Cine Meter vs Freefly Ember
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Cine Meter
This app provides professional video production tools, including an RGB waveform monitor, false-color display, and a cine-style reflected light meter. It helps analyze light levels, color imbalances, and contrast ranges for precise exposure control in video shoots.
- RGB waveform monitor
- False-color display
- Cine-style reflected light meter
- Shutter-priority metering
- Adjustable light meter calibration
- Contrast range analysis
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SEE the light: Cine Meter gives you an RGB waveform monitor and a false-color picture in addition to a cine-style, shutter-priority reflected light meter, using the camera in your iPhone / iPod / iPad. • The light meter shows you your stop as a decimal value (such as f/5.0, good for cameras with EVF iris readouts) or as a full stop and fraction (like f/4.0 ⅔, good for cine lenses with marked iris rings). You can calibrate Cine Meter to match other meters to a tenth of a stop. • The waveform monitor shows you how light levels vary across a scene. You'll see how smooth and even the lighting is on a greenscreen or background, and find subtle hotspots and shadows at a glance. The waveform’s RGB mode shows you color imbalances in the image and gives you a handy way to check color purity and separation for chroma-keying. • The false-color mode lets you define allowable contrast ranges, and see instantly which shadows are underexposed and what highlights risk clipping. _______________________ READ BEFORE YOU BUY: Cine Meter is NOT a color-temperature meter; it can't measure white balance. It's NOT a flash meter; it can't measure strobes. It's designed solely for cine/video work and isn't optimized for still photography; for example, it's shutter-priority only. Cine Meter gives you *absolute* light meter readings, but *relative* picture and waveform monitor levels: 1) Cine Meter’s picture and waveform monitor do not use the *exact* exposure shown by the light meter (they are close to the meter reading, but can differ from it slightly). The picture and waveform monitor show you *relative* levels within a scene, not *absolute* levels based on the meter reading. 2) You can't *preset* exposure or color temperature in Cine Meter. To compare exposures and colors, you lock Cine Meter’s auto-exposure and auto-white-balance settings while looking at a known good reference, such as a gray card. The picture and waveform monitor then show you levels and colors relative to your locked settings. See http://www.adamwilt.com/cinemeter/details.html#How_It_Works for details. (Why am I telling you this? I would rather have you understand these limitations up-front and not buy Cine Meter, than have you buy Cine Meter unaware of them and be disappointed.)
Freefly Ember
Control your Freefly Ember camera wirelessly from your iOS or iPadOS device. Adjust settings, review footage instantly, and export your best shots with ease. The app mirrors your camera's on-screen interface for a seamless workflow.
- Wireless camera connection
- Live preview
- Remote camera settings adjustment
- Instant video playback
- Export selected video clips
- Synced user interface
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Introducing remote wireless control for your Freefly Ember on iOS and iPadOS. Quickly adjust your camera settings, enjoy instant playback, and easily export your favorite shots, all directly from the app. The Ember app replicates all camera controls available on the on-camera UI, providing a cohesive and intuitive experience. Any changes made on your camera are reflected in the app instantly, ensuring you're always in full control. Key Features: Wireless Connection: Connect the app to your Freely Ember camera via the camera’s WiFi network to view live preview and control your camera settings. Instant Playback: Replay your shots instantly, allowing you to check and perfect your videos on the go. Export: Specify in/out points on videos and transfer your shots directly from the camera to your device with a few simple taps. Synced UI: Changes made on your camera are instantly mirrored on the app for a seamless experience. Video playback requires a device that supports ProRes decoding: iPhone 13 and newer iPad Mini 6th generation and newer iPad Pro 12.9” 5th generation and newer iPad Pro 11” 3rd generation and newer iPad Air 5th generation and newer Ensure your device's compatibility for the best experience.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Freefly Ember at 5.0 against Cine Meter's 3.3. Freefly Ember also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 81%) and update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). Cine Meter's advantage is iOS requirement (5.1.1 vs 17.0). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Freefly Ember holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 6 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Cine Meter's written reviews are positive against 100% of Freefly Ember's.
Cine Meter ships an update every 4 months, Freefly Ember monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Cine Meter | Freefly Ember |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (3 ratings) | 5.0 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 80.8% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 6 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 5.1.1 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Adam Wilt | FREEFLY SYSTEMS INC. |
Customer experience
Cine Meter
Freefly Ember
In-app purchases
Cine Meter
No in-app purchases
Freefly Ember
No in-app purchases









