Comparison

ILW Light Mapper vs Gaussian SplatKing

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

Head to head
About

ILW Light Mapper

Transform sculptures with animated light using this projection mapping tool. Import your videos or use the built-in library to calibrate and apply visuals. Features include multiple grids, corner offsets, and warp painting for precise alignment and dynamic effects.

Highlights
  • Video Import (.mp4 / H.264)
  • Downloadable Artwork Library
  • Multiple Grids
  • Corner Offsets & Global Offset Control
  • Global Warp Painting Tool
  • Per Grid Masking
  • Timeline Scrubbing
Features
Read full description

LightMapper is a beginner-friendly projection mapping tool designed for artists, creators, and anyone exploring light-based art. Select from a library of artwork or import your own videos, calibrate your projection with intuitive controls, and transform any surface with animated light. You can save your setups so everything is ready exactly how you left it each time you return. LightMapper includes a growing library of downloadable visuals, with new artwork added over time. FEATURES CONTENT & LIBRARY • Import your own videos (.mp4 / H.264) • Browse and download projection visuals directly in the app SETUP & CALIBRATION • Multiple grids for complex projection setups • Four-point corner adjustment for precise alignment • Global offset control for quick positioning • Scale and rotation touch controls CREATIVE TOOLS • Warp Painting – apply localized distortion to match surfaces • Masking – additive and subtractive masking tools (use shapes or import images) • Color Controls – adjust hue, saturation, and brightness (per-grid or global) • Speed Controls – slow down or speed up visuals (per-grid or global) • Transparent Backgrounds – set black to be transparent for layering (per-grid or global) WORKFLOW & CONTROL • Simple two-step process • Timeline scrubbing for video playback (per-grid or global) • Undo support while editing • Grid overlay for alignment PROJECT MANAGEMENT • Multiple save slots — create, rename, duplicate, and delete your setups • Easily switch between saved projects PERFORMANCE & SETTINGS • Edge smoothing toggle for softer or sharper visuals • Video quality control for performance vs resolution INTERFACE • Clean, sci-fi inspired UI designed for creative workflows

About

Gaussian SplatKing

Capture high-quality input data for Gaussian splatting and radiance field workflows. Features simultaneous dual-lens capture, LiDAR mode with native COLMAP export, and manual camera controls for precise adjustments.

Highlights
  • Dual-lens capture (wide + ultra-wide)
  • 4K/30 HEVC video
  • LiDAR mode with ARKit depth
  • Manual camera controls (ISO, shutter, WB, exposure)
  • COLMAP export on-device
  • Structured splatpack.json export
Read full description

Gaussian SplatKing is a capture app for Gaussian splatting and radiance field reconstruction. It produces reconstruction-ready input data for any downstream pipeline and, for LiDAR captures, refines camera poses and trains a Gaussian splat on the device. Capture • Photo and video fire the 0.5x ultra-wide and 1x wide lenses simultaneously. A single-lens (1x) option, with RAW (DNG) photo capture, is available in Settings. • LiDAR mode pairs ARKit depth with the 1x wide lens, writes native COLMAP files (cameras, images, sparse points) on-device, and shows the point cloud as it accumulates. • 4K/30 HEVC video with Standard and Max Fidelity modes; optional undistorted video exports. • Auto photo cadence for walk-through capture, with a selectable interval. • Manual controls applied to both lenses: ISO, shutter speed or shutter angle, white balance, exposure, AF Lock, manual focus distance, tap-to-focus; a minimum shutter speed. • Optional capture location metadata, off by default. • iPhone and iPad. Process • Pose refinement: after a LiDAR capture, camera poses are refined on-device (feature matching and bundle adjustment) and recorded in the export. Free for everyone. • Train Splat (SplatKing Pro): train a Gaussian splat from a refined LiDAR capture on the device. No upload, no account. Output is an .spz file with an in-app viewer. Export • Every capture is a zip with media, metadata, COLMAP files where applicable, and splatpack.json, shared through the Files app or the share sheet to any pipeline. • Session quality summaries and per-file quality flags. SplatKing Pro is a one-time purchase that adds focus peaking, an RGB histogram, capture presets, the capture-interval selector, and on-device training. Everything that is free today stays free, and Pro never changes free capture quality. Analytics are anonymous and, in regions that require consent, off unless you opt in. Capture content never leaves the device unless you share it.

Screenshots

ILW Light Mapper4 screens
Gaussian SplatKing4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Gaussian SplatKing at none against ILW Light Mapper's shown. Gaussian SplatKing also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks). ILW Light Mapper's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 80%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ratings volume 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. ILW Light Mapper sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Gaussian SplatKing sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for ILW Light Mapper against 4.3 for Gaussian SplatKing. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 12 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of ILW Light Mapper's written reviews are positive against 80% of Gaussian SplatKing's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ILW Light Mapper ships an update every 2 weeks, Gaussian SplatKing every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
ILW Light Mapper versus Gaussian SplatKing: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterILW Light MapperGaussian SplatKing
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (7 ratings)4.3 (12 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better80.0% of reviews
Number of ratings712 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size364 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStuart GrieseMICHAEL DORAN RUBLOFF

Customer experience

ILW Light Mapper

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Gaussian SplatKing

All ratings12 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

ILW Light Mapper

One-time3
  • Support Development$2.99
  • Organics$5.99
  • Support Development$9.99
4 purchases

Gaussian SplatKing

One-time4
  • Coffee Tip$4.99
  • Lunch Tip$14.99
  • SplatKing Pro$19.99
Show 1 more
  • Dinner Tip$49.99

Questions

Is ILW Light Mapper free?
ILW Light Mapper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Gaussian SplatKing free?
Gaussian SplatKing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ILW Light Mapper or Gaussian SplatKing?
Gaussian SplatKing is rated higher. ILW Light Mapper averages 4.3 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Gaussian SplatKing averages 4.3 from 12 ratings.
Do ILW Light Mapper or Gaussian SplatKing have ads?
ILW Light Mapper shows ads; Gaussian SplatKing does not.
Which is updated more often, ILW Light Mapper or Gaussian SplatKing?
ILW Light Mapper ships an update every 2 weeks, and Gaussian SplatKing every 4 days. Most recently, ILW Light Mapper was updated on October 7, 2026 and Gaussian SplatKing on October 25, 2026.

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