Comparison

FlickerSpec vs Drift Diary

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

Head to head
About

FlickerSpec

Features
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Your new LEDs shouldn't be giving you headaches. If they are, the lights are almost certainly flickering — faster than your eyes can consciously detect, but fast enough to trigger migraines, eye strain, and fatigue. FlickerSpec turns your iPhone into a flicker meter, using the 240fps camera to measure exactly what your eyes can't. For documentation — clinical engineering, facility management, lighting audits — FlickerSpec generates PDF reports that record the IEEE 1789 result and IEC PstLM value together with the standard, threshold, measurement uncertainty and calibration reference behind them. FlickerSpec is a screening and documentation aid, not an accredited laboratory instrument; whether a report satisfies a particular surveyor or regulator is their determination. WHAT YOU MEASURE Quick Measurement (Free, unlimited) Live 240fps capture with real-time results: • Dominant flicker frequency in Hz • Percent Flicker and Flicker Index per IEEE 1789-2015 • Signal-to-noise ratio and confidence rating • Live luminance waveform and FFT spectrum • No daily limit — measure as many fixtures as you like IEEE 1789 Verdicts (Pro) Turn raw numbers into a documented decision: • IEEE 1789-2015 verdict against the published low-risk practice: PASS, FAIL, or Can't confirm when the capture or framing cannot support a pass • Custom pass/fail thresholds when your specification differs • The standard and threshold applied are recorded with every saved measurement 3-Minute PstLM Measurement (Pro) 3-minute tripod capture for documenting low-frequency flicker: • Short-Term Flicker Severity (PstLM) per IEC TR 61547-1:2015, for dominant frequencies up to 90 Hz • Compared against the PstLM ≤ 1.0 limit cited by EU Ecodesign 2019/2020 (PstLM only — Ecodesign also requires SVM, beyond FlickerSpec's 240fps phone-camera pipeline) • 8× oversampled LM flickermeter checked against all 5 IEC Table A.1 test vectors • Camera-based measurement aid, not an accredited instrument or certified result Measurement Logging & PDF Reports (Pro) Every audit, documented: • Save measurements with GPS location, fixture photo, and notes • Single-measurement and session-summary PDF reports • PstLM threshold-comparison section included when applicable • Calibration certificate reference on every report • CSV export for spreadsheet workflows Calibration System (Free) Verify accuracy before any audit: • Built-in calibration web app generates a known-frequency reference signal • Point your iPhone at any screen showing the calibration page • Timestamped calibration certificate attached to all subsequent reports MEASUREMENT BANDWIDTH 240fps camera capture (Nyquist: 120 Hz) is designed for 50 Hz mains regions: • 50 Hz and 100 Hz flicker (50 Hz mains) — frequency and modulation depth • 60 Hz and 120 Hz flicker (60 Hz mains, e.g. North America) — the dominant frequency may still be identifiable, but depth and the verdict that depends on it are conditional because 240 fps is an exact multiple of both. The app reports Can't confirm when it cannot sample the whole cycle. • Above 120 Hz PWM and kHz drivers — outside camera bandwidth • Modulation depth is a lower bound unless the light fills the region of interest NO SUBSCRIPTIONS $49.99 one-time purchase unlocks everything: IEEE 1789 risk indications, 3-Minute PstLM Measurement, unlimited logging, PDF reports, CSV export, the calibration certificate document, report header customization with your company name and logo. Free tier: unlimited Quick Measurements with the full live readout — frequency, percent flicker, flicker index, SNR and confidence — plus free calibration. Privacy Policy: https://flickerspec.slick-engineering.workers.dev/privacy Terms of Use: https://flickerspec.slick-engineering.workers.dev/terms

About

Drift Diary

Features
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Drift Diary is a lifelog app that automatically records your daily activities. It tracks your location in the background, automatically recording the places you stay, your travel routes, steps, distance, and travel time. No special action is needed — just carry your phone and your day is recorded. ■ Key Features 【Automatic Lifelog】 Automatically detects stays and movements, displaying them in a timeline format. Steps, distance, and travel time are visible at a glance. 【Weather & Temperature】 Automatically retrieves the day's weather and temperature. Combined with your activity log, you can look back on the atmosphere of your day more vividly. 【AI Comments】 Apple Intelligence reads your day and automatically generates friendly one-line comments like "You walked a lot today!" 【Photo Integration】 Automatically detects photos taken during your stays and displays them on the timeline. Meal and scenery photos bring back the memories of the day. 【Diary & Mood Tracking】 Record simple notes and your mood (Good / OK / Bad). Great for daily reflection and health management. 【Calendar View】 Easily look back on past lifelogs from the calendar. 【Map View】 View your daily travel routes on a map. 【Privacy First】 All data is stored only on your device and in your iCloud account. No data is ever sent to external servers.

Screenshots

FlickerSpec4 screens
Drift Diary4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Drift Diary at none against FlickerSpec's 1. On price, update cadence, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. FlickerSpec sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Drift Diary asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FlickerSpec ships an update every 4 weeks, Drift Diary monthly. Both last shipped on October 13, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference · 5 level
FlickerSpec versus Drift Diary: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlickerSpecDrift Diary
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCorey Thomas SlickHirokazu Kurokawa

In-app purchases

1 purchases

FlickerSpec

One-time1
  • FlickerSpec Pro$49.99
None

Drift Diary

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is FlickerSpec free?
FlickerSpec is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Drift Diary free?
Drift Diary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do FlickerSpec or Drift Diary have ads?
Neither FlickerSpec nor Drift Diary shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FlickerSpec or Drift Diary?
FlickerSpec ships an update every 4 weeks, and Drift Diary monthly. Most recently, FlickerSpec was updated on October 13, 2026 and Drift Diary on October 13, 2026.

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