Comparison

Magic Hour vs amaran

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

amaran

Control your lighting setup effortlessly with a user-friendly interface. Manage multiple fixtures, adjust brightness, and save custom configurations in real-time. This app is designed to simplify your creative process, whether on location or in the studio.

Highlights
  • Simplified lighting control
  • Real-time adjustments
  • Multi-light management
  • Customizable shortcuts
  • Save favorite setups
  • Toggle lights on/off
  • Adjust brightness
Features
Read full description

Ready to light up your creative world with ease? The amaran app brings a simplified, user-friendly interface that makes lighting control easy and hassle-free, so you can focus on what you do best – creating your content! Whether you’re shooting on-the-go or working from your studio, the app can control all your Sidus-compatible amaran and Aputure fixtures, powered by the Sidus Mesh. With real-time control, multi-light management, customizable shortcuts for quick adjustments, and the ability to save your favorite setups with just a tap, the amaran mobile app ensures you spend less time setting up and more time on your creative process. You also have the ability to toggle your lights on and off, adjust the brightness, or quickly identify the status of each light — see what color they're set to or if they're displaying an effect — all straight from the device menu. Tailored specifically for creators, this app is the perfect tool to elevate your content creation experience. With a simplified interface that’s easier to navigate, the amaran app lets you manage multiple lights, save your favorite setups, and make real-time adjustments. Just dive in, explore its intuitive features, and watch your creativity shine. Real-time control over your creative environment is just a tap away!

Screenshots

Magic Hour4 screens
amaran4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Magic Hour at 77% against amaran's 31%. Magic Hour also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.5) and ratings volume (5.2K vs 31). amaran'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. amaran asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Magic Hour holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Magic Hour has 5.2K ratings behind it against 31, 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 31% of amaran's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Magic Hour versus amaran: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMagic Houramaran
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (5.2K ratings) — better3.5 (31 ratings)
Positive reviews76.8% of reviews — better31.3% of reviews
Number of ratings5.2K — better31
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS14.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB69 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLinda ByrketSidus Link Ltd.

Customer experience

Magic Hour

All ratings5,115 ratings
Positive97.0%
Neutral1.3%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews164 reviews
Positive76.8%
Neutral5.5%
Negative17.7%

amaran

All ratings31 ratings
Positive61.3%
Neutral3.2%
Negative35.5%
Written reviews32 reviews
Positive31.3%
Neutral12.5%
Negative56.3%

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

amaran

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Magic Hour

One-time1
  • Add Locations Ability$0.99
None

amaran

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Magic Hour free?
Magic Hour is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is amaran free?
amaran is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Magic Hour or amaran?
Magic Hour is rated higher. Magic Hour averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5.2K ratings, while amaran averages 3.5 from 31 ratings.
Do Magic Hour or amaran have ads?
Neither Magic Hour nor amaran shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Magic Hour or amaran?
Magic Hour ships an update every 2 months, and amaran every 2 months. Most recently, Magic Hour was updated on September 23, 2026 and amaran on September 14, 2026.

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