Light Meter・Lux Meter vs ESS Cloud
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Light Meter・Lux Meter
This utility app transforms your smartphone into a professional light measurement tool, offering precise real-time readings in lux, foot-candle, and EV. It helps users meet lighting standards for various environments and optimize conditions for plant growth, with features for tracking changes over time.
- Real-time lux, foot-candle, and EV readings
- Visual brightness indicator
- Check lighting standards for spaces
- Calculate DLI and PPFD for plants
- Continuous recording and trend charts
- Save and compare measurements
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LUX METER — LIGHT LEVELS IN LUX AND FOOT-CANDLES Lux Meter is a camera-based light meter for illuminance. Aim the rear camera at a surface and read the level in lux and foot-candles, plus EV at ISO 100 — desk lighting, a grow light over houseplants, a scene for an analog camera. WHY THE NUMBER IS WORTH TRUSTING ▸ Metering method always on screen: Reflected · Point AE or Reflected · Center. ▸ Readiness comes from a 1.2-second EV window: 6 valid samples over 650 ms within a 0.16 EV spread to lock, then a 0.28 EV hysteresis against flicker. ▸ No fresh frame for 2 seconds reads Stale; unusable metadata reads Error. ▸ Moving the target, changing zoom or lens, returning from background or recalibrating restarts the window. ▸ Nothing saves or samples until the reading is valid and stable. ROOM AND WORKPLACE LIGHT LEVELS Pick the space or task, then run the five-point survey: five samples across the working plane, each held until stable, giving average, minimum, target range, observed min/average uniformity and the sampling grid. 15 practical targets in 5 groups: general office 300–500 lx, detailed office work 500–750, precision factory 750–1000, warehouse and hospital ward 100–200, corridor 100–150, classroom 300–500, library 500+, operating room 1000+, bedroom 50–150, plus kitchen, bathroom, garage, retail floor and restaurant — practical guidance, never legal certification. GROW LIGHTS, PPFD AND DLI FOR PLANTS Measure at the leaf plane of one plant and decide for that plant: pick the plant, the light source and the photoperiod, and the reading becomes a PPFD and DLI estimate in mol/m²/day. 16 plants carry daily targets: pothos and snake plant 2–4, ZZ plant 1–3, peace lily 3–6, monstera and philodendron 4–8, fern 4–7, rubber plant 5–10, fiddle leaf fig 8–12, plus bird of paradise, succulent, herbs, tomato, pepper, lettuce and strawberry. 5 light sources: sunlight, white LED, fluorescent, HPS, metal halide. The sample log marks periods it did not cover, so a thin number never passes for a full day. EXPOSURE FOR PHOTO AND VIDEO The same reading solves exposure: aperture priority, shutter priority and manual across f/1.0–f/64, 1/8000 s–60 s and ISO 25–12800 in full, ½ or ⅓ stops. Each solution gives the exact result, the nearest setting your gear really has and the residual error in stops — out of range, by how many. Manual shows Over / Matched / Under on a ±3-stop scale, and Cine turns FPS, shutter angle, ISO/EI and ND into an equivalent shutter and f-number. RECORDS AND CSV EXPORT Readings, surveys, DLI estimates, comparisons and monitoring all land in one history list — each with its method, readiness state, calibration and mode inputs. Page the archive, export to CSV. ALSO INSIDE ▸ Lock a reading; switch lux ↔ foot-candles in one tap ▸ Lux reference — 16 environments, 0.1 lx full moon to 130,000 lx direct sun ▸ EV reference — 11 scenes, −6 EV starlight to +18 EV snow ▸ A/B comparison — capture A, move to B, get the EV difference and brightness ratio ▸ Continuous monitoring — min / avg / max trend, real sampling interval, samples and missed samples, markers; background time logs as a gap ▸ Guided calibration — enter a reference value, aim at a uniform surface, wait for stable, apply the offset LIMITS AND PRIVACY A reflected-light estimate from camera exposure metadata — not an incident meter, not a PAR sensor, not a certified laboratory instrument — so it depends on the surface you aim at. The camera only measures light: no photos taken or stored, nothing uploaded, no account, and readings leave your device only in a CSV you export. Free covers the live reading and its readiness state; Pro removes ads and unlocks every workflow. Point, wait for stable, read the number — and stop guessing how much light really reaches that desk or that leaf. Terms of Use: https://zeroplay.io/docs/legal/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://zeroplay.io/docs/legal/privacy-policy
ESS Cloud
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ESS Cloud is an intelligent mobile application tailor-made for the operation management and data analysis of energy storage systems (ESS). Supported by cloud-based platform management, users can monitor the real-time operating status of energy storage systems anytime and anywhere, including charge and discharge volume, real-time power, State of Charge (SOC), and alarm alerts, to facilitate efficient operation & maintenance (O&M) and data-backed scientific decision-making. 【Site Monitoring & Management】 It enables centralized monitoring and management of multiple distributed energy storage sites. Users can easily query core metrics including site quantity distribution, installed capacity, and cumulative charge-discharge volume. Real-time data such as site operating status, SOC level, rated power and alarm notifications are accessible to realize multi-dimensional online monitoring and visualized management. 【Energy Analysis】 Flexible data analysis tools are available to calculate and analyze cumulative charge and discharge volume by organizational structure or individual site. This helps users gain a full picture of energy consumption and optimize the operation strategies of energy storage systems.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ESS Cloud at none against Light Meter・Lux Meter's 2. ESS Cloud also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On price and device support 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
Both are free to download. Light Meter・Lux Meter sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. ESS Cloud asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Light Meter・Lux Meter | ESS Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Monthly | — |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 113 MB | 69 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ZeroPlay Ltd. | Ligoo New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. |
In-app purchases
Light Meter・Lux Meter
- Weekly3 Days trial$7.997 Days
- Monthly$19.991 Month
ESS Cloud
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Light Meter・Lux Meter free?
Is ESS Cloud free?
Do Light Meter・Lux Meter or ESS Cloud have ads?
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