Comparison

Magic Hour vs Godox Light

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Magic Hour

This app helps photographers and cinematographers find the optimal times for shooting around sunrise and sunset. It provides precise calculations for 'magic hour' based on your location and offers moon phase information. Optional in-app purchases unlock advanced features like location selection and calendar integration.

Highlights
  • Magic hour time calculation
  • Sunrise and sunset times
  • Moonrise and full moon alerts
  • Weather forecast integration
  • Customizable notifications
  • Location-based planning
Features
Read full description

Magic Hour (also called golden hour) is the time of day around sunrise and sunset when the light is great for photography and cinematography. It is typically when the sun is between 6 degrees below the horizon to 6 degrees above. This sunlight is evenly dispersed and helps you create great pictures. Magic Hour makes it easy for you to know when magic hour is coming and how much time you have left once it begins. The app takes your location along with the current day and calculates when magic hour will occur. If the weather forecast is available we give that to you as well. What other light is cool to photograph in? The moon, of course. And you want a full moon for that. Our Moon Watch section lets you know the next moonrise and when the next full moon will appear. In addition to this, you can set up notifications on and before magic hour begins. And with our in-app purchase you can select locations other than your current one, view future magic hour times, and create calendar events for them. Data that is used with the Magic Hour App (e.g. locations, notifications, calendar events, etc.) remain local to your device and are not transmitted nor remotely stored.

About

Godox Light

Control Godox lighting devices wirelessly using your mobile phone or tablet. Features visualized setup, scene creation, and collaborative tools for photographers and videographers.

Highlights
  • Wireless Bluetooth control
  • Visualized lighting setup
  • Scene creation (List & Position modes)
  • Collaboration and sharing
  • Lighting tutorials
Features
Read full description

Based on Godox mesh Bluetooth technology, it enables control of devices via mobile phones or tablets, supporting visualized lighting setup, sharing, collaboration, and lighting tutorials. ● Quick & Convenient Control – Enhanced operational efficiency ● Tablet & Mobile Phone – Seamless integration between both terminals ● Dual Modes: List & Position – Create scenes based on shooting needs ● Visualized Lighting Control – Control via position map mode ● Collaboration & Tutorials – Via lighting video tutorials, remote control, or scenes sharing

Screenshots

Magic Hour4 screens
Godox Light4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Magic Hour at 77% against Godox Light's 13%. Magic Hour also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.3) and ratings volume (5.2K vs 7). Godox Light's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Magic Hour sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Godox Light asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Magic Hour holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Magic Hour has 5.2K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Magic Hour's written reviews are positive against 13% of Godox Light's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Magic Hour ships an update every 2 months, Godox Light monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Magic Hour versus Godox Light: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMagic HourGodox Light
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (5.2K ratings) — better3.3 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews77.0% of reviews — better12.8% of reviews
Number of ratings5.2K — better7
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB77 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerelfinda appsGodox Photo Equipment Co.,Ltd

Customer experience

Magic Hour

All ratings5,214 ratings
Positive96.9%
Neutral1.3%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews165 reviews
Positive77.0%
Neutral5.5%
Negative17.6%

Godox Light

All ratings6 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews78 reviews
Positive12.8%
Neutral2.6%
Negative84.6%

Bugs and requests

Magic Hour

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • 🐛 Time way off
  • 🐛 Can't change location
  • 🐛 Crashes all the time
  • 🐛 Can't see future dates anymore
  • 🐛 Widget doesn't update
Show 3 more
  • 🐛 Keeps crashing
  • 🐛 Can't determine magic hour at another location
  • 🐛 App crashes

Requested features

7 requests
  • 💡 Moonrise notification
  • 💡 Notification when magic hour ends
  • 💡 Blue hour option
  • 💡 Allow users to set their own background photo
  • 💡 Ability to plan shoots in different locations
Show 2 more
  • 💡 Companion app for planning sunsets weeks in advance
  • 💡 Custom alert tones

Godox Light

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Magic Hour

One-time1
  • Add Locations Ability$0.99
None

Godox Light

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Magic Hour free?
Magic Hour is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Godox Light free?
Godox Light is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Magic Hour or Godox Light?
Magic Hour is rated higher. Magic Hour averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5.2K ratings, while Godox Light averages 3.3 from 7 ratings.
Do Magic Hour or Godox Light have ads?
Neither Magic Hour nor Godox Light shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Magic Hour or Godox Light?
Magic Hour ships an update every 2 months, and Godox Light monthly. Most recently, Magic Hour was updated on November 6, 2026 and Godox Light on November 5, 2026.

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