Comparison

Silver Lab vs FilmDev

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

Head to head
About

Silver Lab

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Developing film should feel like a craft, not a calculation. Silver Lab is a darkroom timer built for film photographers who want to focus on the process and not the math. Select your film stock and developer, dial in your temperature and push/pull, and Silver Lab handles the rest. Development times are pulled from an extensive B&W film chart and automatically adjusted for temperature compensation and push/pull processing. For C-41 color negative, the full standardized process is built in and ready to go. When the timer starts, Silver Lab guides you through every stage โ€” agitation cycles, stop bath, fixer, and optional Permawash and Photo-Flo steps. The animated agitation timer tells you exactly when to agitate and when to let the film sit, so you can put the phone down between cycles and not think about it. Features - Automatic development time calculation across a large library of B&W film stocks and developers - Temperature compensation and push/pull adjustment - Configurable agitation timing โ€” set your own initial agitation, rest interval, and cycle duration, independently for Developer and Fixer - Optional Permawash and Photo-Flo steps - C-41 color negative process with push/pull support - Screen stays on throughout development - Live Activity functionality for longer developments - No accounts. No ads. No data collection. Everything runs locally on your device.

About

FilmDev

Features
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FilmDev is a darkroom-safe multi-stage timer built for home film developers โ€” B&W and C-41, push/pull, and beyond. โ–  Multi-stage auto-advance timer Set up develop, stop, fix and wash stages once. FilmDev counts each stage down and auto-advances to the next โ€” no fumbling for a stopwatch in the dark. โ–  True darkroom-safe screen Running timer screen is pure black with a deep red display only โ€” no white pixels, no accidental flash. Fullscreen immersive, safe for your eyes and your film. โ–  Haptic + beep agitation cues Feel and hear when it's time to agitate โ€” configurable haptic pulses and beep cues so you don't need to watch the screen. โ–  Wall-clock accurate, even backgrounded Timing is based on real elapsed time, not a fragile in-app counter โ€” lock your phone or switch apps and the timer stays accurate when you come back. โ–  Temperature compensation Adjust develop time for your actual chemistry temperature using a standard B&W time-temp factor. A guide, not a guarantee โ€” always verify against your own testing. โ–  Your own recipe library Build and save your own recipes โ€” film stock, developer, dilution, temperature, and every stage. Starter recipes are included from manufacturer datasheets, clearly marked "verify before use." Your recipes, your times. โ–  Develop log Log every roll you develop โ€” recipe used, film, developer, notes and a rating โ€” so you can track what worked. โ–  FilmDev Pro (one-time purchase) Unlock unlimited recipes, remove ads, and export/import your recipe library as JSON. One-time purchase, no subscription. โ–  8 languages, private by design No account, no cloud. Everything โ€” recipes and logs โ€” stays on your device.

Screenshots

Silver Lab4 screens
FilmDev4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Silver Lab at none against FilmDev's 1. Silver Lab also leads on ads (none vs shown). FilmDev's advantage is device support (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price and update cadence there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. FilmDev sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Silver Lab asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Silver Lab ships an update every 4 weeks, FilmDev monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences ยท 2 level
Silver Lab versus FilmDev: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSilver LabFilmDev
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks โ€” betterMonthly
AdsNo โ€” betterYes
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch โ€” better
Requires iOS26.015.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size14 MB97 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGREGORY HARRISON SCHUCHSEONYONG LEE

In-app purchases

None

Silver Lab

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

FilmDev

One-time1
  • FilmDev Pro$4.99

Questions

Is Silver Lab free?
Silver Lab is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is FilmDev free?
FilmDev is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Silver Lab or FilmDev have ads?
FilmDev shows ads; Silver Lab does not.
Which is updated more often, Silver Lab or FilmDev?
Silver Lab ships an update every 4 weeks, and FilmDev monthly. Most recently, Silver Lab was updated on September 19, 2026 and FilmDev on September 20, 2026.

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