Comparison

Shutter Sky vs LightCompass

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

Head to head
About

Shutter Sky

Features
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Shutter Sky is the ultimate weather assistant designed for photographers. Whether you're a professional or enthusiast, our app helps you plan the perfect shoot by analyzing weather conditions specifically for photography. Shutter Sky makes it easy to know when to go. KEY FEATURES - Shutter Score: Our custom algorithm gives a simple rating of shooting conditions from 0-100%, so you instantly know when to grab your camera - Light Quality Analysis: Detailed insights on light harshness, diffusion, and photography suitability - Optimal Timing: Shutter Sky lets you know when the best upcoming conditions are expected - Weather Impacts: See how cloud cover, temperature, wind and precipitation affect your photography - Location-Based Recommendations: Save your favorite shooting locations Why Photographers Love Shutter Sky Generic weather apps don't understand what photographers need. Shutter Sky eliminates the hassle of checking multiple apps and analyzing conditions manually to answer the simple question: is now a good time to go shoot? - Know exactly when light quality will be high - Plan landscape shoots when visibility is optimal - Save time and go only when conditions are worth it Download Shutter Sky today and never miss the perfect conditions again! SHUTTER SKY SUBSCRIPTION For optimized user experience, access to Shutter Sky requires a paid subscription after a 7-day free trial. All subscription tiers provide unlimited access to Shutter Sky's premium photographic weather condition forecasts. You can subscribe to the following plans: - 1 month - 12 months Due to the costs associated with retrieving realtime weather data, we are unable to offer a free tier at this time. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is disabled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period.ย  Account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period at the cost of the selected plan.ย  Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be disabled by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription. Usage subject to Apple's standard End User License Agreement https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

LightCompass

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Know where the light will be - before you get there. LightCompass shows you exactly where the sun, the moon, and the Milky Way will be for any place, any date, any time. Drop a pin, scrub the timeline, and plan the shot before you leave home. No manual to study: open the map and you are planning within minutes. PLAN ON THE MAP - Sun and moon paths drawn over the exact spot you are going to shoot, for any date and time - Sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset, twilight, golden hour, and blue hour at a glance - Moon phase and illumination, plus Milky Way arch and Galactic Center visibility - A time slider to scrub through the day and watch the light move SEE IT IN AR - Point your iPhone at the scene and preview the sun and moon paths over the live camera image - Compass calibration flow for reliable on-location alignment TRUST THE TERRAIN (Terrain 3D pack) - Real elevation data builds the actual horizon around you - Sunrise and sunset corrected for the ridgeline, so you know when the light clears the mountain - not the flat horizon - A 3D terrain map with sunrise and sunset direction lines from where you stand FIND THE ALIGNMENT (Alignment pack) - Reverse search: choose where you want the sun or moon to appear, and LightCompass finds the dates and times it will be exactly there CATCH THE EVENTS (Celestial pack) - Solar and lunar eclipse details - Meteor shower calendar - Star trail planning CALCULATE THE SHOT - Depth of field, hyperfocal distance, and field of view calculators - Camera settings guidance for the scene you are planning - Meters or feet, your choice SAVE AND REMEMBER - Save locations and shooting plans - Add a plan to your calendar with a reminder, so you are on location before the light is SIMPLE, HONEST PRICING - The core app is a single one-time purchase - Three optional expansion packs - Alignment, Celestial, and Terrain 3D - are one-time purchases too, with a complete bundle available - No subscription. Ever. PRIVATE BY DESIGN - No account, no sign-up, no analytics, no ads - Every astronomical calculation runs on your device - The only network requests fetch public map and elevation data, which is cached for offline use Whether you are chasing golden hour in the city, waiting for moonrise behind a peak, or lining up the Galactic Center over a lighthouse, LightCompass tells you where the light will be - so you can be there first.

Screenshots

Shutter Sky4 screens
LightCompass4 screens

Verdict

The call

Shutter Sky and LightCompass are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters โ€” price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them โ€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Shutter Sky sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and LightCompass sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Shutter Sky versus LightCompass: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShutter SkyLightCompass
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysโ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.218.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size1 MB9 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperChase HigginsJI HOON LEE

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Shutter Sky

Subscriptions2
  • Shutter Sky Monthly7 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Shutter Sky Yearly$9.991 Year
5 purchases

LightCompass

One-time5
  • Alignment Finder$1.99
  • Celestial Pack$2.99
  • Terrain 3D Pack$2.99
Show 2 more
  • LightCompass Pro$4.99
  • Complete Bundle$8.99

Questions

Is Shutter Sky free?
Shutter Sky is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is LightCompass free?
LightCompass is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Shutter Sky or LightCompass have ads?
Neither Shutter Sky nor LightCompass shows ads.

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