Comparison

LUT Lab vs Wholegrain

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

Head to head
About

LUT Lab

Visualize, apply, and export LUTs for photos and videos. This tool supports common formats like .CUBE and HALD, offering a split viewer for before/after comparisons and conversion between formats. It's designed for photographers and videographers seeking a powerful color grading companion.

Highlights
  • Interactive 3D LUT visualizer
  • Before/After split viewer
  • Export to .CUBE and HALD formats
  • Convert between .CUBE and HALD
  • Supports drag & drop and keyboard shortcuts
  • Minimal interface with multiple color themes
Features
Read full description

A LUT (Look Up Table) is a simple file that lets you change the colors, tone, and contrast of photos/videos - like a universal color preset, compatible between different apps. LUT Lab is a handy tool that lets you visualize LUTs, use them to process any photo of your choice, and export to/from the most common LUT formats: .CUBE and HALD. It is a nifty companion tool for photographers and videographers, featuring: - Minimal and information dense interface - Full, interactive 3D cube visualizer - Before/After photo split viewer; load your own photos, export a LUT-processed version at native resolution. - Support for .CUBE (any size on input, up to 65×65×65 export) and HALD (TIFF/PNG, any rank) formats - Convert from .CUBE to HALD and from HALD to .CUBE; optionally resample .CUBE files for maximum compatibility with other apps - Supports desktop class features on iPad + Mac: multiple windows, drag & drop, keyboard shortcuts, open .CUBE files into LUT Lab straight from Finder/Files, etc. - Multiple color themes (one time in-app purchase required) - Extremely small app size: tons of functionality packed into only a couple megabytes. - Respects your privacy: no 3rd party libraries or tracking. Uses the latest iOS APIs so you only have to give minimal permissions for loading & saving files. If you have any questions, suggestions, need support, or for anything else, don't hesitate to reach out! contact@heliographe.net

About

Wholegrain

Achieve authentic analog aesthetics with advanced film emulation. This app offers a comprehensive suite of editing tools, over 50 film filters, and unique effects like halation and bloom to enhance your photos. Unlock premium features for high-resolution exports and custom preset saving.

Highlights
  • Advanced film grain synthesis
  • 50+ film filters
  • Halation and bloom effects
  • Basic editing suite
  • Save custom presets
  • High-res export
Features
Read full description

Give your photos the perfect film look with Wholegrain, an advanced film emulation photo editing app.  We have developed or our own film grain synthesis algorithms to dial in your desired analog texture.  Along with the base photo editing suite we have also created 50+ film filters to get you started based or popular, unique and vintage films.  And with advanced effects like halation and bloom to give you edits character, the sky's the limit on your creativity. Features ---------------- Basic editing suite (grain, brightness, contrast, etc) Advanced effects (Halation, bloom, HSL) 50+ film simulations Save and share custom presets Export with Film edge boarder Unlock advanced effects, pro films for high resolution export and presets. Film Simulations ---------------- Basic Film (Free) Agfa Precisa 100 Agfa Ultra Color 100 (Free) Agfa Vista 200 Fuji 400H Fuji Reala Fuji 800Z Fuji Color 160 (Free) Fuji FP 100C Fuji Provia 100 Fuji Provia 400X Fuji Superia 100,200,400,800,1600 Fuji Velvia 50,100 Ilford Delta 100,400 Ilford HP5 Ilford XP2 (Free) Kodak Ektachrome 100 Kodak Ektar 100 Kodak Elite Chrome 400 Kodak Kodachrome 64,200 Kodak Gold 200 Kodak Portra 160,400 (Free),800 Kodak Aerochrome 100 Kodak Aerochrome 100 (V6) Kodak TMax 100,400 Kodak Tri-X 400 Lomo Red Scale 100 (Free) Lomo Purple Lomo Purple V2 Lomo Turquoise Lomo Hulk-Smash Lomo C-92 Lomo Metropolis Polaroid 669 Polaroid 690 Polaroid PX 70 (Free) Polaroid PX 680 Rollie IR 400 FPP Retrochrome 400 CineFilm 400D CineFilm 800 (Original) CineFilm 800 (Tungsten balanced) CineFilm 800 (Outdoor balanced) CineFilm 800 (Alternative) Phoenix 200 Phoenix 200 (Color Corrected) Creative Simulations -------------------- Anime Bleach Bypass Crisp Warm Futuristic Bleak Horror Blue Summer Vibes Asteroid Town Teal Orange Tension Green Apocalypse Pastel Colors Expired Green Vivid Disposable (No account or signup needed and we do not collect any of your data! We will always respect your privacy) *Film names in the app are just for reference and do not represent the film stock or company. Where possible they try and replicate the characteristics.

Screenshots

LUT Lab4 screens
Wholegrain4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: LUT Lab at every 3 weeks against Wholegrain's every 4 months. Wholegrain's advantage is ratings volume (8 vs 2). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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. LUT Lab sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Wholegrain sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 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 — 5.0 for LUT Lab against 4.9 for Wholegrain. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 8 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LUT Lab ships an update every 3 weeks, Wholegrain every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
LUT Lab versus Wholegrain: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLUT LabWholegrain
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better4.9 (8 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings28 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHéliographe, IncThomas Schucker

Customer experience

LUT Lab

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Wholegrain

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

LUT Lab

One-time2
  • LUT Lab: Friendly Tip$4.99
  • LUT Lab: Royal Tip$19.99
1 purchases

Wholegrain

One-time1
  • Pro$5.99

Questions

Is LUT Lab free?
LUT Lab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Wholegrain free?
Wholegrain is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, LUT Lab or Wholegrain?
LUT Lab is rated higher. LUT Lab averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Wholegrain averages 4.9 from 8 ratings.
Do LUT Lab or Wholegrain have ads?
Neither LUT Lab nor Wholegrain shows ads.
Which is updated more often, LUT Lab or Wholegrain?
LUT Lab ships an update every 3 weeks, and Wholegrain every 4 months. Most recently, LUT Lab was updated on September 18, 2026 and Wholegrain on September 14, 2026.

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