Lightmeter vs Inside TBD
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Lightmeter
This app simulates the look and feel of traditional film photography, offering various film stocks, focal lengths, and a built-in light meter. It allows for RAW capture with authentic film characteristics and provides darkroom-like editing tools.
- Authentic RAW film capture
- Multiple film stock emulations
- Adjustable focal lengths
- Integrated light meter
- Darkroom-style editing tools
- Metadata attachment to photos
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A real light meter when you carry film. A film camera when you don't. And now, a disposable. The looks are built out of true RAW capture โ grain, halation, and color that behave the way film behaves, rather than a filter sitting on top of a flat phone photo. Every look prints through the same engine, from a neutral negative, the way a lab prints a scan. The difference shows. The LM-35 AF A disposable camera, as a third mode beside the meter and the film camera. A roll of 12, 24, or 36 frames goes in, and it shoots blind: no preview, no thumbnails, a fixed 35mm lens, and a frame counter under a red index. A finished roll goes to the lab, and an hour later the prints land in Photos, each with its own accidents โ an exposure wobble, flash falloff, soft corners, the odd light leak, and the orange date stamp if you want it. The body comes in black or yellow. A Lock Screen countdown, a lab widget, and a notification say when a roll is back. A shelf of stocks Color negative, slide, and black and white, each tuned to its own tonality, contrast, and grain. A few are ours alone. Stocks swap from the viewfinder in a tap, favorites stay marked, and the shelf filters down to color or mono. Focal lengths that mean something 24, 35, and 48mm on any iPhone. 85mm and your phone's true telephoto on Pro. The row clicks as it slides. In the hand The shutter fires from the volume buttons or Camera Control, and a tap made while a frame is still exposing is taken, not dropped. RAW works at every focal length and on the front camera. A darkroom, not a filter stack Frames save to Photos with film, aperture, shutter, ISO, and focal length attached. Any frame reopens later onto a different stock, or gets cropped, straightened, inspected, or deleted โ from the Lightmeter gallery or from Photos itself. Edits land in place, no duplicates, and the original is always one tap back. Several frames can be handled at once. Developed rolls sit in the gallery as a stack that spreads out. On your Home Screen Widgets carry the loaded film to the Home and Lock Screen. With Plus, one shows your latest frame, another opens the camera in a single tap, and one counts down the roll at the lab. The meter In meter mode Lightmeter reads reflected light for the camera already around your neck โ ISO, spot readings, and clean shutter and aperture pairs. Lightmeter Plus The camera and the meter are free. Plus adds the LM-35 AF, the full film-look library, RAW capture where the device supports it with a 24 MP option on supported iPhones, darkroom borders, the camera, shutter, and lab widgets, and alternate app icons. Monthly, yearly, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Eligible new subscribers get seven days free; subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled. Nothing you shoot leaves the phone No account, no cloud, no upload, no ads, no tracking. Your photos, camera feed, and location stay on your iPhone. Apple and RevenueCat process limited purchase information only to run Lightmeter Plus. New stocks and new features land often. Terms of Use: https://shotonlightmeter.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://shotonlightmeter.com/privacy
Inside TBD
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Inside TBD is a professional platform for freelancers, vendors, photographers, editors, and service professionals working with TheBigDayByChai. Create your professional profile, submit your details for verification, discover relevant opportunities, and manage your work-related activities in one place. Build Your Professional Profile Create and maintain your profile with your professional information, service category, experience, service areas, and relevant work or portfolio details. Apply and Get Verified Register through the app and submit your information for review. Once your account is approved, you can access the features and opportunities available to you. Discover Opportunities Stay connected with relevant work opportunities, assignments, projects, and events based on your professional services and availability. Manage Your Work Keep track of relevant activities, assignments, updates, and other work-related information directly through the app. Stay Updated Receive important account, assignment, opportunity, and platform updates through notifications. Inside TBD is designed to make it easier for service professionals to manage their relationship and work activities with TheBigDayByChai from one place. Note: Registration and access to certain features may require review and approval. Availability of opportunities and features may vary based on your profile, services, location, and operational requirements. Terms and Conditions: https://app.notion.com/p/Terms-Conditions-Inside-TBD-3b338154829a8041a91bdc6a0d94f47c
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Inside TBD at none against Lightmeter's 3. On price, update cadence, ads 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
Both are free to download. Lightmeter sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Inside TBD asks for nothing beyond the download.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Lightmeter | Inside TBD |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 87.5% of reviews | โ |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No โ better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | โ |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad โ better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.4 โ better |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 34 MB | 67 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Aakash Goel | Chaitanya kariketi |
In-app purchases
Lightmeter
- Lightmeter Plus Monthly7 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Lightmeter Plus Yearly7 Days trial$8.991 Year
- Lightmeter Plus$14.99
Inside TBD
No in-app purchases









