Massive Dev Chart Timer vs Thea
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Massive Dev Chart Timer
This app provides an offline film development chart and a multi-step timer for photographers. It includes customizable agitation, darkroom themes, and support for various developing and fixing steps. It also offers automated compensation for development time and temperature.
- Offline film development chart
- Multi-step timer with sound notifications
- Customizable agitation schemes
- Darkroom themes
- Dilution mixer
- Automated time/temperature compensation
Read full descriptionHide full description
The Massive Dev Chart is the world's largest film development chart with easy to use multi step timer and darkroom support for iPhone and iPad. Watch the instructional video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P915z6THiY8. *** Features *** • Offline copy of The Massive Dev Chart in your pocket • Multi Step Timer with sound notifications • Customizable agitation scheme • Darkroom themes • Dilution Mixer • Support for two-step development and two-step fixing • Support for optional hypoclear and photo flo steps • Automated development time/temperature compensation
Thea
Read full descriptionHide full description
Thea is a light meter for photographers who care about exposure. Hold up your iPhone, point it at what matters, and Thea gives you a reading you can trust. Built for film and digital, in the studio or out on the street, and tuned to the cameras, lenses, and film stocks you actually shoot with. Thea is built around your gear. Add the cameras you own, the lenses they wear, and the films you keep loaded. Each camera with its own shutter range, aperture range, ISO range, and stop increments. From then on, the meter speaks your camera's language. If your Pentax K1000 only goes to 1/1000, Thea won't suggest 1/4000. If your XA opens to f/2.8, that's where the dial starts. Metering stays out of your way. Point at what you want to expose and the reading is already there. Lock it when you want to study the numbers without things shifting. Switch between Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual, and EV modes as the situation calls for it, and dial in full, half, or third stops. Thea treats a roll of film the way you do, as a thing with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Load it, log frames as you shoot, and watch the counter tick toward the last exposure. A reference photo is saved with each frame automatically, and you can add a quick note or a location if you want. When the roll comes out of the camera, mark it In Development. When the scans come back, send it to the archive. The whole history is right there, ready to flip through. Bundled with Thea is a library of nearly a hundred film stock presets. Portra, Tri-X, T-Max, HP5, Velvia, Acros, Delta, Vision3, CineStill, and many more. Box speeds and color types are already filled in, so loading a fresh roll is one tap. Push or pull the stock and Thea adjusts the readings to match. In the field, you'll usually have a camera in one hand and a meter in the other. Thea is designed for that. A one-hand mode brings every control into thumb reach so you can adjust a reading without putting the camera down. The screen stays awake through long outdoor sessions. Haptics confirm every action so you don't have to look down at the phone. Every part of the interface, from the typography to the timing of a transition, has been carefully considered, then quietly polished, until the app fades out of your way. Thea runs entirely on your device. No accounts to make. No analytics sent home. No ads. Camera access is required to meter. Location is optional, and only used if you choose to attach it to a shot log. Made with love by a photographer, for photographers.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Thea at Free against Massive Dev Chart Timer's $9.99. Massive Dev Chart Timer's advantage is chart position (#25 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). On ads and in-app purchases 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
Thea is free to download; Massive Dev Chart Timer costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Massive Dev Chart Timer | Thea |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.7 (55 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 70.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 55 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | #25 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Freestyle Photo & Imaging | Thea App Inc. |
Bugs and requests
Massive Dev Chart Timer
Reported bugs
12 issues- HC110 dilution section displays only letters, not ratios
- Dilution ratios not calculating when solution amount adjusted
- App crashes after selecting film speed
- Crashes on iPad with new update
- Timer display shows three dots instead of seconds
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- UI elements overlap on older iPhone models
- Safelight mode white banner blocks display on iPad
- Crashes during development process
- Home screen line emits bright light in darkroom mode
- App incompatible with newer iOS versions on older devices
- Notes don't word wrap properly
- Inconsistent film/developer availability between iPhone and iPad
Requested features
15 requests- Color film support (C-41, E-6, ECN-2 processes)
- Search functionality by film brand/name
- Ability to add custom process steps (presoak, toning)
- Individual agitation control per development stage
- Continuous agitation option
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- Volume calculator for stop bath and fixer
- Background timer functionality
- Custom step name editing
- Pull/push development times
- Stand development support with hour-based timing
- Apple Watch app
- Syncing between iPhone and iPad
- Fahrenheit temperature option
- Additional common film stocks (Portra, Fuji 400H, Ektar)
- Ability to add films not in database to custom times
Thea
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Massive Dev Chart Timer
No in-app purchases
Thea
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Massive Dev Chart Timer free?
Is Thea free?
Do Massive Dev Chart Timer or Thea have ads?
Other comparisons















