# Develop! vs Lightme

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.

Both are free to download. Lightme sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. 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 101 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of Develop!'s written reviews are positive against 75% of Lightme's.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Develop! | Lightme |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (374 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/develop/id568421864/reviews) | [4.8 (101 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightme-logbook/id1544518308/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **374** | 101 |
| Positive reviews | **88.7% of reviews** | 75.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 101 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| 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-logbook/id1544518308)

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:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Cappuccino | $2.99 | per month |
| Focaccia Barese | $12.99 | per year |
| Spaghetti Carbonara | $29.99 | per year |
| Homemade Pizza party | $49.99 | per year |
| A smile :) | Free | one-time |
| Box of Prosecco | $59.99 | one-time |
| Fuel for my '90s camper | $119.99 | one-time |
| Terme for two | $239.99 | one-time |


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