# Develop! vs myLightMeter PRO

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 (#12 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Develop! | myLightMeter PRO |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $4.99 |
| Rating | [4.8 (374 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/develop/id568421864/reviews) | [4.8 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mylightmeter-pro/id583922375/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 374 | **1.1K** |
| Positive reviews | 88.7% of reviews | **90.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#12** |
| Size | 101 MB | 53 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 16.0 |
| 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!

[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


### myLightMeter PRO

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

**Currently charting:** #12 Top Paid · Photo & Video (US App Store)

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:** 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! 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 4, 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.*