Comparison

myLightMeter PRO vs Darkroom Formulas

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 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

About

Darkroom Formulas

This app provides a digital cookbook of over 160 chemical formulas for darkroom photography. It features a volume mixer for easy proportional adjustments and allows users to save, edit, and share their own recipes. Access all data offline, making it a convenient tool for photographers.

Highlights
  • 160+ chemical formulas
  • Custom formula editing
  • Proportional volume mixer
  • Offline access
  • Formula export and backup
  • Supports multiple units
Features
Read full description

Darkroom Formulas contains a database with over 160 chemical formulas from Digitaltruth.com including film developers, print developers, toners, reducers, intensifiers and more. Users can edit existing formulas or add their own favorite recipes. The app contains a powerful Volume Mixer allowing all ingredients to be adjusted proportionally on-the-fly. No more messing around with complex calculations, simply change the final volume and every ingredient changes automatically! Your own saved formulas can be exported and shared by email, or stored externally as a back up. The app includes all the data internally, so there is no need to connect to the internet to use it. Simply download and store in your pocket. Ideal for lab technicians and other darkroom users who need to mix formulas from scratch. Formulas can include up to 3 part mixes (eg. Part A, Part B, Part C) and each part can contain up to 10 ingredients, allowing a maximum total of 30 ingredients. Available units are ml, g, fl oz, oz, tsp, grains and drops. Lifetime free updates, no ads, no add-ons.

Screenshots

myLightMeter PRO4 screens
Darkroom Formulas4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: myLightMeter PRO at 90% against Darkroom Formulas's 29%. myLightMeter PRO also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.5) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 14 months). Darkroom Formulas's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 16.0). On ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 Darkroom Formulas $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

myLightMeter PRO holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: myLightMeter PRO has 1.1K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of myLightMeter PRO's written reviews are positive against 29% of Darkroom Formulas's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

myLightMeter PRO ships an update every 5 days, Darkroom Formulas every 14 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
myLightMeter PRO versus Darkroom Formulas: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametermyLightMeter PRODarkroom Formulas
Price$4.99 — better$5.99
Rating4.8 (1.1K ratings) — better2.5 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews90.3% of reviews — better28.6% of reviews
Number of ratings1.1K — better4
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 14 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#13 — better—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.09.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavid QuilesFreestyle Photo & Imaging

Customer experience

myLightMeter PRO

All ratings1,143 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral1.4%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews660 reviews
Positive90.3%
Neutral2.4%
Negative7.3%

Darkroom Formulas

All ratings4 ratings
Positive25.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive28.6%
Neutral28.6%
Negative42.9%

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

Darkroom Formulas

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

myLightMeter PRO

No in-app purchases

None

Darkroom Formulas

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is myLightMeter PRO free?
myLightMeter PRO costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Darkroom Formulas free?
Darkroom Formulas costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, myLightMeter PRO or Darkroom Formulas?
myLightMeter PRO is rated higher. myLightMeter PRO averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Darkroom Formulas averages 2.5 from 4 ratings.
Do myLightMeter PRO or Darkroom Formulas have ads?
Neither myLightMeter PRO nor Darkroom Formulas shows ads.
Which is updated more often, myLightMeter PRO or Darkroom Formulas?
myLightMeter PRO ships an update every 5 days, and Darkroom Formulas every 14 months. Most recently, myLightMeter PRO was updated on October 17, 2026 and Darkroom Formulas on October 7, 2026.

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