Comparison

Light Meter vs DevGlass

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

Head to head
About

Light Meter

This app helps film photographers precisely measure light, distance, and depth of field before taking a shot. It offers tools for exposure evaluation, flash calculation, and reciprocity failure compensation, with advanced features available via a one-time purchase.

Highlights
  • Light metering
  • Zone metering
  • Flash calculator
  • Reciprocity failure compensation
  • Distance meter (LiDAR)
  • Depth of field calculator
  • Gear library
Features
Read full description

FilmBox Toolkit Shoot film with greater confidence. From exposure decisions and manual focusing to long-exposure compensation and photo notes, FilmBox Toolkit brings essential film photography tools together on your iPhone. Make informed choices before you press the shutter. ZONE SYSTEM METERING Visualize readings from different areas of your scene using Zone System principles. Compare highlights and shadows, decide which details to preserve, and adjust your exposure. Built for situations where careful exposure control matters. FREE TOOLS • Light Meter (basic mode): Evaluate ambient light and get exposure settings to work from. • LiDAR Rangefinder (up to 1 meter): Estimate subject distance to assist manual focusing and flash calculations. Requires compatible hardware. • Flash Calculator (GN): Calculate settings from the guide number for shooting without TTL. • Depth of Field Calculator: Estimate your focus range and hyperfocal distance. • Reciprocity Failure Compensation: Calculate long-exposure adjustments based on your selected film. • Shutter Speed Test: Help check your camera's shutter speed and assess its performance. • Negative Viewer: Use the camera to preview negatives as positive images and inspect their contents. For previewing only; not a replacement for professional scanning or post-processing. • Gear Library & Photo Log: Organize film stocks, flashes, and preferred settings, and keep shooting notes for later reference. FREE & PRO FilmBox Toolkit is free to download. All features are free except the three Pro features below. Free features include manual input for Zone System metering, basic light metering, rangefinding up to 1 meter, the Shutter Speed Test, and the Negative Viewer. FilmBox Pro unlocks: • Zone System metering: real-time light readings. • Light Meter: 1-degree spot metering mode. • Rangefinder: distance measurements beyond 1 meter. Choose either: • A one-time lifetime purchase. • An annual subscription with access during the subscription period. See the in-app purchase screen for current pricing and purchase terms. DEVICE COMPATIBILITY • Standard SDR metering: Compatible iPhones running iOS 17 or later. • Apple Log metering: Uses 10-bit Apple Log data. Supported on iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max, 16 Pro/Pro Max, and 17 Pro/Pro Max. The app selects the appropriate mode for your device. • LiDAR rangefinding: Requires a LiDAR-equipped iPhone: Pro and Pro Max models in the iPhone 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 families. Devices without Apple Log or LiDAR can still use other compatible features. Hardware support and Pro access are separate requirements. PRIVACY Metering, depth of field, and other calculations run locally on your device. We do not collect or upload your personal data. Privacy Policy: https://www.filmboxtoolkit.com/privacy.html TERMS OF USE This app is licensed under Apple's standard End User License Agreement (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

DevGlass

Features
Read full description

DevGlass is a film development reference and processing timer built for black & white film photographers. Whether you're developing your first roll or you're a seasoned darkroom hand, everything you need is at your fingertips — and it works completely offline. DEVELOPMENT DATABASE 308 films, 190 developers, and 11,849 development recipes built in. Filter by format (35mm, 120, sheet), pick your film and ISO, and get the exact development time and dilution. Most combinations include push/pull times. MULTI-STEP PROCESSING TIMER Start a full process with one tap. The timer guides you through every step — pre-soak, developer, stop bath, fixer, hypo clear, wash, and photo-flo. Each step can be enabled, disabled, or adjusted. Sound and haptic alerts mean you never miss a step, even face-down; progress shows on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island, and the screen stays awake while timing. COLOR PROCESSING — C-41 / E-6 (new) Built-in C-41 and E-6 timer presets with continuous-agitation handling. The Color Process Guide lays out the standard steps, times, and precise temperatures for both processes. AGITATION REMINDERS Standard, continuous, minimal, and custom schemes. DevGlass nudges you with sound and vibration whenever it's time to agitate. COMPENSATION Temperature compensation (based on the Ilford formula), plus reciprocity and rotary compensation — your adjusted development time, calculated automatically. DILUTION CALCULATOR Quickly work out concentrate and water volumes. Common tank presets included (Paterson, Jobo, AP Compact), with custom volumes and any standard dilution ratio. FAVORITES, LOG & STATS Save go-to recipes for quick access. Log every session's film, developer, time, temperature, and roll count, with your own notes. Export your log to CSV for backup, and look back on your darkroom year with charts and a year-in-review. MY CHEMICALS (new) Track each bottle's open date and shelf life, with a reminder before it expires. TANK GUIDE A handy reference for common tanks — capacity, supported formats, and agitation method. MADE FOR THE DARKROOM A vintage-print-inspired interface that's easy on the eyes. Available in 6 languages (English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, German, French). All data stays on your device — no account, no cloud, no tracking.

Screenshots

Light Meter4 screens
DevGlass4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Light Meter at Free against DevGlass's $7.99. Light Meter also leads on update cadence (weekly vs monthly). DevGlass's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On ads, device support 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

Light Meter is free to download; DevGlass costs $7.99 up front. Light Meter sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per year. DevGlass asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Light Meter ships an update weekly, DevGlass monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Light Meter versus DevGlass: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLight MeterDevGlass
PriceFree — better$7.99
Rating3.6 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews85.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer卓 朱存滨 崔

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Light Meter

Subscriptions1
  • FilmBox Toolkit Pro Subscription$7.991 Year
One-time1
  • FilmBox Toolkit Pro$17.99
None

DevGlass

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Light Meter free?
Light Meter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DevGlass free?
DevGlass costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Light Meter or DevGlass have ads?
Neither Light Meter nor DevGlass shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Light Meter or DevGlass?
Light Meter ships an update weekly, and DevGlass monthly. Most recently, Light Meter was updated on October 14, 2026 and DevGlass on October 17, 2026.

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