LightCast Suite vs +Frames
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
LightCast Suite
This app provides photographers with detailed weather forecasts and light condition scores to help them find the best shooting opportunities. It offers specialized tools for sunset, astrophotography, fog, clouds, drone operation, and exposure calculations. Receive notifications for optimal conditions and explore nearby locations.
- Photography-specific weather forecasts
- Light condition scoring (0-100)
- Sunset/sunrise shooting windows
- Astrophotography visibility tools
- Fog density and timing
- Cloud layer analysis
- Drone wind and visibility alerts
- Exposure triangle and DOF calculators
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You checked a weather app. It said partly cloudy. You drove an hour for sunset. The light was flat. LightCast Suite makes sure that won't happen again, giving you a score and notification for tonight's specific conditions. Not raw weather data. An actual answer that's easy to understand for outdoor photographers. 1 Suite, 7 Photography Tools: GoldCast: Tonight's sunset or sunrise on a 0-100 scale, with your best shooting window and a plain-language sky reading StarCast: Milky Way visibility, Bortle class, moon phase, and dark window timing in one place for your astrophotography shoots AuroraCast (BETA): Aurora Borealis activity and likelihood of visibility FogCast: Know when fog is likely to form and see expected density, timing, and burn-off windows CloudCast: Cloud layer breakdown and light quality scored for your shooting target: portrait, landscape, wildlife, or long exposure DroneCast: Don't lose a shot to a gust you didn't see coming. See wind speed, gusts, and visibility scored for what your exact drone model can handle, so you know before you fly TriCast: exposure triangle, ND stops, star trail intervals, DOF, and timelapse calculators — every field tool you need, one tap away Receive notifications when conditions cross your thresholds, so you never miss a shooting window. Explore conditions on a map, and see where conditions are better nearby before you make the drive. Built to help photographers chase better light. LightCast Premium is available as a monthly subscription ($2.99/month, after a 7-day free trial). Pricing may vary by region. Subscription automatically renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://lightcastsuite.com/privacy.html
+Frames
This app helps astrophotographers plan their shots by providing a sky atlas, equipment-specific target recommendations, and field-of-view previews. It also offers an AI assistant for personalized advice and project tracking for deep-sky objects.
- Sky atlas with millions of stars and deep-sky objects
- Ranked target recommendations based on equipment and sky conditions
- True field-of-view preview for cameras and eyepieces
- Mosaic planning up to 4x4
- Project tracking for exposures and filters
- AI assistant for personalized astrophotography advice
- Augmented Reality (AR) mode for target location
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Clear night ahead? +Frames tells you what to shoot - and how to shoot it. THE ATLAS The whole sky in your pocket: ~12 million stars down to magnitude 14, 8,800 deep-sky objects, Sun, Moon and planets, asteroids, comets and 16,000 satellites moving live. Real astrophotos lie on the map, galaxies are drawn with their true orientation, and every object opens a card with the numbers that matter tonight. TONIGHT'S TARGETS, RANKED The Night tab scores every object for YOUR equipment, YOUR sky and YOUR horizon: altitude, moon distance, usable dark window, field-of-view fit. Grade A to E - the best target for tonight is always on top. FRAME IT True field-of-view preview for your camera or eyepiece. Rotate the frame, plan mosaics up to 4×4, check the sampling. An 8-sector horizon profile per site keeps trees and rooftops out of your plans. PROJECTS Track every target over nights: subs, exposure, gain, filter by filter. Camera angle and position are saved with the project and restored when you return. Export the plan in ASIAIR format. ASTRO BUDDY Your AI assistant knows your gear, your site and tonight's sky. Ask what to shoot, why a filter fits, how long to expose — computed from your sensor, your Bortle sky and the Moon. Type "I have a ZWO ASI2600MC" and he looks it up and saves it to your gear. AND MORE - Plate solving puts your own photos on the atlas - AR mode shows where a target sits in your real sky - Red night mode protects your dark adaptation - Calendar with moon phases and events, searchable up to 2050 - Works offline; no account, your data stays on your device (private iCloud backup) +Frames Premium unlocks the whole app - 7-day free trial. Languages: EN, DE, FR, ES, IT, PT, JA, KO, ZH, UK, RU, PL, TR. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ App terms: https://plus-frames.com/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://plus-frames.com/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: LightCast Suite at every 4 days against +Frames's every 8 days. LightCast Suite also leads on ratings volume (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. LightCast Suite sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and +Frames sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for LightCast Suite against 5.0 for +Frames. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively.
LightCast Suite ships an update every 4 days, +Frames every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | LightCast Suite | +Frames |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (4 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Every 8 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 92 MB | 743 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Megan Tucker | LEVIN GIDEON MERANER |
Customer experience
LightCast Suite
+Frames
In-app purchases
LightCast Suite
- LightCast Suite Premium7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- LightCast Suite Premium7 Days trial$29.991 Year
+Frames
- Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
- Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
Questions
Is LightCast Suite free?
Is +Frames free?
Which has better reviews, LightCast Suite or +Frames?
Do LightCast Suite or +Frames have ads?
Which is updated more often, LightCast Suite or +Frames?
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