Short version: these aren't really rivals. FilmMeter is a light meter with logging attached; Film Logbook is a logbook with no meter at all. If you need metering, get FilmMeter — it's free. If you need to find out what you shot on a roll from last spring, that's a different job.
Most "vs" pages exist because two products overlap. This one exists because people searching for a film app often can't tell which of the two problems they have. So: metering is a before problem — the light is changing, you need a shutter speed. Logging is an after problem — the negatives are back, and frame 14 is beautiful and you have no idea what you did. Different problems, different apps, and no shame in installing both.
Pricing
Free tier covers two active rolls indefinitely. Pro lifts the limit and adds PDF export and custom icons. No subscription.
View App Store listing ↗There's no pricing argument to make here. If metering is what you need, the cost of finding out is nothing.
View App Store listing ↗Which one fits you
Choose Film Logbook if…
- Your cameras meter fine, or you carry a handheld, and the gap is the record.
- You want rolls and frames as the structure, not readings.
- You want the archive synced through iCloud and searchable years later.
- You want a reference image and tags attached per frame.
- You log double exposures and need both layers recorded.
- You want a printable PDF of a roll to sit beside your scans.
Choose FilmMeter if…
- You shoot fully mechanical cameras with no working meter — this is its whole reason to exist.
- You want spot and average metering off the iPhone camera.
- You do long exposures and want reciprocity failure calculated for you.
- You use ND filters and want the compensation worked out.
- You want an exposure timer, with Dynamic Island support for long ones.
- You want LiDAR-assisted distance for hyperfocal and zone focusing.
The real difference
FilmMeter is organised around the reading. You point the phone, it gives you an exposure, and it keeps what it calculated — parameters, location, the lot — which you can pull out as CSV. That's a genuine record, and for someone shooting a meterless Barnack or a large-format field camera, the reciprocity and ND maths alone justify the install. It is very good at the moment before the shutter.
Film Logbook is organised around the roll. A roll belongs to a camera, holds a known number of frames, moves from loaded to shot to developed, and each frame carries settings, a note, a tag, a location, a reference image. The value shows up months later, when you can ask which stock and which lens produced the look you're chasing — and it's still there because it synced to your iCloud rather than living in one export file.
Neither app does the other's job well, and neither is trying to. The only real mistake is installing a meter when what you wanted was a memory, or vice versa.
Side by side
| Film Logbook | FilmMeter | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary job | Recording rolls and frames | Metering the scene |
| Price | Free tier + €5.99 one-time | Free, no subscription |
| Light meter | Not included | Spot and average, off the camera |
| Reciprocity | Not calculated | Yes |
| ND filter maths | Not calculated | Yes, across a wide ND range |
| Exposure timer | Not included | Yes, with Dynamic Island |
| LiDAR ranging | Not included | Yes |
| Roll and frame structure | Core to the app | Logs readings; see listing for roll handling |
| Reference image per frame | Yes | See their listing |
| Double exposures | Recorded as a first-class case | See their listing |
| Sync | Automatic via your own iCloud | See their listing |
| Export | JSON, and PDF with Pro | CSV of logged readings |
| Best fit | Knowing what you shot, later | Knowing what to set, now |
Bottom line
If your cameras don't meter, install FilmMeter today — it's free, and it solves a problem no logbook can touch. Then ask separately whether you also want a record that survives the roll. If you do, Film Logbook's free tier costs nothing to try, and the two sit happily on the same home screen: meter in one, log in the other, and the notes are waiting when the scans come back.
Questions
Do I need both?
Plenty of people run both, because they solve different halves of the same moment. If you already have a meter you trust, you probably only need the logbook.
Is FilmMeter free?
It's listed as free with no subscription, and works offline. Check its listing for current terms.
Does Film Logbook meter light?
No. It records the exposure you chose; it doesn't measure the scene.
Does FilmMeter replace a logbook?
Partly — it keeps readings with their parameters and exports CSV. But it's organised around readings rather than rolls and frames, so it covers less of the roll-tracking job.
Meter with anything. Log it here.
Two active rolls free, forever. iPhone, iOS 15 or later.
Get Film LogbookOther comparisons
FilmMeter is a product of its respective owner and is not affiliated with Film Logbook. Details above were checked in August 2026 against the public App Store listing; check it for current pricing and features.