# Pocket Light Meter vs Minimal Light Meter

The clearest difference is price: Minimal Light Meter at $0.99 against Pocket Light Meter's $9.99. Minimal Light Meter also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). Pocket Light Meter's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 19 months) and ratings volume (1K vs 1). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Pocket Light Meter costs $9.99 and Minimal Light Meter $0.99 up front. Pocket Light Meter sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Minimal Light Meter asks for nothing beyond the download.

Minimal Light Meter holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pocket Light Meter has 1K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Pocket Light Meter ships an update fortnightly, Minimal Light Meter every 19 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pocket Light Meter | Minimal Light Meter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **$0.99** |
| Rating | [4.5 (1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-light-meter/id381698089/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/minimal-light-meter/id6504420435/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 87.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 19 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#114** | — |
| Size | 34 MB | 0 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nuwaste studios](https://appshunter.io/developer/338524950) | [Jack Kroll](https://appshunter.io/developer/1638376186) |

## What reviewers say

### Pocket Light Meter

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

**Currently charting:** #114 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.)


### Minimal Light Meter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/minimal-light-meter/id6504420435)

This app offers precise light metering with a streamlined interface and a dimmable camera view. It allows for fully customizable ISO settings, ensuring accuracy with non-standard film stocks.

**Highlights:** Accurate light metering, Intuitive user interface, Dimmable camera view, Custom ISO settings, Support for non-standard ISO

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pocket Light Meter free?

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

### Is Minimal Light Meter free?

Minimal Light Meter costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

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

Minimal Light Meter is rated higher. Pocket Light Meter averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1K ratings, while Minimal Light Meter averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

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

Neither Pocket Light Meter nor Minimal Light Meter shows ads.

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

Pocket Light Meter ships an update fortnightly, and Minimal Light Meter every 19 months. Most recently, Pocket Light Meter was updated on October 20, 2026 and Minimal Light Meter on October 14, 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.*