# Develop! Film Timer vs myLightMeter PRO

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Develop! Film Timer | myLightMeter PRO |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $4.99 |
| Rating | [4.8 (416 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/develop-film-timer/id568421864/reviews) | **[4.8 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mylightmeter-pro/id583922375/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 416 | **1.2K** |
| Positive reviews | 88.7% of reviews | **90.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#14** |
| Size | 7 MB | 98 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Todd Breslow](https://appshunter.io/developer/568421867) | [David Quiles](https://appshunter.io/developer/578971109) |

## 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


### myLightMeter PRO

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mylightmeter-pro/id583922375)

**Currently charting:** #14 Top Paid · Photo & Video, #112 Top Paid (US App Store)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


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