Lghtmtr vs Zone Tool
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Lghtmtr
This app provides a minimalist light meter to help users determine ideal exposure settings for photography. It visually demonstrates the relationship between ISO, aperture, and shutter speed, making it intuitive for learning photographers.
- Minimalist light meter
- Intuitive exposure settings
- Visual feedback
- Adjustable ISO, aperture, shutter speed
- Camera profile customization
- Scene reference with readings
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Lghtmtr is a beautifully simple light meter that helps you find — and understand — the ideal exposure settings for a scene. Built for film photographers and anyone learning the craft, it makes the relationship between ISO, aperture, and shutter speed feel intuitive and the visual feedback helps reinforce the connection between them. Take a reading, get your settings, and start exploring. Adjust one value and the others respond instantly. Lock settings to experiment and see how each change affects your exposure. You can easily add camera profiles to the app to limit the possible values to what's most relevant to your camera and lens combination. With a visual reference of the scene behind every reading, Lghtmtr helps you shoot with clarity and confidence.
Zone Tool
Calculate photographic exposure and development adjustments using zone system theory. Measure shadows and highlights, input film ISO and desired shutter speed to determine aperture and development time modifications.
- Zone system exposure calculation
- Shadow and highlight measurement
- Film ISO input
- Shutter speed adjustment
- Development time calculation
- Aperture determination
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With this tool you can calculate your exposure and needed adjustment for development. It uses zone system theory originally invented by Ansel Adams and Fred Archer. First decide zone of your shadows and measure the shadows. Then device highlight zone and measure the highlights. Measure these with the film ISO you are going to use. You also need to decide shutter speed in beforehand. The app calculates exposure aperture for you and also tells if you need to shorten (N+..) or expand (N-..) your development time. You will get best results with a spot light meter but mobile apps will probably do fine.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Lghtmtr at Free against Zone Tool's $0.99. Lghtmtr also leads on rating (4.5 vs 2.8) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 38 months). Zone Tool's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (100% vs 80%). On 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
Lghtmtr is free to download; Zone Tool costs $0.99 up front. Lghtmtr sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Zone Tool asks for nothing beyond the download.
Lghtmtr holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lghtmtr has 129 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 80% of Lghtmtr's written reviews are positive against 100% of Zone Tool's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Lghtmtr ships an update every 4 months, Zone Tool every 38 months. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Lghtmtr | Zone Tool |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 4.5 (129 ratings) — better | 2.8 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 79.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 129 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 38 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | 12.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 25 MB | 0 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Alexander Jacque | Jouni Erola |
Customer experience
Lghtmtr
Zone Tool
In-app purchases
Lghtmtr
- Coffee tip$4.99
Zone Tool
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Lghtmtr free?
Is Zone Tool free?
Which has better reviews, Lghtmtr or Zone Tool?
Do Lghtmtr or Zone Tool have ads?
Which is updated more often, Lghtmtr or Zone Tool?
Other comparisons
