Short version: Rollio's built-in meter is the reason to pick it — measure the scene, drop the reading straight into the frame, no app switching. Film Logbook's reason is continuity: a free tier to start, iCloud sync so a new phone doesn't cost you the archive. Neither is a subscription.
Refreshingly, this isn't a pricing argument. Rollio is a modest one-time purchase with optional tip jars; Film Logbook is free up to two rolls with a one-time unlock after that. Nobody is renting you anything. The interesting differences are what's in the app and where the data lives.
Pricing
Start free and stay free if two rolls at a time is enough. Pro lifts the limit and adds PDF export and custom icons.
View App Store listing ↗No subscription and no free tier — you buy it up front. The in-app purchases listed are voluntary support, not feature gates.
View App Store listing ↗Which one fits you
Choose Film Logbook if…
- You want your rolls to survive a lost or replaced phone, via iCloud sync.
- You'd rather try before buying — two active rolls, free, no time limit.
- You want a reference image attached to each frame.
- You log double exposures and want both layers recorded.
- You shoot large format as well as 35mm and 120.
- You want JSON export, or a printable PDF of a roll.
Choose Rollio if…
- You want a light meter in the same app as the log — its standout feature.
- You want readings transferred into a frame without switching apps.
- You prefer data that never leaves the device, as a matter of principle.
- You want the log on an iPad, an Apple Silicon Mac or Vision Pro.
- You like setting an expected frame count per roll and working down it.
- You want to pay once up front with no free-tier limits to think about.
The real difference
Rollio's "no logins, no cloud" stance deserves to be taken at face value rather than treated as a gap. Plenty of photographers genuinely want a tool that holds their data and nothing else — no account, no server, no sync conflicts, nothing to breach. If that's your instinct, Rollio is built for it, and the built-in meter makes it a properly self-contained kit.
Film Logbook lands in a slightly different place on the same instinct. There's no account here either, and no server of ours holds your rolls — but the log does sync, through your iCloud, which means the archive outlives the handset. The trade is that you're trusting Apple's sync, which Rollio deliberately doesn't do. It's a real trade-off, not a free win: the upside is that replacing a phone doesn't cost you five years of rolls.
The other honest gap runs the other way. Film Logbook has no light meter and no plans to become one. If metering in-app is what you want, that's not a small preference — it's most of the reason Rollio exists.
Side by side
| Film Logbook | Rollio | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | iPhone (iOS 15+) | iPhone, iPad, Apple Silicon Mac, Vision Pro |
| Pricing model | Free tier + €5.99 one-time | Paid download, optional tips |
| Free tier | Two active rolls, no time limit | None — paid up front |
| Account required | No | No |
| Sync | Automatic via your own iCloud | None, by design — device-local |
| Light meter | Not included | Built in, feeds readings into frames |
| Reference image per frame | Yes | See their listing |
| Double exposures | Recorded as a first-class case | See their listing |
| Push/pull notation | Yes | Yes |
| Location | Optional automatic GPS | See their listing |
| Formats | 35mm through large format | See their listing |
| Export | JSON, and PDF with Pro | Not documented publicly |
| Best fit | A log that outlives the phone | A self-contained meter and log |
Bottom line
Buy Rollio if you want one app that meters and logs, or if you want your data to stay on the device on principle — both are good reasons, and it's inexpensive enough that a mistake costs you very little. Choose Film Logbook if the thing you'd most regret is losing the archive: sync through your own iCloud, a free tier to start, and export that gets your data out whenever you want it. If you already own a meter, the case for Rollio gets noticeably thinner.
Questions
Does Rollio sync between devices?
By design, no — it states no logins and no cloud. That's a privacy stance, not an oversight, but it does mean a lost phone takes the log with it unless you have a device backup.
Does Film Logbook include a light meter?
No. That's a genuine advantage for Rollio, not something to talk around.
Can I try either for free?
Film Logbook, yes — two active rolls, no time limit. Rollio is a paid download, so trying it means buying it.
Which runs on a Mac or iPad?
Rollio. Film Logbook is iPhone-only.
Two rolls free. Then €5.99, once.
Synced to your own iCloud, so a new phone doesn't cost you the archive.
Get Film LogbookOther comparisons
Rollio 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.