# Develop! Film Timer vs Lightme

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Develop! Film Timer at none against Lightme's 4. Lightme's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Lightme sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Develop! Film Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Develop! Film Timer against 4.8 for Lightme. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 416 and 961 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of Develop! Film Timer's written reviews are positive against 91% of Lightme's.

Develop! Film Timer ships an update every 4 weeks, Lightme every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 13, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Develop! Film Timer | Lightme |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (416 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/develop-film-timer/id568421864/reviews) | **[4.8 (961 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightme-lightmeter/id1509033790/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 416 | **961** |
| Positive reviews | 88.7% of reviews | **90.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 7 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Todd Breslow](https://appshunter.io/developer/568421867) | [Giuseppe Bertolini](https://appshunter.io/developer/1509033789) |

## What reviewers say

### Develop! Film Timer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/develop-film-timer/id568421864)

This app provides a flexible and intuitive timer for film and darkroom development. Create custom development recipes with multiple steps and intervals, and utilize a special darkroom mode for low-light conditions. Easily share your recipes and import them from FilmDev.org.

**Highlights:** Customizable development recipes, Multiple steps and intervals per recipe, Darkroom Mode (red-on-black theme), Integrated interval timer, Import recipes from FilmDev.org, Share recipes via social media

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Straightforward and useful
- 👍 Customizable timers and recipes
- 👍 Helpful voice prompts
- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 👍 Excellent for film development

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 🔋 Cannot run in background
- 👎 Quiet chime/alarm volume
- 👎 Difficult to add/edit tasks
- 👎 No darkroom mode or red light option

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on startup for some users
- Timer stops when switching apps or locking phone
- Issues with saving and editing recipes

**Requested features**

- Ability to pause and resume timers
- Option to clone/duplicate existing recipes
- Integration with development charts or databases
- More detailed task descriptions and notes
- Ability to skip optional steps


### Lightme

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightme-lightmeter/id1509033790)

This app provides a powerful yet simple light metering tool for photographers. It offers advanced features like spot metering, zone system implementation, and reciprocity failure compensation, alongside a clean interface for easy one-handed use. It supports a wide range of films and camera setups, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced users.

**Highlights:** Multiple aperture/shutterspeed combinations, Spot metering with variable zoom, Automatic reciprocity failure compensation, Pinhole mode with timer, Incident light metering with calibration, Black and white preview, Film stock selection

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Guanciale | $9.99 | one-time |
| Parmigiano | $16.99 | one-time |
| Pizza for two | $29.99 | one-time |
| Do this full-time | $59.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Accurate metering
- 👍 Intuitive and clean interface
- 💡 Comprehensive features (spot metering, zone system, film stock selection, etc.)
- 🚀 Consistently accurate exposures
- 👍 Thoughtful design with user's needs in mind

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
- 👎 Confusing or cluttered interface for some users
- 👎 Tedious film selection process
- 🐛 Inaccurate metering in certain lighting conditions

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on iOS 16
- Metering issues with certain camera/lens combinations

**Requested features**

- Add shutter angle adjustment for cinematography
- Implement ISO lock feature
- Add more film stock profiles
- Improve film selection process (e.g. search, categories)
- Provide more customization options (e.g. interface themes)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Develop! Film Timer free?

Develop! Film Timer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Lightme free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Develop! Film Timer or Lightme?

Lightme is rated higher. Develop! Film Timer averages 4.8 out of 5 from 416 ratings, while Lightme averages 4.8 from 961 ratings.

### Do Develop! Film Timer or Lightme have ads?

Neither Develop! Film Timer nor Lightme shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Develop! Film Timer or Lightme?

Develop! Film Timer ships an update every 4 weeks, and Lightme every 3 weeks. Most recently, Develop! Film Timer was updated on November 13, 2026 and Lightme on November 13, 2026.

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