Comparison

Make vs LightMake

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

Head to head
About

Make

Access a digital version of a popular magazine for DIY enthusiasts, hackers, and tinkerers. Explore full project tutorials, skill builders, maker profiles, and inspiration for electronics, 3D fabrication, woodworking, and more.

Highlights
  • Full project tutorials
  • Skill builders
  • Maker profiles and interviews
  • Detailed photos and diagrams
  • Project inspiration
  • Electronics, robots, 3D fabrication, woodworking
Read full description

Make: is the premiere magazine for makers who are DIY enthusiasts, hackers, and tinkerers. The Make: app is the digital magazine format of Make: magazine that you can take on the go, and enjoy on any smart device. It has everything you’ll find in the magazine’s pages and more. In each digital issue you’ll find: • Full project tutorials and skill builders, ranging from electronics and robots to 3D fabrication and woodworking • Maker profiles and interviews • Detailed photos and diagrams to help your builds • Project inspiration • And more! Make: magazine is published by Make: Community, a growing, global association of makers who are shaping the future of education and democratizing innovation. Through Make: magazine, 200+ annual Maker Faires, Make: books, and more, editors share the know-how of makers and promote the practice of making in schools, libraries, homes, and businesses. Subscriptions will auto-renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the current subscription ends. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during the active subscription period. You can turn off the auto-renewal any time within your iTunes account settings. Make: magazine is available under the following terms: A single issue for $8.75 (non-subscription). One-year subscription (four issues) for $25.00, automatically renewed until canceled. Payment for all purchases will be charged to your iTunes account at the confirmation of your purchase. Your digital subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your iTunes account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period for the digital subscription price, which is $25.00 per year or $8.75 quarterly. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user’s Account Settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication. Privacy policy and Terms of Use: https://make.co/terms-and-privacy-policy/#privacy-policy Support: http://makezine.com/ipadhelp/

About

LightMake

Manage your 3D printers remotely from your iPhone. Monitor print progress in real-time, control print jobs, and view live camera feeds. Easily set up new devices and secure your account with email or Google sign-in.

Highlights
  • Real-time print monitoring
  • Remote print job control
  • Live camera feed viewing
  • Filament consumption tracking
  • QR code device setup
  • Local network device discovery
Features
Read full description

LightMake helps you manage your LightMake 3D printers from your iPhone—whether you're at home or on the go. MONITOR EVERY PRINT • See real-time print progress and remaining time • View device status at a glance: printing, idle, or offline • Track daily filament consumption REMOTE CONTROL • Pause, stop, and manage print jobs remotely • Watch live camera feeds from your printer • Open multiple camera views when supported EASY DEVICE SETUP • Bind printers quickly with QR code scanning • Discover devices on your local network • Bluetooth-assisted Wi‑Fi provisioning ACCOUNT & SECURITY • Sign in with email or Google • Clear privacy policy and user agreement on first launch LightMake is built for makers who want reliable remote access to their printers—less guesswork, more control.

Screenshots

Make4 screens
LightMake4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: LightMake at 100% against Make's 17%. LightMake also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 10). Make's advantage is ratings volume (25 vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.2 vs 15.1). On price, ads 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. Make sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 3 months. LightMake asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

LightMake holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Make has 25 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of Make's written reviews are positive against 100% of LightMake's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Make ships an update every 15 months, LightMake every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Make versus LightMake: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMakeLightMake
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.0 (25 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews16.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings25 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 15 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS12.2 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size97 MB87 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperMake Community, LLC贵 曾

Customer experience

Make

All ratings22 ratings
Positive27.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative72.7%
Written reviews113 reviews
Positive16.8%
Neutral5.3%
Negative77.9%

LightMake

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Make

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • App crashes on launch or during use
  • Login credentials not accepted despite working on website
  • Subscription not recognized after purchase
  • Issues fail to download or only show preview pages
  • App hangs during verification process
Show 9 more
  • Purchased content disappears from library
  • Login field clips last digit of account number
  • App incompatible with iOS updates
  • Restore Purchases function missing or non-functional
  • Latest issues not appearing in app despite availability online
  • Pages fail to load with infinite download loops
  • Authentication failures on specific devices
  • App won't recognize iTunes purchases
  • Subscription renewal not processed despite Apple charging account

Requested features

10 requests
  • Integration with native iOS Newsstand app
  • PDF download option from website
  • Restore Purchases button in app
  • Help and contact support within app
  • Better navigation between issues
Show 5 more
  • Offline reading without required downloads
  • Unsubscribe option in app
  • Better iPad Pro optimization
  • Password reset functionality
  • Account number display on app or subscription materials

LightMake

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Make

Subscriptions2
  • Make: Subscriptions_300_90$7.993 Months
  • Make: Subscriptions$25.991 Year
One-time8
  • Make: Ultimate Kit Guide$5.99
  • Ultimate Guide to 3D Printing 2014$6.99
  • Make: 36$7.99
Show 5 more
  • Make: 37$7.99
  • Make 38$7.99
  • Make 42: 3D Evolution$7.99
  • Make 44: Drone Racing$7.99
  • Make 49: Super Cheap Computers$7.99
None

LightMake

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Make free?
Make is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is LightMake free?
LightMake is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Make or LightMake?
LightMake is rated higher. Make averages 2.0 out of 5 from 25 ratings, while LightMake averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Make or LightMake have ads?
Neither Make nor LightMake shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Make or LightMake?
Make ships an update every 15 months, and LightMake every 10 days. Most recently, Make was updated on September 28, 2026 and LightMake on September 23, 2026.

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