# Develop! vs Lightme

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Develop! at none against Lightme's 6. Develop! also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.6). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Lightme sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Develop! asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Develop! against 4.8 for Lightme. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 374 and 918 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of Develop!'s written reviews are positive against 91% of Lightme's.

Develop! ships an update every 4 weeks, Lightme every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Develop! | Lightme |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (374 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/develop/id568421864/reviews) | [4.8 (918 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightme-lightmeter/id1509033790/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 374 | **918** |
| Positive reviews | 88.7% of reviews | **90.5% 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 | 101 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 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!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/develop/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 powerful light meter app offers a clean, intuitive interface optimized for one-handed use. It displays multiple aperture and shutter speed combinations simultaneously, aiding quick setting selection. Suitable for beginners and experienced photographers alike, it includes advanced features like spot metering, reciprocity failure compensation, and pinhole mode.

**Highlights:** Multiple exposure settings display, One-handed operation, Spot metering with zoom, Reciprocity failure compensation, Pinhole mode, Incident light metering, Film database

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Espresso ristretto | $1.99 | one-time |
| Pecorino Romano | $4.99 | one-time |
| 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! free?

Develop! 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! or Lightme?

Develop! and Lightme are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 374 and 918 ratings respectively.

### Do Develop! or Lightme have ads?

Neither Develop! nor Lightme shows ads.

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

Develop! ships an update every 4 weeks, and Lightme every 3 weeks. Most recently, Develop! was updated on September 30, 2026 and Lightme on October 2, 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.*