Comparison

Datacolor LightColor Meter vs CardFlow

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

Head to head
About

Datacolor LightColor Meter

This pocket-sized device streams real-time light and color data to your smartphone, offering precise control over exposure and color consistency for photos, videos, and cinema. It measures various light types and color parameters, and includes gel filter libraries for creative adjustments.

Highlights
  • Real-time light and color data streaming
  • Exposure and lighting ratio control
  • Color consistency across setups
  • Measures Lux, Chromaticity, CCT, DUV
  • Includes gel filter libraries
  • Simultaneous measurements from multiple meters
  • Hands-free functionality
Features
Read full description

· The Datacolor LightColor Meter is a Bluetooth-enabled, multifunctional tool that fits in your pocket, continuously streaming both light and color data in real-time, to your smartphone. · Perfect for photos, videos, cinema and hybrid photo/video shoots, the LightColor Meter takes the guesswork out of exposure settings, giving you better control of lighting ratios as well as color consistency across varied lighting conditions and multiple camera setups. · The Datacolor LightColor Meter accurately measures all types of lighting, from fluctuating outdoor light, mixed natural/artificial location lighting, plus any type of studio lighting, including continuous lighting and strobe/flash. · It goes beyond a regular light meter to also measure color temperature, Lux, Chromaticity, CCT and DUV. Additionally, the device comes with filter libraries from Profoto®, LEE® and Rosco® to help you choose the right color gels for functional or creative color adjustments. · The rugged, travel-friendly device goes anywhere you’re shooting, providing you with a wireless versatility that lets you easily fine-tune your lighting and exposure without having to leave your camera. · You can attach the device to a light stand or tripod, use the through-hole for lanyards to hang the meter where needed, use the alligator clip that’s included to attach the LightColor Meter to clothing or other fabrics or use the rare earth magnet on the back of the device for easy magnetic attachment. · You can seamlessly sync multiple Datacolor LightColor Meters to get light and color temperature measurements from several locations simultaneously. The device accurately measures light and color temperature from a distance of up to 80 feet, allowing you to cover wide areas and is perfect for ensuring uniform lighting for green screens for easy and effective chroma keying in post-production. Key Feature Highlights o Incident Metering for Ambient & Flash o Mobile App/Wireless Bluetooth 4.0 LE o Photo, Video, Cine Exposure Modes o Measures Lux, Chromaticity, CCT, and +/- Green (Duv) o Measures Any Kind of Light Source o Color Temperature Range: 1,600K - 20,000K o Luminance Range: 1.0 - 1,000,000 lux o Cine Settings: Frame Rate, Shutter Angle/Speed & ND Filter Compensation o HSS Flash & Flash Duration Measurements o Included: Gel Filter Libraries from Profoto®, LEE® and Rosco® o Simultaneous Measurements from Multiple Meters Up to 80 ft Away o Hands-Free Functionality - incl. Magnet, ¼”-20 Mount o Cord-in (PC Sync) o Custom Exposure Profiles

About

CardFlow

Features
Read full description

CardFlow: FTP is the iPhone companion for assignment photographers who need to receive, caption, and send frames from the sideline—without lugging a laptop. Your camera sends photographs over FTP while CardFlow: FTP runs on your iPhone. Files land in a job folder. On the break, cull and tag selects, apply professional IPTC with templates and code replacement, make quick exposure and color adjustments, then deliver via FTP, Share sheet, or export to a folder. BUILT FOR DEADLINE WORK • Built-in FTP server tuned for Canon EOS R3 and similar camera FTP clients • Works on a travel-router LAN or iPhone Personal Hotspot • Live server status, camera connection indicator, and receive log • Compact job contact sheet for dozens to low hundreds of frames • Full IPTC editor with XMP templates, snapshot paste, autocomplete, and code replacement • Quick Edit: exposure, highlights, shadows, contrast, saturation, color temperature, crop, straighten • Separate send queue—tap photos to queue without changing ingest tags • Copy or move finished batches to an archive folder for the next half • Ingest from a card reader via Files when you are off the FTP workflow • Deliver via FTP, Mail, AirDrop, Messages, or export to a folder you choose PROFESSIONAL METADATA • Writes IPTC to JPG and matching XMP sidecars for RAW companions • Batch caption selected frames with shared fields, then refine individually • Code replacement for roster and event strings HONEST LIMITATIONS • FTP receive runs while the app is in the foreground on the Receive tab—keep CardFlow: FTP open while shooting • Standard FTP is not encrypted; use networks you trust • CFexpress Type B cards usually need a powered USB hub before Files can see the volume CardFlow: FTP is a one-time purchase app from 3PM Studios. Introductory price No account, cloud library, or subscription required. Your photographs stay on your iPhone and destinations you choose unless you send them. Also available: CardFlow Photo Workflow for Mac and iPad—the full assignment workflow with multi-card ingest and larger jobs. ```

Screenshots

Datacolor LightColor Meter4 screens
CardFlow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Datacolor LightColor Meter at Free against CardFlow's $29.99. Datacolor LightColor Meter also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.0). CardFlow's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly). 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

Datacolor LightColor Meter is free to download; CardFlow costs $29.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Datacolor LightColor Meter ships an update fortnightly, CardFlow every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Datacolor LightColor Meter versus CardFlow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDatacolor LightColor MeterCardFlow
PriceFree — better$29.99
Rating1.7 (7 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews16.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings7 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS12.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDatacolor Inc.3PM Studios

In-app purchases

None

Datacolor LightColor Meter

No in-app purchases

None

CardFlow

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Datacolor LightColor Meter free?
Datacolor LightColor Meter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CardFlow free?
CardFlow costs $29.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Datacolor LightColor Meter or CardFlow have ads?
Neither Datacolor LightColor Meter nor CardFlow shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Datacolor LightColor Meter or CardFlow?
Datacolor LightColor Meter ships an update fortnightly, and CardFlow every 5 days. Most recently, Datacolor LightColor Meter was updated on October 24, 2026 and CardFlow on October 20, 2026.

Other comparisons