Comparison

Shadow Planner vs RecceBoard

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

Head to head
About

Shadow Planner

Visualize sun and shadow placement on real-world maps before filming. Scout locations by dropping virtual objects, simulating light movement throughout the day, and measuring distances for precise rigging. Export scenes for planning and collaboration.

Highlights
  • Real sun and shadow simulation on maps
  • 3D terrain and buildings for accurate shadows
  • Place and manipulate virtual frames and objects
  • Simulate light movement from sunrise to sunset
  • Measure distances and gear ranges
  • Export scenes and share links
Features
Read full description

Scout the light before you get there. Shadow Planner puts a real sun on a real map. Drop your overheads on the actual location, scrub the day from sunrise to sunset, and watch true cast shadows fall across the ground in 3D — so you know what you're walking into before the truck rolls, and so does everyone you hand the page to. SCOUT ANY LOCATION • Search an address or drop straight onto your GPS position • Satellite, street and dark map styles • Real 3D buildings and terrain, so shadows fall off the geometry that's actually there • Live sun compass with azimuth and altitude KNOW WHEN YOU LOSE THE LIGHT • Sunrise, solar noon, sunset, golden hour and civil dusk for any date and any location, with the day's length • Tap any spot for a shade timeline: when it holds direct sun and when it goes into shade, across the whole day • See the sun's path arced over the map — amber where your spot has sun, blue-grey where something blocks it, so you can watch the moment the sun clears a roofline • Reads the buildings and terrain actually around it, plus your own overheads BLOCK THE SHOT TO SCALE • Drop 12x12, 20x20 and 40x40 frames, or set your own custom size • Dial height above ground, spin and tilt on every frame • Add vehicles and human stand-ins for scale • Stack as many objects as the day needs — each one colour-coded, with its own cast shadow and the area it covers SEE THE WHOLE DAY MOVE • Scrub sunrise to sunset and watch every shadow track with the sun • Pick any date and check the light for a shoot weeks out • Stand-ins and vehicles dim when they fall inside a frame's shadow MEASURE THE RIG IN 3D • Tap two points for a true diagonal distance — overhead down to ground • Know exactly where the base, the truck and the crew gear have to land • Measurements stay locked to a frame, so they update as you raise or move it • Matching gear ranges for the distance you measured, from a PeeWee dolly to a 120' Condor FEET OR METRES • One switch converts every height, span, distance and shadow area, and the gear ranges with them • Gear and frame names stay as the industry says them — a 12x12 is still a 12x12, a Condor 40' is still a Condor 40' • Your choice is remembered between sessions TAKE IT BACK TO THE OFFICE • Save a location by name with its camera angle, date, time, every frame, the measurement and the shade you picked — long-press to rename • Six stops in a day, all still there tomorrow • Export a letter-size page carrying the location, date, time, sun position, sunrise and sunset, the rig you had up, and the lift sizes that reach — so the gaffer, the AD and the office are all reading the same sheet • Same page on every device, straight to Photos, Files or Messages • On iPad, drag the menu panels into the order you work in • Full undo and redo Built by a working cinematographer for tech scouts, gaffers, grips, DPs, location managers and anyone who has ever guessed where the shadow would be. No account. No subscription. No tracking.

About

RecceBoard

Features
Read full description

A recce board for directors, cinematographers. Previz made simple. Walk a location, film the shots you're thinking of, and push them around until the order feels right. Then press play and watch the whole thing as a film. The camera opens already framed to the board's format, and the lens buttons are labelled in millimetres — the real focal length, so it means the same on any iPhone. Stop recording and you're in the trim. Next takes you back to the camera for the following shot. Shots sit where you put them, and the order of the film is the arrangement: left to right, top to bottom, the way a page reads. Move a shot and you've changed the cut. Record a voice-over over the whole thing or over a single shot, and lay music underneath. Export the film as a video or the board as a contact-sheet PDF, with your frame lines burned in. Boards sync through your own iCloud account, so you can start on the phone at the location and finish on the Mac. One purchase covers iPhone, iPad and Mac. Share a board with a six-character code. Nothing is collected — no analytics, no tracking, no third-party SDKs. One purchase, no subscription. Want it to do something it doesn't yet? mail@carlooppermann.com

Screenshots

Shadow Planner4 screens
RecceBoard4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: RecceBoard at Free against Shadow Planner's $29.99. Shadow Planner's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and chart position (#191 vs unranked). On update cadence, ads 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

RecceBoard is free to download; Shadow Planner costs $29.99 up front. RecceBoard sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Shadow Planner asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shadow Planner ships an update every 5 days, RecceBoard every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 16, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Shadow Planner versus RecceBoard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShadow PlannerRecceBoard
Price$29.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews40.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#191 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChristopher FennerCarlo Oppermann

In-app purchases

None

Shadow Planner

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

RecceBoard

One-time2
  • 7-Day TrialFree
  • RecceBoard$8.99

Questions

Is Shadow Planner free?
Shadow Planner costs $29.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is RecceBoard free?
RecceBoard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Shadow Planner or RecceBoard have ads?
Neither Shadow Planner nor RecceBoard shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shadow Planner or RecceBoard?
Shadow Planner ships an update every 5 days, and RecceBoard every 4 days. Most recently, Shadow Planner was updated on September 16, 2026 and RecceBoard on October 3, 2026.

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