Comparison

Prop Screen vs LightCalc.io

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

Head to head
About

Prop Screen

This app transforms your iPhone into a customizable screen prop for film and TV production. Create realistic mock phone interfaces, including call screens, message threads, and notifications, to enhance your visual storytelling. It offers offline functionality and is designed for professional use on set.

Highlights
  • Customizable call screens
  • Simulated messaging conversations
  • Prop notifications
  • Full-screen playback
  • Green screen mode with tracking
  • Home screen designer
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

PropScreen is the professional prop device simulator built for film and television production. Stop fighting with personal phones, paper green screens, or post-production fixes. Prop Screen turns an iPhone or iPad into a fully custom screen prop that adapts to your script. Every tool was designed by working filmmakers to solve real problems on set. WHAT'S INSIDE • Prop Call Screens — custom contact name, photo, ringtone, era-specific layouts, outgoing and unknown-number calls, lose-signal effects, volume-button trigger for hands-free cueing • Prop Video Calls — pre-recorded video for the remote caller, live front camera framing your actor • Prop Messaging — full blue- and green-bubble threads with photos and locations, played live or staged for actor delivery • Prop Notifications — bundled and custom app icons, banner or lock-screen layouts, stackable to tell a story • Prop Screen Playback — lockable fullscreen playback for any screen recording your production needs • Green Screen Mode — chroma screen with built-in tracking markers for VFX compositing • Prop Home Screen Designer — build any home screen layout, export as a transparent PNG • Project folders to keep a show organized Recent Update: • Director Mode — Pair a second device and run the performance phone remotely. Cue scripts beat by beat, watch typing mirrored live, trigger prop calls and notifications, and drive every prop app while your actor performs on a script-locked keyboard. Bluetooth clicker remotes supported. • Prop Security — A simulated camera wall with tap-in live views, event lists, and running timestamps. • Prop Maps — Repeatable navigation and driving directions with custom markers. Stop swapping screens between takes in a picture car. • Prop Social Messages — Chat props in five social platform styles. • Prop Live — A simulated livestream with an auto-generated, scene-reactive audience you can cue from Director Mode. • Prop Social Feeds — Scrollable photo, video, and story feeds built from your own posts. • Clean Mode — One switch loads an original app set with custom per-project names and icons. • 12 on-camera languages — Set each project's phone language independently, including Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Hindi, and Russian, each with its real keyboard. App interface now in 11 languages (beta). • Export for edit — Send prop message and social conversations to After Effects or DaVinci Resolve as transparent video, every bubble editable, typing animated. Import scripts from spreadsheets. • Backups you own — Automatic backup to your own iCloud Drive, Dropbox, or Google Drive. Three named versions per device, one-file project export, nothing on our servers. • Built for iPad — A native iPad layout, not an upscaled iPhone build. • Adds fully support between iOS and newly releases Android. BUILT FOR PRODUCTION Everything stays local to your device. Prop Screen does not place calls, send messages, or transmit any content. It is a self-contained visual prop tool, designed exclusively for staged content creation in film, television, theater, and photography. PROPSCREEN PRO • Every prop screen in the app • Unlimited saved projects across every tool • Custom imports — contact photos, ringtones, app icons, posters, screen recordings • Director Mode and volume-button trigger control • Works fully offline once installed • No ads, no accounts, no data collection WHAT'S NEXT Prop Screen ships regular updates driven by crew feedback. Need something for your next production? Tap the info icon in the app to email us directly — every release so far has come from working filmmakers asking. Designed for use on professional film and television productions. Built by Game Night Films & Film Swag. By downloading PropScreen, you agree to Apple's standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

LightCalc.io

Features
Read full description

LightCalc is the on-set lighting tool built for cinematographers, gaffers and lighting professionals. Stop doing mental maths under pressure - get the right exposure, the right fixture, and the right setup in seconds. Exposure Calculator Input your camera settings - T-stop, ISO, shutter angle, frame rate, ND filters - and instantly see the illuminance your scene needs. Switch between lux and foot-candles with one tap. Ambient Light Meter Use your iPhone camera as a live lux meter. Point at any surface to get a real-time ambient reading and feed it directly into your calculations - no separate hardware needed. Fixture Comparison Compare up to four lighting fixtures side by side at any distance. Adjust count and dimming per fixture and see relative output at a glance. Power & Distance Solver Know exactly what dimming level or distance you need to hit your target exposure. Works with your chosen fixture, modifier, diffusion and gel. Full Fixture Library Access a curated library of professional fixtures and modifiers. Plus users can add their own custom fixtures and diffusion materials - synced across web and mobile. Projects Save your setups and reload them on the next shoot. Your lighting data travels with you. Built for the Set Dark UI, fast inputs, haptic feedback - designed to be used in low-light environments with one hand while holding a light meter in the other. LightCalc requires an active LightCalc Plus subscription. Manage your subscription at lightcalc.io. Privacy Policy: https://lightcalc.io/privacy-policy | Terms of Use: https://lightcalc.io/terms-conditions

Screenshots

Prop Screen4 screens
LightCalc.io4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Prop Screen at weekly against LightCalc.io's monthly. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Prop Screen sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and LightCalc.io sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $34.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Prop Screen ships an update weekly, LightCalc.io monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Prop Screen versus LightCalc.io: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterProp ScreenLightCalc.io
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews42.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB48 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGame Night FilmsMatthias Streicher-Feldhofer

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Prop Screen

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Yearly7 Days trial$89.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$999.99
1 purchases

LightCalc.io

Subscriptions1
  • LightCalc Plus$34.991 Year

Questions

Is Prop Screen free?
Prop Screen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is LightCalc.io free?
LightCalc.io is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Prop Screen or LightCalc.io have ads?
Neither Prop Screen nor LightCalc.io shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Prop Screen or LightCalc.io?
Prop Screen ships an update weekly, and LightCalc.io monthly. Most recently, Prop Screen was updated on October 11, 2026 and LightCalc.io on October 1, 2026.

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