Comparison

Safelight Darkroom Timer vs Darkroom Companion

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

Head to head
About

Safelight Darkroom Timer

This app assists analog darkroom printers with exposure calculations, timed print workflows, and saving successful print setups. It features a darkroom-friendly timer with customizable themes and sound, an F-Stop Calculator for exposure adjustments, and the ability to save and manage print sessions.

Highlights
  • Darkroom-friendly timer with large controls
  • F-Stop Calculator for exposure changes
  • Save and manage print sessions
  • Timed print process steps
  • Customizable display themes and sounds
  • Dodge & Burn planning (Pro)
Features
Read full description

Safelight Darkroom Timer helps analog darkroom printers calculate exposure changes, run timed print workflows, and save the setup that worked. Use the darkroom-friendly timer for Focus, Expose, and Process timing with large controls, red/amber/green display themes, optional haptic feedback, completion sound, and keep-screen-on behavior when enabled. Turn one base exposure time into a stop-based table with the F-Stop Calculator. Use free 1/4 and 1/3 stop steps, send a result to the timer, or run a test strip one exposure at a time. Save print sessions with base exposure, stop step, paper, filter grade, developer, and notes so you can repeat or adjust your best darkroom prints later. Search, edit, delete, repeat, and use saved sessions from the Sessions screen. Use the Print Process Timer for expose, develop print, stop bath, fix, and optional wash steps. Manage darkroom metadata presets for paper, developer, and filter grades. Safelight Pro unlocks unlimited saved sessions, advanced stop steps, Dodge & Burn planning, memory banks, run plans, and CSV/Text export and sharing. Important: Safelight is a darkroom-friendly display and timing utility. It is not a flashlight, photo editor, AI app, lab ordering service, hardware enlarger controller, or guarantee that a phone screen is safe for every photographic paper or film. Always test your own paper and darkroom conditions. Privacy Policy: https://hearthmesa.com/apps/safelight/privacy Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Support: https://hearthmesa.com/apps/safelight/support

About

Darkroom Companion

Features
Read full description

Free film developing times and a multi-step darkroom timer for black-and-white film. Built-in development chart for common film and developer combinations, dilution calculator, reciprocity calculator and a red night mode. No subscription, no ads. Whether you are developing your first roll or your thousandth, it keeps the whole process in one place. FREE — NO SUBSCRIPTION, NO ADS • Multi-step timer — developer, stop bath, fixer, wash, wetting agent — with sound and haptic agitation cues • Night (red) mode that preserves your dark adaptation • Development time calculator for bath temperature and push/pull (± stops) • Built-in database of times for common film and developer combinations • Dilution calculator — how much concentrate, how much water • Celsius or Fahrenheit, whichever you think in • Reciprocity calculator for long exposures • One custom recipe and the last three developments in the log DARKROOM PRO — one-time unlock, no subscription • Unlimited custom recipes and custom process steps • Chemistry log — tracks expiry and exhaustion, warns you before you pour dead fixer • Unlimited development history • Data export and import Times are indicative. Verify them against the manufacturer datasheet before real use — the app reminds you as well. PRIVACY The app collects only anonymous usage statistics — which screens are opened and which features are used — so it can be improved. It does not send your recipes, log, notes or anything else you type into it, and it uses no advertising identifiers.

Screenshots

Safelight Darkroom Timer4 screens
Darkroom Companion4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Darkroom Companion at none against Safelight Darkroom Timer's 2. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Safelight Darkroom Timer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Darkroom Companion asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Safelight Darkroom Timer versus Darkroom Companion: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSafelight Darkroom TimerDarkroom Companion
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequency—Fortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size48 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNhu Nam VoStanislav Grunfeld

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Safelight Darkroom Timer

Subscriptions2
  • Safelight Pro3 Days trial$2.997 Days
  • Safelight Pro3 Days trial$19.991 Year
None

Darkroom Companion

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Safelight Darkroom Timer free?
Safelight Darkroom Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Darkroom Companion free?
Darkroom Companion is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Safelight Darkroom Timer or Darkroom Companion have ads?
Neither Safelight Darkroom Timer nor Darkroom Companion shows ads.

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