Comparison

SmartLab35 vs Grain

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

Head to head
About

SmartLab35

Features
Read full description

With the innovative photo enlarger, you can create prints from your film negatives in a completely new way. This is possible for colour and black and white photos. In black and white mode, you can set an exposure time of up to 999 seconds. You can set the intensity of the enlarger to up to -4.0 f-stops. For multi-grade paper, you can select the gradation from 00.0 to 5.0. Use the function buttons to control the enlarger. Use the FOCUS light to adjust the sharpness of your image. Use the SAFE light to insert the paper. Start and pause the exposure with the centre button. In colour mode, you can set an exposure time of up to 999 seconds. You can control the colour gradation of your image by setting the intensity of the individual colour channels. In the options menu, you can choose between CMY and RGB colour systems. Control the enlarger with the function buttons. You can use the FOCUS light to adjust the sharpness of your image. Start and pause the exposure with the centre button.

About

Grain

Features
Read full description

Grain is the logbook for everyone who shoots film. When you shoot analog, the details fade fast. Which aperture was that? What roll is still sitting in the camera? Where did you take that frame three weeks ago? Grain remembers all of it, so when your scans finally come back, every shot still tells its full story. Load a roll, log each frame as you shoot, and follow your film all the way from the camera to the lab to your finished scans. It is built for film photographers who want to remember, and learn from, every roll. Log Every Frame Record aperture, shutter speed, exposure compensation, notes, and the conditions you were shooting in. Frame by frame, roll by roll. Track Your Rolls Follow each roll through its life: active in the camera, dropped at the lab, then developed. Star a roll to keep it front and center. Tag Your Locations Every frame can be tagged with where you took it, so you can find that exact spot again. Build Your Archive Browse your developed rolls in a clean, organized archive, then import your scans and pair them with the shots you logged. See Your Photos On A Map View every geotagged frame on a map and rediscover where your photography takes you. Understand How You Shoot Explore stats on your habits across cameras, films, and settings, and export your data whenever you want. Supports Your Formats 35mm, half frame, 120, or any other specific format you may use, with the right frame count for each. Made Your Way Pick from a range of themes to match how you like to work, from bright and clean to deep darkroom red. Grain is free to start, with up to three active rolls stored locally on your device. Grain Pro unlocks the full experience: - Unlimited active rolls - Unlimited photo imports - Map view of all your shots - Cloud sync across your devices - Shooting stats and CSV export Grain Pro is available as a monthly or annual auto-renewable subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and you can manage or cancel it anytime in your Apple Account settings. Prices are shown in the app and may vary by region. Privacy Policy: https://kaidus23.github.io/grain-privacy/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

SmartLab354 screens
Grain4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SmartLab35 at none against Grain's 2. Grain's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Grain sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. SmartLab35 asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SmartLab35 ships an update every 5 weeks, Grain every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
SmartLab35 versus Grain: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSmartLab35Grain
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 2 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, Apple Watch โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.016.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size23 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSANTIAGO FRANCISCO RAMIREZ SONNTAGKAI VIBOON VIGNAU

In-app purchases

None

SmartLab35

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Grain

Subscriptions2
  • Grain Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Grain Pro Yearly$39.991 Year

Questions

Is SmartLab35 free?
SmartLab35 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Grain free?
Grain is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SmartLab35 or Grain have ads?
Neither SmartLab35 nor Grain shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SmartLab35 or Grain?
SmartLab35 ships an update every 5 weeks, and Grain every 2 days. Most recently, SmartLab35 was updated on November 4, 2026 and Grain on November 5, 2026.

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