reviews | **87.1% of reviews** | 37.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#122** | — |
| Size | 34 MB | 81 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nuwaste studios](https://appshunter.io/developer/338524950) | [Ultrafine](https://appshunter.io/developer/1558108175) |

## What reviewers say

### Pocket Light Meter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-light-meter/id381698089)

**Currently charting:** #122 Top Paid · Photo & Video (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** Portable light meter, Reflected light measurement, Reciprocity calculations, Indispensable for film photography, Manual camera compatible

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ads remover | $1.99 | one-time |
| pint for the developer and get rid of the ads | $5.99 | one-time |
| donation to the developer | $5.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Accurate light metering
- 📷 Useful for film photography
- 🔍 Spot metering feature
- 🔧 Customizable settings
- 🔋 Always available on phone

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes or freezes with recent iOS updates
- Inconsistent metering in low light conditions
- Issues with saving metering data to photos

**Requested features**

- 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.)


### Light Meter Ultra

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/light-meter-ultra/id1558108173)

This app provides precise light metering for film photography, eliminating the need for external hardware. It offers various metering modes and customizable profiles to ensure perfect exposures for manual cameras. Advanced features like reciprocity failure correction are available with a PRO plan.

**Highlights:** Aperture Priority Metering, Shutter Priority Metering, Exposure Priority Metering, Customizable ISO, Shutter Speed, Aperture, Exposure Compensation, Reciprocity Failure Correction, Custom Camera Profiles

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Light Meter | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Light Meter | $11.99 | per month |
| Light Meter | $39.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Accurate and fast metering
- 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
- 💡 Customizable settings (aperture, shutter, ISO)
- 🔍 Useful for analog/film photography

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🔒 Locked features behind paywall
- 🐛 Unreliable performance in low-light conditions
- 📱 Requires internet connection for full functionality

**Reported bugs**

- Camera integration issues causing failed exposures
- Inconsistent metering results compared to standalone meters

**Requested features**

- Offline mode for remote shooting
- Wider aperture and shutter speed range
- Support for more camera/film types
- Customizable exposure bias/compensation


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pocket Light Meter free?

Pocket Light Meter costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Light Meter Ultra free?

Light Meter Ultra is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Pocket Light Meter or Light Meter Ultra?

Light Meter Ultra is rated higher. Pocket Light Meter averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1K ratings, while Light Meter Ultra averages 4.7 from 738 ratings.

### Do Pocket Light Meter or Light Meter Ultra have ads?

Neither Pocket Light Meter nor Light Meter Ultra shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pocket Light Meter or Light Meter Ultra?

Pocket Light Meter ships an update fortnightly, and Light Meter Ultra every 8 days. Most recently, Pocket Light Meter was updated on November 1, 2026 and Light Meter Ultra on October 30, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*