# Lighting Designer vs ChromaCalc

The clearest difference is price: ChromaCalc at Free against Lighting Designer's $24.99. ChromaCalc also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.0) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). Lighting Designer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 8 months). On ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

ChromaCalc is free to download; Lighting Designer costs $24.99 up front. ChromaCalc sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Lighting Designer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ChromaCalc holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lighting Designer has 144 ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Lighting Designer ships an update every 3 weeks, ChromaCalc every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Lighting Designer | ChromaCalc |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $24.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.0 (144 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lighting-designer/id511366142/reviews) | **[4.7 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chromacalc/id1599969698/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **144** | 14 |
| Positive reviews | 46.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 8 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#181** | — |
| Size | 80 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Scenario Software LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/511366145) | [Chromatic Applications LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1599969700) |

## What reviewers say

### Lighting Designer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lighting-designer/id511366142)

**Currently charting:** #181 Top Paid · Photo & Video (US App Store)

Create professional overhead lighting plots for film, TV, theater, and events. Quickly illustrate and communicate lighting setups with a vast library of equipment and intuitive tools. Sync your work across all Apple devices.

**Highlights:** Create overhead lighting plots, Extensive equipment library (2000+ items), Organize setups into Shows, Custom fixture creation with own images, Detailed light specifications, Floor plan drawing tools, Email editable Plots

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### ChromaCalc

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chromacalc/id1599969698)

This tool helps cinematographers match and find equivalent colors for LED lighting fixtures. It uses spectral data from real instruments to achieve desired color intentions with various lighting and camera settings.

**Highlights:** Match LED lighting fixtures, Find equivalent light colors, Use spectral data, Configure lighting instruments, Adjust camera settings, Achieve color intent

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription | $99.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Lighting Designer free?

Lighting Designer costs $24.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ChromaCalc free?

ChromaCalc is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Lighting Designer or ChromaCalc?

ChromaCalc is rated higher. Lighting Designer averages 4.0 out of 5 from 144 ratings, while ChromaCalc averages 4.7 from 14 ratings.

### Do Lighting Designer or ChromaCalc have ads?

Neither Lighting Designer nor ChromaCalc shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Lighting Designer or ChromaCalc?

Lighting Designer ships an update every 3 weeks, and ChromaCalc every 8 months. Most recently, Lighting Designer was updated on September 22, 2026 and ChromaCalc on September 10, 2026.

---

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