Comparison

Develop! vs Lightme

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

Head to head
About

Develop!

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
Read full description

Develop your film with a smile! Develop! Film Development Timer is a flexible and elegant timer suitable for film and darkroom use. Create your own development recipes through a very simple and intuitive process. As many steps as you need with multiple intervals per step. It is entirely up to you, you are in full control. Notable Features: - Darkroom Mode: A minimalist red-on-black theme for darkroom use - Flexible: As many recipes as you like, as many steps per recipe as you like. Name your steps however you like. Record notes however you like. - Intuitive: Minimalist, elegant interface gets out of your way so there is nothing standing between you and your photography. Large timer is visible across the room. - Intervals: An integrated interval timer makes it easy to do things like “for this step please beep after the first minute and then every 30 seconds". You’ll know at-a-glance how much time until your next inversion. - Nostalgia: Great faux leather vulcanite covering - Import: Import recipes directly from FilmDev.org - Share. Tweet and post your recipes. Facebook, Twitter, Mail, Sina Weibo, Tencent Weibo are all supported. No more excuses that you lost track of time or forgot to agitate at a 30 seconds interval -- this is a thing of the past. Concentrate on being the best photographer and alchemist you can be, leave the timing to Develop!. Now go out there and shoot a roll of film! Good luck! 100% free. Always.

About

Lightme

This app helps analog photographers meticulously track their film rolls, shots, and development processes. It allows for detailed logging of gear and consumables, with features for data visualization and export. Users can also manage film holders and add post-development notes with photos of final results.

Highlights
  • Log film rolls, shots, and development
  • Track gear and consumables
  • Data visualization with graphs/histograms
  • Data export in JSON/CSV formats
  • Manage large format film holders
  • Post-development notes with photos
Features
Read full description

Lightme - Logbook is a clean and powerful tool to record and keep track of your rolls, shots, developments, and all the gear that revolves around shooting film — from 35mm to medium and large format. The idea behind it is simple: logging a shot should take seconds, not steal time from actually shooting. Lightme pairs a beautiful, immediate interface with enough depth and flexibility to fit any workflow, whether you shoot a couple of rolls a year or fill several large format holders in an afternoon. LOGGING, EFFORTLESSLY • Log a shot in seconds: aperture, shutter speed, focal length, filters, bellows correction, measured EV, notes and more • Log straight from your wrist with the companion Apple Watch app, with Siri and Shortcuts, or from the home screen and lock screen widgets • Together with the Lightme Lightmeter app, your meter readings can prefill a new shot automatically • Every shot can carry a location and address, a preview photo, and later its final scan, plus a star rating ROLLS, SHEETS AND DEVELOPMENTS • Track rolls from loading to unloading, with film stocks from a growing database and a processing pipeline: waiting for development, off to the lab, back from the lab, to be scanned, scanned • Keep detailed development notes — developer, dilution, time, temperature, agitation — for rolls and single sheets alike, including push/pull (N+ / N-) development • Add post-development notes and a photo of the final result to rolls, sheets and individual shots YOUR GEAR, ORGANIZED • Cameras and lenses with nicknames, formats (including custom formats you define), pinhole and bellows flags, custom shutter speeds and selectable shutter step sizes • Roll film backs and lens filters with their exposure compensation • Film holders and backs can be marked as compatible with specific cameras, and everything is searchable from a single bar LARGE FORMAT, COVERED • Keep track of your film holders with three states — unloaded, loaded and exposed — always knowing which film is inside each one • Group holders together and follow every sheet from exposure through development INSIGHTS FROM YOUR DATA • Build and save custom queries, filtering by date (fixed or rolling windows), camera, lens, film stock, format, ISO, aperture, shutter speed, focal length and notes • Visualize results with histograms — by camera, lens, film stock, shutter speed, aperture, focal length, ISO, format, rating or hour of the day — alongside aggregate stats like mean aperture and average exposure • Save the queries you use most and re-run them anytime YOUR DATA, YOURS • Everything syncs privately through iCloud across your iPhone and iPad • Export any selection of data as CSV or JSON, or as a beautifully formatted PDF with customizable columns and a contact-sheet mode, bundled with your images in a single ZIP • Batch-write shooting metadata (EXIF) onto your scans — for a whole roll at once, or by matching files from the Files app • Viewing and exporting your data is free, forever; adding and editing is unlocked with a one-time purchase or a subscription AND MORE • Full-text search, favourites and an archive to keep things tidy • Available in English, Italian, Spanish, Japanese and Simplified Chinese • A roadmap of what's coming next lives right in the app — new very cool features are on the way :) If you have any suggestion or issue, write me at lightme.apps@gmail.com Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Develop!4 screens
Lightme4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Develop! at none against Lightme's 8. Develop! also leads on review sentiment (89% vs 75%) and ratings volume (374 vs 101). Lightme's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 4 weeks) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, rating and ads 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. Lightme sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Develop! asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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 101 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of Develop!'s written reviews are positive against 75% of Lightme's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Develop! ships an update every 4 weeks, Lightme every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Develop! versus Lightme: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDevelop!Lightme
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (374 ratings)4.8 (101 ratings)
Positive reviews88.7% of reviews — better75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings374 — better101
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size101 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTodd BreslowGiuseppe Bertolini

Customer experience

Develop!

All ratings374 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral1.9%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews115 reviews
Positive88.7%
Neutral6.1%
Negative5.2%

Lightme

All ratings101 ratings
Positive97.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative12.5%

Bugs and requests

Develop!

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

7 requests
  • 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
Show 2 more
  • Larger font size for better visibility
  • Background music playback without interruption

Lightme

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Develop!

No in-app purchases

8 purchases

Lightme

Subscriptions4
  • 1 Cappuccino7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Focaccia Barese7 Days trial$12.991 Year
  • Spaghetti Carbonara7 Days trial$29.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Homemade Pizza party7 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time4
  • A smile :)Free
  • Box of Prosecco$59.99
  • Fuel for my '90s camper$119.99
Show 1 more
  • Terme for two$239.99

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 101 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 9 days. Most recently, Develop! was updated on September 30, 2026 and Lightme on October 2, 2026.

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