Comparison

Develop! Film Timer vs myLightMeter PRO

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

Head to head
About

Develop! Film Timer

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! is a flexible, elegant timer for developing film and working in the darkroom. Build your own development recipes in a few taps: as many steps as you need, each with its own agitation intervals. It's entirely up to you; you're in full control. Notable features: - Voice Control: Hands wet? Just say "NEXT" to move on to the next step. Recognition runs on your iPhone, no internet connection needed. - Keeps time in the background: Leave the app or lock your phone and the timer keeps running. You'll get a notification when a step ends and at every agitation. - Intervals: A built-in interval timer handles things like "beep after the first minute, then every 30 seconds." You'll see at a glance how long until your next inversion. - Darkroom Mode: A strict red-on-black theme for darkroom use. - Flexible: As many recipes and steps as you like, steps of up to 90 minutes, named your way, with notes for every recipe. - Easy to read: A large timer you can see across the room, styled after a classic camera body, right down to the vulcanite. - Import: Bring in recipes straight from FilmDev.org. - Share: Send a recipe as a file with Mail, Messages, AirDrop or anything else on the share sheet. No more losing track of time or forgetting to agitate every 30 seconds. Concentrate on being the best photographer and alchemist you can be, and leave the timing to Develop! Now go out there and shoot a roll of film. Good luck! 100% free. Always.

About

myLightMeter PRO

This app provides photographers with precise exposure measurement tools for both film and digital workflows. It offers comprehensive manual control, advanced calculators, and session organization with iCloud syncing.

Highlights
  • Incident and reflected-light metering
  • Full manual exposure control
  • Long exposure and low-light sensitivity
  • Session organization with iCloud sync
  • Hyperfocal-distance calculator
  • Configurable presets
Features
Read full description

Designed by a photographer, for photographers. Built for reliable, precise exposure measurement across film and digital workflows. myLightMeter PRO gives you full control over exposure through a clean, professional set of tools. Key Features • Incident and reflected-light metering • Classic and Pro interface styles • Full manual control over aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and exposure compensation in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments • Exposure range from 4 hours in Long Exposure mode to 1/8000 s, f/1.0 to f/512, and ISO 0.8 to 409,600 • Aperture-priority (Av) and shutter-priority (Tv) modes • Automatic ISO adjustment or ISO lock • Reciprocity correction for long film exposures • Sensitivity down to −2.5 EV, ideal for low-light scenes • Average multiple readings • Import shutter speed, aperture, and ISO from photos in your library • Organize readings into Sessions with photos, exposure data, camera and lens details, and notes • Keep your Sessions synced through iCloud, so they remain available when you switch phones or use another device • Export Sessions as PDFs or print them Advanced Tools • Hyperfocal-distance calculator • Five configurable presets, each storing camera, lens, ISO, filter, and film settings • EV display with an analog scale or numerical reading • mySPOTMETER and f/Tools integration About This app is built and maintained by an independent photographer and developer. It is the tool I personally use and continuously refine. If you have suggestions or need support, contact me at: davidquiles@me.com

Screenshots

Develop! Film Timer4 screens
myLightMeter PRO4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Develop! Film Timer at Free against myLightMeter PRO's $4.99. myLightMeter PRO's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 4 weeks) and chart position (#14 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume 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

Develop! Film Timer is free to download; myLightMeter PRO costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Develop! Film Timer against 4.8 for myLightMeter PRO. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 416 and 1.2K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of Develop! Film Timer's written reviews are positive against 90% of myLightMeter PRO's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Develop! Film Timer ships an update every 4 weeks, myLightMeter PRO every 5 days. Both last shipped on November 13, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Develop! Film Timer versus myLightMeter PRO: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDevelop! Film TimermyLightMeter PRO
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.8 (416 ratings)4.8 (1.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews88.7% of reviews90.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4161.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#14 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB98 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTodd BreslowDavid Quiles

Customer experience

Develop! Film Timer

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

myLightMeter PRO

All ratings1,176 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral1.4%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews667 reviews
Positive90.3%
Neutral2.4%
Negative7.3%

User reviews

Develop! Film Timer

From 416 App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

myLightMeter PRO

From 1.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Accurate and reliable
  • 👍 Convenient and easy to use
  • 🔍 Useful for vintage/manual cameras
  • 💡 Helpful for learning photography
  • ⭐ Excellent value for money

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs in recent versions
  • 🔍 Spot metering mode not precise enough
  • 🔧 Needs more customization options
  • 🔋 Volume control issues

Bugs and requests

Develop! Film Timer

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

myLightMeter PRO

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on startup
  • Inconsistent behavior between free and pro versions
  • Incorrect shutter speed and aperture options for some cameras

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to lock shutter speed and aperture
  • Smaller spot metering area
  • Support for more film/sensor formats
  • Improved incident metering with diffuser

In-app purchases

None

Develop! Film Timer

No in-app purchases

None

myLightMeter PRO

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Develop! Film Timer free?
Develop! Film Timer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is myLightMeter PRO free?
myLightMeter PRO costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Develop! Film Timer or myLightMeter PRO?
myLightMeter PRO is rated higher. Develop! Film Timer averages 4.8 out of 5 from 416 ratings, while myLightMeter PRO averages 4.8 from 1.2K ratings.
Do Develop! Film Timer or myLightMeter PRO have ads?
Neither Develop! Film Timer nor myLightMeter PRO shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Develop! Film Timer or myLightMeter PRO?
Develop! Film Timer ships an update every 4 weeks, and myLightMeter PRO every 5 days. Most recently, Develop! Film Timer was updated on November 13, 2026 and myLightMeter PRO on November 13, 2026.

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