Comparison

Lightscope vs GradeLab

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

Head to head
About

Lightscope

Features
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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 โ€ข True HDR playback of Apple Log 1 & 2 clips (Rec.2100 HLG) โ€ข Technical LUTs generated from DaVinci Resolve for accurate log-to-display transforms โ€ข One-tap HDR / SDR display modes GRADE ON-DEVICE โ€ข Color wheels (lift ยท gamma ยท gain), exposure in the scene-referred log domain โ€ข Tone curves with a live curve editor โ€ข Color warper and skin-tone secondaries โ€ข Film & cinema looks, plus your own .cube LUTs โ€ข Broadcast scopes: waveform and vectorscope, on the image while you grade โ€ข Non-destructive: every clip remembers its grade automatically โ€ข Shareable grade presets EXPORT โ€ข 10-bit HEVC in Rec.2100 HLG (true HDR) or Rec.709 (SDR master) โ€ข 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).

About

GradeLab

Features
Read full description

Turn everyday photos and videos into cinematic stories. GradeLab is a color grading editor for iPhone and iPad with LUT filters, vintage looks, professional color tools and video editing, all in one app. Pick a look, dial in its strength, then make it your own. From warm portraits and moody travel clips to soft film tones and retro aesthetics, GradeLab gives you full control over the light, color and atmosphere of every edit โ€” across the whole frame or just one part of it. CINEMATIC LUTS & VINTAGE FILTERS - Browse cinematic LUTs with live previews on your own photos and videos. - Explore signature looks like Warm Cinema, Teal Orange and Soft Film, plus a full collection of film-inspired LUTs. - Adjust look strength for a subtle finish or a bold cinematic style. - Import your own .cube LUT files and use them just like built-in looks. - Save your color grading as presets and apply them to any photo or video for a consistent style. PROFESSIONAL COLOR GRADING - Exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, whites and blacks. - Temperature, tint, saturation and vibrance. - Eight-band HSL to shape individual colors. - Color wheels for shadows, midtones and highlights. - Color Warper: shape colors with Hue/Sat and Chroma/Luma modes. - Master, Red, Green and Blue curves. - Hue, saturation and luminance curves for precise color control. - Fade, sharpening and vignette. - Before and after comparison as you edit. MASKS & LOCAL GRADING - Grade one part of the frame instead of the whole picture. - Ellipse, rectangle, gradient and freehand masks. - Feather the edge, set the strength, or invert a mask to grade everything outside it. - Stack several masks on one clip, each with its own grade. - Track a mask to a moving subject and let it follow through the shot, forward or backward. - Use the same masks on photos. KEYFRAMED COLOR GRADING - Animate the grade itself, so a look builds through a shot or falls away at the end. - Keyframe exposure, contrast, temperature, saturation, HSL, color wheels, vignette, curves, film effects and look strength. - Adjust any keyframe by hand, including motion created by mask tracking. TRANSITIONS - 45 transitions between clips: dissolves, dips, wipes, slides, zooms, blur dissolve, whip pan, film burn, glitch, prism, page turn and more. - Set the duration of every transition on the timeline. FILM EFFECTS - Film grain, bloom, glow and halation for an authentic analog feel. PROFESSIONAL SCOPES - Histogram, waveform, RGB parade and vectorscope for accurate grading. APPLE LOG, HDR & PRORES - Grade Apple Log and Apple Log 2 footage, plus HLG HDR video. - Apple Log 2 from iPhone 17 Pro uses its own wide-gamut transform, never Apple Log's. - Export ProRes 422 and ProRes 422 HQ on compatible devices. - Export in 4K or your source resolution, with custom frame rate and bitrate. EDIT VIDEO & PHOTOS - Trim and split clips, change playback speed, and add titles and audio. - Grade photos with the same color tools you use for video. - Export photos as full-resolution JPEG, HEIC or lossless PNG. - No watermarks on your exports. TEXT, LAYERS & MOTION - Add titles with curated font families or your own imported TTF fonts. - Layer overlays with blend modes. - Mask a layer with an ellipse, rectangle or split line so the track underneath shows through. - Feather or invert a layer mask, and keyframe it into a wipe or reveal. - Animate text, transforms and color grading with keyframes. Whether you're grading a travel vlog, a short film or a single portrait, GradeLab helps you create a look that's unmistakably yours. Feature and format availability depend on your source media and device capabilities. Some features require a subscription or one-time purchase. Privacy Policy: https://ak375456.github.io/gradelab/privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ App Terms: https://ak375456.github.io/gradelab/terms.html

Screenshots

Lightscope4 screens
GradeLab4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: GradeLab at every 2 days against Lightscope's every 5 days. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Lightscope sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and GradeLab sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lightscope ships an update every 5 days, GradeLab every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
Lightscope versus GradeLab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLightscopeGradeLab
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 2 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac โ€” better
Requires iOS17.0 โ€” better18.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size28 MB199 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJian ZhouAftab fazal Qayum

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Lightscope

One-time1
  • Lightscope Pro$9.99
4 purchases

GradeLab

Subscriptions3
  • Pro Weekly$1.997 Days
  • Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Pro$1.99

Questions

Is Lightscope free?
Lightscope is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GradeLab free?
GradeLab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Lightscope or GradeLab have ads?
Neither Lightscope nor GradeLab shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lightscope or GradeLab?
Lightscope ships an update every 5 days, and GradeLab every 2 days. Most recently, Lightscope was updated on October 1, 2026 and GradeLab on October 4, 2026.

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