Comparison

HamsterBase vs Portable Light Meter

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

Head to head
About

HamsterBase

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HamsterBase is a tool centered around privacy protection and offline friendliness for use in later reading. The well-designed HamsterBase features the following characteristics: Offline First: It can be used offline without relying on servers.Privacy First: It does not collect any data and prioritizes your privacy.Keyboard First: Almost all features can be easily accessed via keyboard shortcuts.No Data Hijacking: You can store data locally and enjoy seamless API integration with other software.No Subscription Required: It’s free to use during the beta period.Break Device Limitations: Through P2P synchronization, your database can break free from device limitations.Powerful Full-text Search: Unlock the power of comprehensive searches, accessing the full content of every saved webpage. HamsterBase works with all your favorite apps, such as Logseq, Obsidian, Notion, and Siyuan.

About

Portable Light Meter

Features
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This is an app designed for photographers and photography enthusiasts— a portable light meter application. It helps you measure exposure for time-lapse photography and film photography, and even supports ND filters in aperture priority mode. The app supports both aperture priority and shutter priority modes, exposure lock, saving and recording current metering data, and switching between front and rear cameras for metering. Additionally, it also supports measuring color temperature and EV values.

Screenshots

HamsterBase3 screens
Portable Light Meter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: HamsterBase at Free against Portable Light Meter's $0.99. HamsterBase also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 8 months) and iOS requirement (12.4 vs 17.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

HamsterBase is free to download; Portable Light Meter costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HamsterBase ships an update every 2 months, Portable Light Meter every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 3 level
HamsterBase versus Portable Light Meter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHamsterBasePortable Light Meter
PriceFree — better$0.99
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.4 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size119 MB1 MB
Age rating17+4+
Developer纯洁 林家啟 褚

In-app purchases

None

HamsterBase

No in-app purchases

None

Portable Light Meter

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HamsterBase free?
HamsterBase is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Portable Light Meter free?
Portable Light Meter costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do HamsterBase or Portable Light Meter have ads?
Neither HamsterBase nor Portable Light Meter shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HamsterBase or Portable Light Meter?
HamsterBase ships an update every 2 months, and Portable Light Meter every 8 months. Most recently, HamsterBase was updated on October 2, 2026 and Portable Light Meter on October 1, 2026.

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