Comparison

SOS Beam vs Flashlight

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

Head to head
About

SOS Beam

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Turn your phone into a Morse code signal light. SOS Beam sends real, correctly timed Morse code using your camera flash or your full screen. Tap once for SOS, or type any message and watch it flash out letter by letter. No internet, no account, no setup. TWO WAYS TO SIGNAL - Flashlight: your camera's LED flash, visible over long distances after dark - Screen: the entire display strobes bright white, for when your flash is unavailable or you want a wider, softer light ONE TAP FOR SOS The universal distress signal is always one tap away, and repeats automatically until you stop it. No menus, no typing. SEND ANY MESSAGE Type up to 40 characters. Full A-Z and 0-9 supported. Check the Morse preview before you send, then transmit it on a loop. CONTROL THE TIMING Three ready-made speeds: Slow, Normal and Fast. Or tune every interval yourself: - Dot duration: 50-1000 ms - Pause between letters: 100-1500 ms - Dash duration: 150-2000 ms - Pause between words: 200-3000 ms One tap restores the defaults. BUILT FOR ACTUAL USE - Tap anywhere on the strobe to stop instantly - Haptic feedback confirms every action - Signal counter tracks your transmissions - Works completely offline 18 LANGUAGES ... WHEN YOU MIGHT NEED IT ... free, supported by ads

About

Flashlight

Features
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More than a flashlight. One app for everyday light, cycling and running visibility, a music-reactive party strobe, and your own custom flash pattern. FLASHLIGHT Instant torch access with a single tap. Adjustable brightness for everyday use. CYCLING A dedicated visibility mode for riding after dark. Choose from City, Dark Road, High Vis, or a fully custom preset. Use your screen as a Rear Light in Solid, Pulse, or Double styles, in Red, Amber, or White. Optional Brake Light uses motion detection to briefly flash red when you slow down suddenly. Note: this mode is a visibility aid, not a substitute for legally required bike lights, and it does not guarantee safety. WALKING A separate visibility mode for walking in low light, with Soft, Beacon, Attention, and Custom presets, plus adjustable screen color and brightness. RUNNING Two light modes for runs: a steady Normal Pulse, or Motion Reactive, which adjusts to your movement and pace. This is a visibility light, not a fitness tracker — there's no GPS, distance tracking, step counting, or heart-rate monitoring. EMERGENCY A bright, attention-grabbing visual SOS signal for extra visibility when it matters. Important: this is a visual signal only. It does not contact police, ambulance, rescue services, or any emergency contacts. PARTY A sound-reactive light mode. Your iPhone's microphone is analyzed in real time, on-device, so the light pulses with the bass and energy of the music around you. Choose Low, Medium, or High sensitivity, or set your own rhythm with Tap Tempo. CUSTOM PATTERN Build your own flash pattern by setting the exact on and off duration. Your pattern is saved locally on your device. PRIVACY Flashlight collects no user data. There's no advertising SDK, no tracking SDK, and no account required. Microphone analysis for the Party mode and motion detection for Cycling and Running happen entirely on your device — audio is never recorded, stored, or uploaded anywhere. A NOTE ON SAFETY Rapid flashing lights can affect people who are sensitive to light. Please use the strobe and flashing modes thoughtfully. As noted above, Emergency mode sends a visual signal only and does not contact emergency services. Privacy Policy: https://eebconsultancy.github.io/flashlight-strobe-light-legal/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://eebconsultancy.github.io/flashlight-strobe-light-legal/terms.html

Screenshots

SOS Beam4 screens
Flashlight4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SOS Beam at none against Flashlight's 2. SOS Beam also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 6 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Flashlight's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price 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

Both are free to download. Flashlight sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. SOS Beam asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SOS Beam ships an update daily, Flashlight every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
SOS Beam versus Flashlight: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSOS BeamFlashlight
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyDaily — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBohdan PylyptsivEeb Consultancy LLC

In-app purchases

None

SOS Beam

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Flashlight

Subscriptions2
  • Flashlight Premium Weekly7 Days trial$3.997 Days
  • Flashlight Premium Yearly$29.991 Year

Questions

Is SOS Beam free?
SOS Beam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Flashlight free?
Flashlight is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SOS Beam or Flashlight have ads?
SOS Beam shows ads; Flashlight does not.
Which is updated more often, SOS Beam or Flashlight?
SOS Beam ships an update daily, and Flashlight every 6 weeks. Most recently, SOS Beam was updated on October 15, 2026 and Flashlight on October 24, 2026.

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