myLightMeter PRO vs Darkroom Formulas
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Extended low-light sensitivity
- Incident and reflected metering
- Manual exposure control
- Hyperfocal distance calculator
- Save and review exposure data
- Extract exposure data from photos
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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
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.
- 160+ chemical formulas
- Custom formula editing
- Proportional volume mixer
- Offline access
- Formula export and backup
- Supports multiple units
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | myLightMeter PRO | Darkroom Formulas |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 — better | $5.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (1.1K ratings) — better | 2.5 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 90.3% of reviews — better | 28.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.1K — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Every 14 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #13 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 53 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | David Quiles | Freestyle Photo & Imaging |
Customer experience
myLightMeter PRO
Darkroom Formulas
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
myLightMeter PRO
No in-app purchases
Darkroom Formulas
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is myLightMeter PRO free?
Is Darkroom Formulas free?
Which has better reviews, myLightMeter PRO or Darkroom Formulas?
Do myLightMeter PRO or Darkroom Formulas have ads?
Which is updated more often, myLightMeter PRO or Darkroom Formulas?
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