Comparison

FilmDevMate vs Darkroom Timer

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

Head to head
About

FilmDevMate

Features
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Film developing, start to finish From finding a recipe to running the timer to logging your results. FilmDevMate brings the entire developing process into one app. ā–  Find and share developing recipes Browse recipes organized by film and developer combination. Follow recipes shared by other users, or publish the ones you've dialed in yourself. Need to push or pull? Just pick the stops — the adjusted developing time is calculated instantly. ā–  A hands-free timer The timer runs each step straight from the recipe, and you can edit steps to match your own workflow. It keeps perfect time in the background and notifies you when each step ends — no more clutching a stopwatch. ā–  Conquer the developing world Every roll you develop claims new territory. Fill in your own developing map and battle users around the world for turf. ā–  Let the app do the math Calculate dilution ratios with the mixer and convert units in a couple of taps. No measuring mistakes — just focus on developing. ā–  Your logs become your skill Review past sessions in History and rerun the timer with the same settings in one tap. The dashboard shows your developing stats by format and film stock at a glance. Develop another roll today, with FilmDevMate.

About

Darkroom Timer

Features
Read full description

The chart says 7:30 at 20°C. Your water says 21.5°C, and your stock developer is on its sixth film. This app exists for exactly that moment: it moves the published time to YOUR conditions and then walks you through every step of the run. It is not a licensed time database. It is an engine on top of YOUR recipes — and it works for black-and-white, C-41 and E-6 alike. HOW THE ENGINE WORKS • You enter a recipe: film, developer, dilution, and the published time from the data sheet. A small starter catalog compiled from public manufacturer sheets is included, with the source noted on every row. • Temperature: an exponential model consistent with the published compensation curves moves the chart time to the temperature you actually measured. At 22°C, reading the chart flat would overdevelop by about 16%. • Chemistry age: every bottle keeps its own ledger. Reused stock slowly exhausts, so the timer quietly adds the per-use extension — and tells you when a mix has reached its capacity or its shelf life. • Dilution: pick your tank, get the exact millilitres of developer and water to pour. • Push or pull a stop or two; the time follows. IN THE DARK • A step timer for the whole run — develop, stop bath, fix, wash, or the C-41/E-6 sequence — with agitation cues and a loud chime at every hand-off. • Safelight mode turns the entire screen red-on-black and keeps it awake. No white flashes in the darkroom. • Each step waits for you: pour, then start the clock. Pause, skip or bail out and save half a run — your call. WHAT YOU GET • A Lab screen with the whole time-vs-temperature curve for the selected recipe, today's corrected time, and the bottle ledger with per-bottle fatigue. • A session log: film, developer, temperature, applied time, push/pull, rolls. • Trends: day streak, films this week and this month, film stocks tried, and a monthly calendar of sessions and fresh mixes. • Challenges every day, week and month, plus 90+ badges for the habits that make consistent negatives — hitting the temperature, retiring spent bottles, finishing the wash. HONEST ABOUT WHAT IT IS The times are calculations, not gospel. They derive from your recipe's published figure with a model consistent with the manufacturers' own compensation charts — sanity-check a new recipe against the current data sheet before a roll you care about. Everything works offline, stays on your device, and asks for no account. °C or °F, your choice. The maths is the same underneath. SUBSCRIPTION Film Timer Pro is offered as a monthly auto-renewing subscription, or as a one-time lifetime purchase. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. A subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of that period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions in your Apple Account settings after purchase. Terms of Use: https://doesonejob.com/devtank/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://doesonejob.com/devtank/privacy/

Screenshots

FilmDevMate4 screens
Darkroom Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: FilmDevMate at none against Darkroom Timer's 2. FilmDevMate also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 months). Darkroom Timer's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Darkroom Timer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. FilmDevMate asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FilmDevMate ships an update every 2 days, Darkroom Timer every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences Ā· 3 level
FilmDevMate versus Darkroom Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFilmDevMateDarkroom Timer
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYeji HongYUSUF OCAL

In-app purchases

None

FilmDevMate

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Darkroom Timer

Subscriptions1
  • Film Timer Pro Ā· Monthly$2.991 Month
One-time1
  • Film Timer Pro Ā· Lifetime$13.99

Questions

Is FilmDevMate free?
FilmDevMate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Darkroom Timer free?
Darkroom Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do FilmDevMate or Darkroom Timer have ads?
FilmDevMate shows ads; Darkroom Timer does not.
Which is updated more often, FilmDevMate or Darkroom Timer?
FilmDevMate ships an update every 2 days, and Darkroom Timer every 2 months. Most recently, FilmDevMate was updated on October 29, 2026 and Darkroom Timer on October 29, 2026.

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