Comparison

Shutter Sky vs Amber Hour

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — 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.Ā  Account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period at the cost of the selected plan.Ā  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

Amber Hour

Features
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The best light lasts about an hour. Amber Hour tells you exactly when — and whether it will be any good. The app works out the sun's path for your location and shows today's golden hour and blue hour with a countdown, so you arrive while the light is still there. Everything is calculated on your phone, so the times are there even without a connection. FOR THE PHOTOGRAPHER • Golden hour and blue hour, morning and evening • Sunrise and sunset • A live sun curve showing where the sun is right now • A calendar for planning days and weeks ahead • A background that follows the colours of the sky through the day ON HOME SCREEN AND LOCK SCREEN • Widget counting down to the next golden hour • Lock Screen widgets in three sizes • Countdown in the Dynamic Island as the hour approaches • A reminder 10, 15, 30 or 60 minutes before WEATHER AND MOON • Cloud cover for exactly the window golden hour covers • Moon phase, moonrise and moonset • Astronomical darkness — when the Milky Way can be photographed FREE AND PRO Amber Hour is free and includes all sun times, the calendar, reminders and the Home Screen widget. Amber Hour Pro is a one-time purchase, no subscription, unlocking the weather forecast, moon and astronomical darkness, Lock Screen widgets, the Dynamic Island countdown, widget customisation and multiple saved locations. PRIVACY Your location never leaves your phone apart from the request that fetches the forecast. There is no account, no tracking and no ads.

Screenshots

Shutter Sky4 screens
Amber Hour4 screens

Verdict

The call

Shutter Sky and Amber Hour are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Shutter Sky sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Amber Hour sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shutter Sky ships an update every 4 days, Amber Hour weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Shutter Sky versus Amber Hour: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShutter SkyAmber Hour
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.217.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChase HigginsALEXANDER GLASER

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Shutter Sky

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

Amber Hour

One-time1
  • Amber Hour Pro$4.99

Questions

Is Shutter Sky free?
Shutter Sky is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Amber Hour free?
Amber Hour is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Shutter Sky or Amber Hour have ads?
Neither Shutter Sky nor Amber Hour shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shutter Sky or Amber Hour?
Shutter Sky ships an update every 4 days, and Amber Hour weekly. Most recently, Shutter Sky was updated on October 11, 2026 and Amber Hour on October 21, 2026.

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