NoLight vs GrayBox
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NoLight
Read full descriptionHide full description
NoLight is a black screen camera and recording workspace designed for focused, distraction-free video capture. Record video while keeping your screen dark, or continue working inside NoLight with useful tools like Web, Notes, and Clock. KEY FEATURES BLACK SCREEN RECORDING Start recording and switch to a completely black display whenever you want. Restore the screen instantly without stopping your recording. ALWAYS-VISIBLE RECORDING INDICATOR While NoLight is recording, an on-screen indicator is shown at all times - including while the screen is black. It cannot be turned off, and there is no setting or gesture that hides it. RECORDING WORKSPACE Keep recording while using built-in tools: • Web browser • Notes • Clock • Vault CAMERA CONTROLS Choose the settings that fit your session: • Video or photo • Front or back camera • 1080p and 4K on supported devices • Microphone control • Recording background options QUICK BLACKOUT Start directly in blackout mode, or switch to the black screen while recording using supported controls. NOTES WHILE RECORDING Capture ideas, reminders, or research notes without ending your recording session. VAULT A separate space inside NoLight, unlocked with Face ID or a PIN you choose, for your own recordings, notes and browsing — much like the Hidden album in Photos or a Face ID–locked folder in Notes. It protects your own material from someone else picking up your unlocked phone. It does not change how recording is indicated. STORED ON YOUR DEVICE Recordings are saved on your device. NoLight has no accounts and uploads nothing; files leave your device only when you choose to export or share them. BUILT FOR REAL SESSIONS NoLight is useful for lectures, meetings, research, events, presentations, long recording sessions, and other situations where a bright camera screen can be distracting. NoLight respects iOS camera and microphone permissions and system privacy indicators.
GrayBox
This app transforms your phone into an interruption-proof dash cam and private vault. It records continuously, even through calls or app switches, and stores footage securely on your device with passcode protection. Optional Pro features enhance driving and security.
- Interruption-proof recording
- Private, passcode-protected vault
- Dash cam functionality
- Dual camera recording
- Lock Mode for continuous recording
- Optional Face ID and passcode protection
- No account or cloud storage
Read full descriptionHide full description
GrayBox turns the camera you already carry into a dash cam with a private photo safe. No wires, no SD card, no account. Now on iPhone and iPad. Open the app and you're recording in about a second. Tap for a photo, hold for video, slide left to keep recording hands free. Your music keeps playing while you record. Everything goes straight to your private library, never your Photos app. If a call, an app switch, or a dead battery interrupts you, GrayBox keeps everything up to that moment, picks back up when you return, and stitches it into one clip with every interval time-stamped. A DASH CAM WITHOUT THE WIRES • Mount your phone and drive • Car Mode (Pro) is one tap from the camera and starts recording with your saved driving settings • Speed in mph or km/h and the time, burned right into your footage • Your music keeps playing the whole drive • Dual Cam records the road and the cabin at the same time, split screen or picture in picture (iPhone) • Swap the main camera without cutting the recording • A large dim clock while the screen is dimmed, so the phone stays mounted • Your location is only used to draw your speed and is never stored FOR THE MOMENTS YOU NEED ON RECORD • A traffic stop, a fender bender, a heated moment, anything you might need proof of • Lock Mode dims the screen and freezes the controls while recording continues • Unlocking takes a deliberate press and hold, 2 to 10 seconds, your choice • Volume buttons won't stop it either A PRIVATE PLACE FOR PHOTOS AND DOCUMENTS • Keep photos of your ID, insurance card, receipts, and paperwork out of your camera roll • Albums, favorites, and Recently Deleted (kept for an hour, a day, or a month) • Select photos by dragging in any direction • Import existing photos and videos, export anything, anytime A LIBRARY ONLY YOU CAN OPEN • Your passcode gives nothing away, not even its length • Optional Face ID • Optional self-erase after too many wrong guesses, and you pick the number • After a run of wrong guesses, entry pauses for a few minutes so nobody can rush the limit THE CAMERA • Photos and video up to 4K • Flash, front and rear cameras, pinch to zoom from 0.5x to 10x • Turn the mic off for video only • Optional blurred hold instead of jump cuts, so clip length matches the clock PRIVATE BY DESIGN • No accounts, no cloud, no ads, no analytics • Nothing about you is ever collected • Your library is excluded from backups and never appears in Photos unless you export it GRAYBOX PRO One purchase, yours forever. No subscription. Less than a dash cam memory card. • Car Mode with speed and clock • Locked Albums: an album with its own passcode and optional self-erase • Security log of every wrong guess and erase, time-stamped, and it survives the erase • Instant Lock: flip your phone face down or triple tap • Pattern and full keyboard passcodes • Timestamp burned into your footage • Eight themes The $100 dash cam on the shelf? You're already holding a better one. Just add a mount.
Screenshots
Verdict
NoLight and GrayBox are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. NoLight sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and GrayBox sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
NoLight ships an update every 4 days, GrayBox every 3 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.
| Parameter | NoLight | GrayBox |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sang Cao | Nolan Mayoss |
In-app purchases
NoLight
- NoLight Pro$14.99
GrayBox
- GrayBox Pro$2.99









