Lightscope vs Sunbeam Editor
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Lightscope
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Shot in Apple Log and tired of flat, washed-out previews? Lightscope plays Apple Log (1 & 2) footage back the way it was meant to look โ in real Rec.2100 HLG โ and lets you grade it right on your iPhone or iPad. PLAY IT RIGHT โข True HDR playback of Apple Log 1 & 2 clips (Rec.2100 HLG) โข Technical LUTs generated from DaVinci Resolve for accurate log-to-display transforms โข One-tap HDR / SDR display modes GRADE ON-DEVICE โข Color wheels (lift ยท gamma ยท gain), exposure in the scene-referred log domain โข Tone curves with a live curve editor โข Color warper and skin-tone secondaries โข Film & cinema looks, plus your own .cube LUTs โข Broadcast scopes: waveform and vectorscope, on the image while you grade โข Non-destructive: every clip remembers its grade automatically โข Shareable grade presets EXPORT โข 10-bit HEVC in Rec.2100 HLG (true HDR) or Rec.709 (SDR master) โข Saved straight back to your Photos library TRY EVERYTHING FREE FOR 14 DAYS Every feature is unlocked for two weeks โ no account, no sign-up. After the trial, your library stays free to browse, and a single one-time purchase of Lightscope Pro keeps true HLG playback, the full grading suite and export forever. No subscription. Family Sharing supported. Everything happens on your device. No uploads, no tracking. Requires iOS 17 or later. Apple Log recording requires iPhone 15 Pro or later (or footage from Final Cut Camera / Blackmagic Cam).
Sunbeam Editor
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Sunbeam is an advanced mobile photo editor built to be intuitive, tactile, and private. โ POWERFUL TOOLS IN THUMB'S REACH A fleet of tactile sliders lets you make refinements without needing to shift around or burrow into menus. ADVANCED CAPABILITIES Color grade, mix individual colors, apply film-like effects like grain and halation, adjust tone, and more. REFOCUS A powerful on-device depth model allows you to tap a subject and adjust focus and bokeh intensity on the fly for any photo in your library. MAKE IT YOUR OWN Save your own edits or import cinema-grade 3D LUTs as customizable presets. PRESET CAROUSEL Find the right look by browsing presets that apply in real time as you scroll, and freely dial in the intensity once you've found the right one. BATCH EDITS MADE EASY Effortlessly apply presets across your library for quicker edits. SMART MASKS Automatically select a subject or region to make local adjustments. PUT YOUR BEST PHOTO FORWARD Toggle between edited and original views. Undo up to 50 times, or completely revert changes non-destructively at any time. Explore parallel edits with separate versions of a photo. EXPORT CONTROL Independently manage the format, scale, and included metadata of each export in a batch, or apply all settings globally. CLICKS, TICKS, THUMPS, AND POPS Sunbeam takes cues from the physicality of hardware. These small details make the editing process feel deliberate and close at hand. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Editing and rendering happen on your device. Sunbeam requires no account and uses no analytics, advertising, or tracking. Your photos are never uploaded to servers operated by Sunbeam. GO INFINITE Sunbeam's core editing tools are entirely free to use. An optional one-time Sunbeam Infinite purchase unlocks unlimited saved presets, alternate versions and 3D LUT imports, complete undo history, and full export controls.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Lightscope at 17.0 against Sunbeam Editor's 26.2. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Lightscope sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Sunbeam Editor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Lightscope ships an update every 5 days, Sunbeam Editor every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Lightscope | Sunbeam Editor |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days โ better | Every 9 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad โ better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 โ better | 26.2 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 28 MB | 63 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jian Zhou | Kevin Manka |
In-app purchases
Lightscope
- Lightscope Pro$9.99
Sunbeam Editor
- Sunbeam Infinite$4.99
Questions
Is Lightscope free?
Is Sunbeam Editor free?
Do Lightscope or Sunbeam Editor have ads?
Which is updated more often, Lightscope or Sunbeam Editor?
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