Comparison

LightBox Extra vs FilmBox by Photomyne

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

Head to head
About

LightBox Extra

Easily view 35mm negatives and slides on your iOS device. Customize the background for optimal viewing and the app remembers your preferred settings.

Highlights
  • View 35mm negatives and slides
  • Customizable white background
  • Background adjusts to negative/slide area
  • Resizes for all iOS7 devices
  • Remembers custom box sizes
Features
Read full description

Use LightBox Extra to easily view 35mm negatives and slides. You can choose between a classic white background, or only have white where you place the negative/positive to avoid blinding yourself. Resizes itself to work on all iOS7 devices. You can resize the white boxes as needed, and next time you launch the app it will restore those.

About

FilmBox by Photomyne

Transform old film negatives into digital photos with this AI-powered scanner app. Simply use a backlight source and your phone's camera to reveal and scan hidden memories. The app automatically inverts colors and enhances images for optimal results.

Highlights
  • AI-powered negative scanning
  • Automatic color inversion
  • Image enhancement
  • Voice control for capture
  • Unlimited scanning (premium)
  • Photo backup and sharing (premium)
Features
Read full description

Brought to you by the developer who built the smartest photo scanner app, Photomyne is proud to now offer an AI-powered negative film scanner app that will blow you away. See how those hidden negative memories are instantly revealed and scanned. IT’S AUTOMATIC - JUST ADD CAMERA FILM NEGATIVES: 1. Open a backlight source on your computer (or use the link provided in the app) 2. Hold the film strip vertically in front of the light 3. Long-press the capture button or simply say “Go” (if voice control is enabled) 4. See negatives magically scanned and images revealed The app’s scanning algorithm automatically inverts colors and enhances the image so you get the best possible scans of your old film negatives. OPTIONAL IN-APP UPGRADE: The first few photos are free. For unlimited use, consider purchasing an optional paid plan (in-app purchase). Here are the premium features you get with a paid plan: * Unlimited scanning * Unlimited photo saving and sharing * Photo backup and access on other devices and online. The app offers an optional paid plan via monthly/yearly auto-renewing subscriptions**, as well as a One-Time plan which is paid for by a single upfront payment (valid for 2 years). These offer unlimited access to the premium mentioned above. **Payment will be charged to your App Store account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription will automatically renew itself unless auto-renewal is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Account Settings in the App Store. If offered, if you choose to use our free trial, any unused portion of the free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Got any questions? We’d love to connect: support@photomyne.com Privacy Policy: https://photomyne.com/privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://photomyne.com/terms-of-use

Screenshots

LightBox Extra4 screens
FilmBox by Photomyne4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: FilmBox by Photomyne at 4.4 against LightBox Extra's 2.3. FilmBox by Photomyne also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 13 months) and ratings volume (6.2K vs 19). LightBox Extra's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. LightBox Extra sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and FilmBox by Photomyne sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

FilmBox by Photomyne holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FilmBox by Photomyne has 6.2K ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 28% of LightBox Extra's written reviews are positive against 45% of FilmBox by Photomyne's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LightBox Extra ships an update every 13 months, FilmBox by Photomyne every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
LightBox Extra versus FilmBox by Photomyne: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLightBox ExtraFilmBox by Photomyne
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.3 (19 ratings)4.4 (6.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews27.8% of reviews45.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings196.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 13 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS8.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB158 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperSkyCharts LLCPhotomyne LTD

Customer experience

LightBox Extra

All ratings19 ratings
Positive36.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative63.2%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive27.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative72.2%

FilmBox by Photomyne

All ratings6,192 ratings
Positive83.8%
Neutral4.7%
Negative11.5%
Written reviews946 reviews
Positive45.3%
Neutral6.2%
Negative48.4%

Bugs and requests

LightBox Extra

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

FilmBox by Photomyne

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent crashes and freezes
  • Inability to scan more than a few photos without subscribing
  • Inconsistent performance with different lighting setups
  • Distortion and blurriness in scanned images

Requested features

4 requests
  • Option to disable auto-cropping
  • Better color correction and enhancement tools
  • Support for more negative sizes and formats
  • Ability to save scans without a subscription

In-app purchases

1 purchases

LightBox Extra

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$0.99
9 purchases

FilmBox by Photomyne

Subscriptions4
  • Unlimited (Monthly)2 variants$7.991 Month
  • Unlimited (Monthly)$9.991 Month
  • Unlimited (Yearly)3 Days trial$29.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Unlimited (Yearly)3 Days trial2 variants$39.991 Year
One-time5
  • Remove announcements$0.99
  • FilmBox membership$19.99
  • Unlimited scanning (2 years)$29.99
Show 2 more
  • Unlimited scanning (2 years)$39.99
  • Unlimited scanning (2 years)$49.99

Questions

Is LightBox Extra free?
LightBox Extra is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is FilmBox by Photomyne free?
FilmBox by Photomyne is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, LightBox Extra or FilmBox by Photomyne?
FilmBox by Photomyne is rated higher. LightBox Extra averages 2.3 out of 5 from 19 ratings, while FilmBox by Photomyne averages 4.4 from 6.2K ratings.
Do LightBox Extra or FilmBox by Photomyne have ads?
FilmBox by Photomyne shows ads; LightBox Extra does not.
Which is updated more often, LightBox Extra or FilmBox by Photomyne?
LightBox Extra ships an update every 13 months, and FilmBox by Photomyne every 2 months. Most recently, LightBox Extra was updated on October 23, 2026 and FilmBox by Photomyne on October 30, 2026.

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