Comparison

Shutter vs Portable Light Meter

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

Head to head
About

Shutter

Test the shutter speeds of your analog cameras using your iPhone. For precise measurements, use with the PhotoPlug accessory. Without it, the app analyzes shutter sound for speeds below 1/30sec.

Highlights
  • Test analog camera shutter speeds
  • Use with PhotoPlug accessory for light measurement
  • Analyze shutter sound for speeds below 1/30sec
  • Store measurement values in a table
  • Manage multiple cameras and lenses
  • Calculate correction factors for faulty shutters
Features
Read full description

With Shutter-Speed you can test the shutter speeds of your analog cameras just with your iPhone. Please note that the full potential of this App is only reached if you use it in combination with the PhotoPlug. The PhotoPlug is an optical sensor which connects to the headphone-jack of your iPhone and enables you to measure the actual amount of light passing through the camera shutter. Please visit www.filmomat.eu for detailed information and for ordering the PhotoPlug. How-To: Point the camera towards a bright light source. Place the PhotoPlug closely behind the camera shutter. Start the measurement and release the shutter. The App automatically analyzes the signal and calculates the shutter speed. All measurement values can be stored into a handy table. Multiple different cameras/lenses can be stored. A correction factor is calculated, which you can use to compensate a faulty shutter speed. For example, if you measure the 1/60s and it turns out to be 1/50s, the App will tell you that the shutter-speed is 1/3 stops too long. This gives rise to a correction factor of -1, indicating that you have to close your aperture by 1/3 f-stop to get a correct exposure. Without PhotoPlug, the App will record the sound of the camera shutter and calculate the shutter speed from that. Please note that this procedure will only give useable results for speeds below 1/30sec. With the PhotoPlug, shutter speeds up to 1/500sec can be measured.

About

Portable Light Meter

Features
Read full description

This is an app designed for photographers and photography enthusiasts— a portable light meter application. It helps you measure exposure for time-lapse photography and film photography, and even supports ND filters in aperture priority mode. The app supports both aperture priority and shutter priority modes, exposure lock, saving and recording current metering data, and switching between front and rear cameras for metering. Additionally, it also supports measuring color temperature and EV values.

Screenshots

Shutter4 screens
Portable Light Meter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Shutter at Free against Portable Light Meter's $0.99. Shutter also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 8 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On ads, in-app purchases 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

Shutter is free to download; Portable Light Meter costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shutter ships an update monthly, Portable Light Meter every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Shutter versus Portable Light Meter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShutterPortable Light Meter
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating3.5 (22 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews58.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings22 — better—
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFilmomat GmbH家啟 褚

In-app purchases

None

Shutter

No in-app purchases

None

Portable Light Meter

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shutter free?
Shutter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Portable Light Meter free?
Portable Light Meter costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Shutter or Portable Light Meter have ads?
Neither Shutter nor Portable Light Meter shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shutter or Portable Light Meter?
Shutter ships an update monthly, and Portable Light Meter every 8 months. Most recently, Shutter was updated on October 8, 2026 and Portable Light Meter on October 1, 2026.

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