Comparison

Darkroom Toolkit vs Darkroom Assistant

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

Head to head
About

Darkroom Toolkit

Features
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Process film and print in the darkroom, without the math. Darkroom Toolkit is a reference library and set of utilities for film processing and darkroom printing. Browse hundreds of photochemistry formulas, run step-by-step development timers with official manufacturer dev times, and handle common calculations – all in one app. WHY DARKROOM TOOLKIT? • One app instead of separate dev chart, formula, and printing calculator apps • Primary features are free: all darkroom chemistry formulas, official processes, and calculators included • Lifetime Pro unlock for saving favorites, custom workflows, and to support the project FILM DEVELOPING • Pre-configured timers for manufacturer-recommended film + developer combinations • Multi-step processing with optional audio alerts • iOS Live Activity: see your timer on the lock screen • Low light / safelight theme for working in the dark FORMULAS & CHEMISTRY • Extensive darkroom cookbook: developers, toners, lith, alt process, and more • Enter your target volume and every ingredient amount scales automatically • Dilution and solution strength conversion utilities DARKROOM PRINTING • f-Stop printing calculator: exposure sequences and test strip times • Print resizing calculator: new exposure times when changing print size PRO FEATURES (one-time purchase) • Save favorite processes and formulas • Create and edit custom recipes and processing timers • Sync your workflows across devices Whether you're developing your first roll of black and white film, mixing chemistry for cyanotype, or dialing in enlarger exposures, Darkroom Toolkit keeps you consistent. Download free. Upgrade once, yours forever.

About

Darkroom Assistant

Features
Read full description

Make better darkroom prints—and preserve every decision that got you there. Darkroom Assistant is a purpose-built workflow app for black-and-white darkroom printers. It connects what you see in the print to the exposure, dodging, burning, and sequencing needed to make the next one. Map adjustments on the image, work in stops, and let Darkroom Assistant calculate the actual exposure times. You don’t need an expensive programmable f-stop timer to use an advanced f-stop printing workflow. Whether your timer counts in stops or only in seconds, the calculations, visual map, and printing sequence stay connected to the image. If you have ever made a great print and struggled to recreate it, searched through scattered notes, or wasted paper rebuilding a previous result, Darkroom Assistant brings the complete printing process together. It does not automate printing or replace your judgment. Your eye decides what the print needs. Darkroom Assistant translates that decision into the next exposure—and preserves the path when the session ends. VISUAL DODGING AND BURNING Map local adjustments on the print image instead of trying to connect handwritten times to remembered areas. Set the desired change in stops, and Darkroom Assistant calculates the corresponding dodge or burn times and organizes them into a clear printing sequence. A programmable f-stop timer can count exposure in stops. Darkroom Assistant goes further by connecting each adjustment to the image, calculating the time for that operation, and preserving the reasoning behind the print. PRINT PROJECTS AND PRINT LOGS Organize each image as a project and preserve the path from test strip to final print. Keep multiple interpretations together, compare them over time, and return later without reconstructing the session from memory. Record paper, developer, filtration, exposure, contrast, notes, and the decisions made along the way. A short version note on the physical print can lead you back to the complete plan in Darkroom Assistant. TEST STRIPS AND SPLIT-GRADE PRINTING Build and document test-strip and split-grade workflows inside the app. Compare results, refine exposure and contrast, and carry your decisions forward without starting over. SCALE PRINTS WITHOUT STARTING OVER When you change print dimensions, Darkroom Assistant can scale the exposure steps in the complete Print Log—not just the base exposure. Carry a successful plan into the new size and begin with a calculated starting point instead of rebuilding every exposure, dodge, and burn from scratch. Additional calculators help with changes in exposure, aperture, filtration, neutral density, and print size. DARKROOM TIMERS Use focused, distraction-free timers designed for printing and film-development sessions. FILM DEVELOPMENT Create and run film-development workflows with organized formulas, timing, and session records alongside your printing tools. BACKUP AND RESTORE Protect your darkroom library with manual backup and restore. LEARN AND GET SUPPORT Use the video guide and subscriber community for help. DARKROOM ASSISTANT HELPS YOU: • Translate visual decisions into precise exposure steps • Use an advanced f-stop workflow without an expensive programmable timer • Plan dodging and burning without calculating every time in your head • Scale complete printing plans when changing print size • Reduce avoidable paper and chemistry waste • Preserve successful prints and multiple interpretations • Spend less time reconstructing old sessions • Build a consistent, repeatable darkroom process BUILT BY A DARKROOM PRINTER Darkroom Assistant was created by a working darkroom printer with decades of hands-on experience. Its tools come from real workflows developed at the enlarger—not from an attempt to replace analog craft with automation. Practical tools for photographers who care deeply about the craft. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Darkroom Toolkit4 screens
Darkroom Assistant4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Darkroom Assistant at every 4 days against Darkroom Toolkit's fortnightly. Darkroom Assistant also leads on device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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. Darkroom Toolkit sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Darkroom Assistant sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $39.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Darkroom Toolkit ships an update fortnightly, Darkroom Assistant every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
Darkroom Toolkit versus Darkroom Assistant: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDarkroom ToolkitDarkroom Assistant
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.415.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size59 MB54 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRobert HouseDistinction Photo LLC

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Darkroom Toolkit

One-time1
  • Darkroom Toolkit Pro$9.99
1 purchases

Darkroom Assistant

Subscriptions1
  • Darkroom Assistant Standard$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Darkroom Toolkit free?
Darkroom Toolkit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Darkroom Assistant free?
Darkroom Assistant is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Darkroom Toolkit or Darkroom Assistant have ads?
Neither Darkroom Toolkit nor Darkroom Assistant shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Darkroom Toolkit or Darkroom Assistant?
Darkroom Toolkit ships an update fortnightly, and Darkroom Assistant every 4 days. Most recently, Darkroom Toolkit was updated on October 7, 2026 and Darkroom Assistant on September 27, 2026.

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