# Lumeni vs Shadow Studio

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shadow Studio at none against Lumeni's 6. Shadow Studio also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 3 weeks) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Lumeni's advantage is ratings volume (51 vs 8) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.2). On price, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Lumeni sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Shadow Studio asks for nothing beyond the download.

Shadow Studio holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lumeni has 51 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Lumeni's written reviews are positive against 100% of Shadow Studio's.

Lumeni ships an update every 3 weeks, Shadow Studio daily. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Lumeni | Shadow Studio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (51 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lumeni-photo-editor/id6761066484/reviews) | **[5.0 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadow-studio/id6763434185/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **51** | 8 |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 397 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.0** | 26.2 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Artur Kulik](https://appshunter.io/developer/1581842555) | [Mohamed Alhammadi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1889666274) |

## What reviewers say

### Lumeni

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lumeni-photo-editor/id6761066484)

Easily adjust the direction and intensity of light within your photos. This app allows you to fix dark faces, soften shadows, and create professional studio-quality portraits with intuitive controls.

**Highlights:** Relight photos by moving a virtual light source, Fix dark faces and shadows, Create studio-quality portraits, Retouch portraits with natural skin smoothing, Apply film-style LUTs for cinematic looks, Adjust exposure, contrast, temperature, and more, Remove photo backgrounds

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Studio Pro Weekly | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Studio Pro Monthly | $5.99 | per month |
| Studio Pro Yearly | $24.99 | per year |
| 10 Render Credits | $1.99 | one-time |
| 30 Render Credits | $4.99 | one-time |
| 80 Render Credits | $9.99 | one-time |


### Shadow Studio

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadow-studio/id6763434185)

Enhance your photos with cinematic shadows, blurs, and gradients. This powerful editor offers precise control over lighting and overlays, allowing creators to achieve professional-grade, atmospheric images effortlessly. Includes a built-in camera and full-resolution export.

**Highlights:** Directional shadows with custom angles, Solid, blur, and gradient overlay styles, Adjustable effect intensity, Shake to randomize effects, Built-in camera with live preview, Full-resolution photo export, Dark and light theme options

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Lumeni free?

Lumeni is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Shadow Studio free?

Shadow Studio is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Lumeni or Shadow Studio?

Shadow Studio is rated higher. Lumeni averages 4.6 out of 5 from 51 ratings, while Shadow Studio averages 5.0 from 8 ratings.

### Do Lumeni or Shadow Studio have ads?

Neither Lumeni nor Shadow Studio shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Lumeni or Shadow Studio?

Lumeni ships an update every 3 weeks, and Shadow Studio daily. Most recently, Lumeni was updated on November 5, 2026 and Shadow Studio on November 5, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*