Comparison

FilmMeter vs Phaos

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

Head to head
About

FilmMeter

This app transforms your iPhone into a professional light meter for film photography. It offers real-time metering, LiDAR ranging for accurate focus, and comprehensive film roll management. Features include reciprocity calculation, ND filter compensation, and an exposure log to streamline your shooting workflow.

Highlights
  • Real-time light metering
  • LiDAR ranging and depth of field
  • Film roll and camera management
  • Reciprocity and ND filter compensation
  • Long exposure timer
  • Exposure logging
Features
Read full description

FilmMeter turns your iPhone into a professional light meter for film cameras. Real-time metering, LiDAR ranging, reciprocity calculation, and exposure logging — one app covers your entire shooting workflow from loading film to the final frame. Metering Measure exposure in real-time using your iPhone camera. Spot metering reads any point precisely, while average metering balances the whole scene. Full control over aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. iPhone 16 users can meter and adjust EV directly with the Camera Control button. Ranging & Depth of Field Get accurate focus distance with LiDAR-enabled devices. The depth of field scale shows your sharp range and hyperfocal distance, supporting 35mm (full frame) and medium format calculations. Camera Management Create profiles for your cameras and lenses. Set focal length and aperture range for each lens, then link a camera when loading film — aperture selection is automatically constrained to your lens's actual range. Manage your digital film bag the way you manage your real gear. Film Roll Management Create a roll, select your film stock, start shooting. Push/pull processing support lets you set development stops and automatically converts to effective ISO. Each metering links to your current roll automatically. The frame counter tracks remaining shots. Mark rolls as in progress, finished, or developed. ND Filters Built-in support for ND2 through ND10000. Select a filter and exposure is compensated automatically — no manual stop conversion needed. Pair with the long exposure timer to master daytime slow shutter work. Reciprocity Compensation Film loses sensitivity during long exposures. FilmMeter includes reciprocity data for popular film stocks and calculates the corrected shutter time automatically. Long Exposure Timer Long-press the metering button to start a countdown. The timer integrates with Dynamic Island — visible even when locked. Get notified when your exposure completes. No more counting seconds for star trails or light painting. Smart Exposure Suggestions Built-in scene recognition analyzes your frame. In tricky lighting like snow, backlight, or night scenes, it tells you "add one stop" instead of leaving you to figure it out. Exposure Log Every metering saves full parameters and location. Export to CSV. Review your decisions, build your film notes. More Features • ND filter auto exposure compensation • Film LUT live preview • Aspect ratio overlays (135/120 formats) • Focal length frame lines (28-200mm) • Darkroom-friendly red-on-black interface • Metric and imperial units Free to Use • No subscription, no account required • Fully offline, no ads • English and Chinese Designed for film photography. Professional enough for experienced shooters, simple enough for beginners.

About

Phaos

This app offers a unique social feed experience focused entirely on film photography. Users can upload complete film rolls, post individual images with detailed metadata, and browse a chronological feed without algorithmic interference. Explore content by camera, lens, or film stock.

Highlights
  • Upload complete film rolls
  • Post images with metadata
  • Chronological feed, no algorithm
  • Explore by camera, lens, film stock
  • View rolls as contact sheets
  • Expired film tracking
Features
Read full description

A social feed. 100% film. Your personal film camera roll. Upload complete rolls and post images—with different aspect ratios, gear, film stocks, film labs, push/pull stops, and more. Browse a chronological feed mixing posts and rolls. Not like any other feed. No algorithm. Just analog. Explore posts and rolls by camera, lens, or film stock. See what Portra 400 looks like on a Hasselblad 500C vs. Contax T2. Phaos’ icon represents the interaction between a photon of light and a silver halide crystal. DETAILS - Upload entire rolls of film, interact with individual photos - Post directly to Phaos with images from rolls - View rolls as contact sheets: 35mm, 120, and large format support - Export contact sheets to camera roll - Multi-image posts with image-specific metadata - Chronological feed mixing posts and rolls—no algorithm - Curated catalog of cameras, lenses, and film stocks - Expired film tracking and push/pull stops - Sign in with Apple, Google, or email - Age 13+ required

Screenshots

FilmMeter4 screens
Phaos4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Phaos at none against FilmMeter's 4. FilmMeter's advantage is ratings volume (64 vs 5) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 days). On price, rating, ads and monetization model 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. FilmMeter sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Phaos asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Phaos holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FilmMeter has 64 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FilmMeter ships an update every 2 days, Phaos every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
FilmMeter versus Phaos: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFilmMeterPhaos
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (64 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews96.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings64 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size143 MB18 MB
Age rating4+12+
Developer宗 侯DANIELLE MARIE HONAN

Customer experience

FilmMeter

All ratings63 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral1.6%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews26 reviews
Positive96.2%
Neutral3.8%
Negative0.0%

Phaos

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

FilmMeter

One-time4
  • Buy me a coffee$0.99
  • Buy me lunch$2.99
  • 请我吃块蛋糕$9.99
Show 1 more
  • 赞助开发$19.99
None

Phaos

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is FilmMeter free?
FilmMeter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Phaos free?
Phaos is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, FilmMeter or Phaos?
Phaos is rated higher. FilmMeter averages 4.8 out of 5 from 64 ratings, while Phaos averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do FilmMeter or Phaos have ads?
Neither FilmMeter nor Phaos shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FilmMeter or Phaos?
FilmMeter ships an update every 2 days, and Phaos every 5 days. Most recently, FilmMeter was updated on October 25, 2026 and Phaos on October 24, 2026.

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