Comparison

Develop! 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!

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

myLightMeter PRO

This app provides precise exposure metering for photographers, supporting both digital and analog workflows. It offers a comprehensive set of manual controls and advanced tools like a hyperfocal distance calculator.

Highlights
  • Extended low-light sensitivity
  • Incident and reflected metering
  • Manual exposure control
  • Hyperfocal distance calculator
  • Save and review exposure data
  • Extract exposure data from photos
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!4 screens
myLightMeter PRO4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Develop! at Free against myLightMeter PRO's $4.99. Develop! also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.0). myLightMeter PRO's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 4 weeks) and chart position (#9 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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! 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! against 4.8 for myLightMeter PRO. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 374 and 1.1K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of Develop!'s written reviews are positive against 90% of myLightMeter PRO's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Develop! ships an update every 4 weeks, myLightMeter PRO every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Develop! versus myLightMeter PRO: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDevelop!myLightMeter PRO
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.8 (374 ratings)4.8 (1.1K ratings)
Positive reviews88.7% of reviews90.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3741.1K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#9 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS11.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size101 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTodd BreslowDavid Quiles

Customer experience

Develop!

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

myLightMeter PRO

All ratings1,125 ratings
Positive95.9%
Neutral1.4%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews654 reviews
Positive90.2%
Neutral2.4%
Negative7.3%

User reviews

Develop!

From 374 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 1.1K 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!

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!

No in-app purchases

None

myLightMeter PRO

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Develop! free?
Develop! 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! or myLightMeter PRO?
Develop! and myLightMeter PRO are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 374 and 1.1K ratings respectively.
Do Develop! or myLightMeter PRO have ads?
Neither Develop! nor myLightMeter PRO shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Develop! or myLightMeter PRO?
Develop! ships an update every 4 weeks, and myLightMeter PRO every 5 days. Most recently, Develop! was updated on September 30, 2026 and myLightMeter PRO on October 2, 2026.

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