Comparison

Light Meter Wheel vs Datacolor LightColor Meter

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

Head to head
About

Light Meter Wheel

This app offers a fast, visual, and precise way to measure light for photography. It features a unique exposure wheel that displays aperture, shutter speed, and ISO simultaneously, giving photographers instant control and clarity.

Highlights
  • Real exposure wheel with all values in one view
  • Real-time metering with instant EV readings
  • Wide ISO and shutter speed range
  • Exposure timer for long exposures
  • Incident metering using front camera
  • Calibration for accuracy
Features
Read full description

Light Meter Wheel brings a unique way to measure light — fast, visual and precise. Instead of switching modes, everything is visible at once. Aperture, shutter speed and ISO are seamlessly connected through a real exposure wheel, giving you full control at a glance. Designed for photographers who value clarity, speed and accuracy. Also especially useful for pinhole photography, where its wide aperture range and long exposure timer make setting exposures straightforward. Features • Real exposure wheel with all values in one view • Real-time metering with instant EV readings • Wide ISO range: 0.8 – 6400 • Shutter speeds from 1/8000s to 4 hours • Apertures from f/0.7 to f/1024 • Exposure timer (perfect for long exposures & pinhole) • HOLD function to lock readings • Incident metering using the front camera • Custom backgrounds and light/dark modes • Calibration for maximum accuracy Built by a photographer, for photographers.

About

Datacolor LightColor Meter

This pocket-sized device streams real-time light and color data to your smartphone, offering precise control over exposure and color consistency for photos, videos, and cinema. It measures various light types and color parameters, and includes gel filter libraries for creative adjustments.

Highlights
  • Real-time light and color data streaming
  • Exposure and lighting ratio control
  • Color consistency across setups
  • Measures Lux, Chromaticity, CCT, DUV
  • Includes gel filter libraries
  • Simultaneous measurements from multiple meters
  • Hands-free functionality
Features
Read full description

· The Datacolor LightColor Meter is a Bluetooth-enabled, multifunctional tool that fits in your pocket, continuously streaming both light and color data in real-time, to your smartphone. · Perfect for photos, videos, cinema and hybrid photo/video shoots, the LightColor Meter takes the guesswork out of exposure settings, giving you better control of lighting ratios as well as color consistency across varied lighting conditions and multiple camera setups. · The Datacolor LightColor Meter accurately measures all types of lighting, from fluctuating outdoor light, mixed natural/artificial location lighting, plus any type of studio lighting, including continuous lighting and strobe/flash. · It goes beyond a regular light meter to also measure color temperature, Lux, Chromaticity, CCT and DUV. Additionally, the device comes with filter libraries from Profoto®, LEE® and Rosco® to help you choose the right color gels for functional or creative color adjustments. · The rugged, travel-friendly device goes anywhere you’re shooting, providing you with a wireless versatility that lets you easily fine-tune your lighting and exposure without having to leave your camera. · You can attach the device to a light stand or tripod, use the through-hole for lanyards to hang the meter where needed, use the alligator clip that’s included to attach the LightColor Meter to clothing or other fabrics or use the rare earth magnet on the back of the device for easy magnetic attachment. · You can seamlessly sync multiple Datacolor LightColor Meters to get light and color temperature measurements from several locations simultaneously. The device accurately measures light and color temperature from a distance of up to 80 feet, allowing you to cover wide areas and is perfect for ensuring uniform lighting for green screens for easy and effective chroma keying in post-production. Key Feature Highlights o Incident Metering for Ambient & Flash o Mobile App/Wireless Bluetooth 4.0 LE o Photo, Video, Cine Exposure Modes o Measures Lux, Chromaticity, CCT, and +/- Green (Duv) o Measures Any Kind of Light Source o Color Temperature Range: 1,600K - 20,000K o Luminance Range: 1.0 - 1,000,000 lux o Cine Settings: Frame Rate, Shutter Angle/Speed & ND Filter Compensation o HSS Flash & Flash Duration Measurements o Included: Gel Filter Libraries from Profoto®, LEE® and Rosco® o Simultaneous Measurements from Multiple Meters Up to 80 ft Away o Hands-Free Functionality - incl. Magnet, ¼”-20 Mount o Cord-in (PC Sync) o Custom Exposure Profiles

Screenshots

Light Meter Wheel4 screens
Datacolor LightColor Meter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Light Meter Wheel at 91% against Datacolor LightColor Meter's 17%. Light Meter Wheel also leads on rating (4.7 vs 1.7). Datacolor LightColor Meter's advantage is price (Free vs $1.99) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases 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

Datacolor LightColor Meter is free to download; Light Meter Wheel costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Light Meter Wheel holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Light Meter Wheel's written reviews are positive against 17% of Datacolor LightColor Meter's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Light Meter Wheel ships an update every 2 months, Datacolor LightColor Meter fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Light Meter Wheel versus Datacolor LightColor Meter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLight Meter WheelDatacolor LightColor Meter
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (12 ratings) — better1.7 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews91.3% of reviews — better16.7% of reviews
Number of ratings12 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavid QuilesDatacolor Inc.

Customer experience

Light Meter Wheel

All ratings12 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews46 reviews
Positive91.3%
Neutral4.3%
Negative4.3%

Datacolor LightColor Meter

All ratings7 ratings
Positive14.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative85.7%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive16.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative83.3%

In-app purchases

None

Light Meter Wheel

No in-app purchases

None

Datacolor LightColor Meter

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Light Meter Wheel free?
Light Meter Wheel costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Datacolor LightColor Meter free?
Datacolor LightColor Meter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Light Meter Wheel or Datacolor LightColor Meter?
Light Meter Wheel is rated higher. Light Meter Wheel averages 4.7 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while Datacolor LightColor Meter averages 1.7 from 7 ratings.
Do Light Meter Wheel or Datacolor LightColor Meter have ads?
Neither Light Meter Wheel nor Datacolor LightColor Meter shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Light Meter Wheel or Datacolor LightColor Meter?
Light Meter Wheel ships an update every 2 months, and Datacolor LightColor Meter fortnightly. Most recently, Light Meter Wheel was updated on September 24, 2026 and Datacolor LightColor Meter on September 10, 2026.

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