Comparison

myLightMeter PRO vs PhotoPills

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

Head to head
About

myLightMeter PRO

This app provides precise exposure measurement for photographers, offering both incident and reflected light metering. It allows full manual control over exposure settings and includes advanced tools like a hyperfocal-distance calculator and configurable presets. Readings can be organized into sessions and synced via iCloud.

Highlights
  • Incident and reflected-light metering
  • Full manual exposure control
  • Long exposure and low-light sensitivity
  • Session organization and 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

About

PhotoPills

Plan and capture stunning photos of the sun, moon, and Milky Way. This app helps you visualize celestial events and landscape compositions with advanced planning tools and augmented reality.

Highlights
  • 2D Map-Centric Planner (Sun, Moon, Milky Way)
  • 3D Augmented Reality Views
  • Celestial Event Finder
  • Photo Plans Manager
  • Location Scouting Tool
  • Calculators (Long Exposure, Timelapse, etc.)
Features
Read full description

Unlock your creative potential! Discover how to easily turn any Sun, Moon and Milky Way scene you imagine into a real picture… and start shooting truly legendary photos every time you pick up the camera! Whether your passion is to capture beautiful landscapes, immortalize the infinite night sky, surprise the bride and the groom in their happiest day... or to travel the world, PhotoPills will make you love exploring new artistic possibilities to tell visual stories in a way it wasn’t possible before. * All in one app PhotoPills is your iPhone and iPad personal assistant in all photographic matters. It provides tasty remedies to answer most of the questions when planning and shooting your creative ideas: - The First 2D Map-Centric Planner: Sun, Moon, Milky Way - Sun, Moon Alignments Fast Finder - 3D Augmented Reality: Sun, Moon, Milky Way, Celestial Equator, Polaris, DoF, FoV - Photo Plans Manager - Location Scouting Tool - Key information: Sunrise/set, Twilights, Golden Hour, Blue Hour, Moonrise/set, Supermoon dates, Moon Calendar - Calculators: Long Exposure, Timelapse, Spot Stars, Star Trails, Hyperfocal Table, DoF, FoV - Widgets: Sun, Moon, Milky Way - PhotoPills Awards… and much more! * Endorsed by Masters “PhotoPills is an invaluable tool which I use every time I plan a shoot.” – Mark Gee, Astronomy Photographer of the Year. “A tool every photographer should have.” – Kevin Raber, Luminous-landscape.com. “It pays off! Using such a tool ensures that we are repeatedly capable of quickly planning powerful shots; leaving maximum opportunity for more creative ruminations.” – José B. Ruiz, Innovation Award, Wildlife Photographer of the Year. * How it works Have you ever walked around a place and thought: "What a pity the Moon isn't EXACTLY right there... I would have captured a great photo!"? What about the Sun? And the Milky Way? Well, now you can let your imagination fly and calculate when this specific magic moment happens in just a few seconds: - IMAGINE: the Milky Way arching over a powerful landscape, a giant full Moon appearing from behind a nearby hill or a sunset between two rocks on a magic beach... The only limit is your imagination! - PLAN: easily calculate the exact date and time the scene you’ve imagined happens. Work smarter, not harder! - SHOOT: just get out there, immerse yourself in the great outdoors, and enjoy living and capturing unique moments. * Become a Legend Because we know the huge amount of time, energy and love you put in your photos. We want to HONOR them, SHOW them to the World, and REWARD you with up to $6,600 in cash prizes. It's easy and FREE! Just submit your creative photos from PhotoPills and join the Legacy! * Never waste an unmissable scene again Create a To-Do list of planned photos and get to the location on time. * Get it right Adjust your frame for the best composition before you shoot. Use the 3D Augmented Reality Views to see whether Sun, Moon and Milky Way will be at the desired position when pressing the shutter. * Explore, discover great places and create your own database of locations If you come across a location you’d like to remember, save it as a Point of Interest. * Enjoy all daily information in just one swipe with the Widgets Just swipe down from the top of the screen to get all the Sun, Moon and Milky Way events for your current location and date, in addition to your upcoming photo plans. * Get more than an app Our goal is not only to help you plan your shots, but also to help you nail them. Whenever you need help, take a look at our How-To articles and videos, join our free online courses or just contact us! “This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take PhotoPills – you stay in Wonderland and we show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes. Remember: all we’re offering are Legendary Photos and Goosebumps in your skin, nothing more.”

Screenshots

myLightMeter PRO4 screens
PhotoPills4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: myLightMeter PRO at every 5 days against PhotoPills's every 2 months. myLightMeter PRO also leads on price ($4.99 vs $10.99). PhotoPills's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). 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

myLightMeter PRO costs $4.99 and PhotoPills $10.99 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 myLightMeter PRO against 4.7 for PhotoPills. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.2K and 1.5K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of myLightMeter PRO's written reviews are positive against 85% of PhotoPills's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

myLightMeter PRO ships an update every 5 days, PhotoPills every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
myLightMeter PRO versus PhotoPills: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametermyLightMeter PROPhotoPills
Price$4.99 — better$10.99
Rating4.8 (1.2K ratings) — better4.7 (1.5K ratings)
Positive reviews90.3% of reviews — better84.9% of reviews
Number of ratings1.2K1.5K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#19#10 — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size98 MB41 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperDavid QuilesPhotoPills S.L.

Customer experience

myLightMeter PRO

All ratings1,166 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral1.4%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews661 reviews
Positive90.3%
Neutral2.4%
Negative7.3%

PhotoPills

All ratings1,525 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral1.5%
Negative6.0%
Written reviews482 reviews
Positive84.9%
Neutral4.1%
Negative11.0%

User reviews

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

PhotoPills

From 1.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Comprehensive planning tools
  • 🚀 Powerful features for astrophotography
  • 💡 Excellent tutorials and support
  • 🌟 Indispensable for photographers
  • ⭐ Incredible value for money

Room to improve

  • 🤔 Steep learning curve
  • 🤯 Overwhelming complexity
  • 🤖 Confusing user interface
  • 🔋 Battery drain issues
  • 🗺️ Inaccurate location tracking

Bugs and requests

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

PhotoPills

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes when using depth of field calculator
  • Location settings not persisting between sessions
  • Milky Way position not aligning correctly

Requested features

5 requests
  • User guide in multiple languages
  • Improved integration with other apps
  • More customization options
  • Weather forecast integration
  • Apple Watch companion app

In-app purchases

None

myLightMeter PRO

No in-app purchases

None

PhotoPills

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is myLightMeter PRO free?
myLightMeter PRO costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is PhotoPills free?
PhotoPills costs $10.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, myLightMeter PRO or PhotoPills?
myLightMeter PRO is rated higher. myLightMeter PRO averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while PhotoPills averages 4.7 from 1.5K ratings.
Do myLightMeter PRO or PhotoPills have ads?
Neither myLightMeter PRO nor PhotoPills shows ads.
Which is updated more often, myLightMeter PRO or PhotoPills?
myLightMeter PRO ships an update every 5 days, and PhotoPills every 2 months. Most recently, myLightMeter PRO was updated on November 1, 2026 and PhotoPills on November 1, 2026.
Which is more popular, myLightMeter PRO or PhotoPills?
myLightMeter PRO currently peaks at #19 in the App Store charts, and PhotoPills at #10. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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