Photone - Grow Light Meter

In-app purchases
11.1K reviews
Content rating
PEGI 3
500K+
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Content rating
PEGI 3
In-App Purchases
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About this app

Turn your phone or tablet into a PAR meter. Measure PPFD, DLI, lux, foot-candles, and color temperature (kelvin) to give your plants exactly the light they need. Trusted by millions of growers, Photone is the only accurate plant light meter app.

How much light do your plants really get? Are your lamps hung too high, dimmed too low, or on for too long? Whether you grow houseplants or use a grow tent, greenhouse, hydroponics system, or aquarium, Photone answers these questions and more.

Photone is more than just a PAR meter: it gives you the tools and guidance to understand the numbers.

MEASUREMENTS

⎷ Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) as PPFD in µmol/m²/s
⎷ Daily Light Integral (DLI) in mol/m²/d
⎷ Illuminance in lux or foot-candles
⎷ Correlated color temperature (CCT) in kelvin
⎷ Extended PAR (ePAR) including far-red light (ePPFD, eDLI) *

FEATURES

⎷ Industry-leading accuracy
⎷ Heatmaps — Create PAR, PPFD, DLI, and lux maps and export them as images
⎷ Logging — Track measurements over time as an interactive chart, Auto-Log sessions, and export or import them
⎷ Projected DLI — Get the daily light your plants receive instantly by entering how long your lamps are on ← perfect for grow lights
⎷ Actual DLI — Leave your device in place and use Auto-Log to sum up the light throughout the day ← perfect for sunlight
⎷ In-app guides
⎷ Light calculators and recommendations
⎷ Excellent low light sensitivity to detect light pollution for plants
⎷ Custom calibration option to align readings to another meter
⎷ No Bluetooth and location permission required
⎷ No ads
⎷ All grow light sources supported (Natural sunlight, LEDs, HPS, MH, etc.) *
⎷ Average and peak readings *
⎷ Hands-free "read aloud" function *
⎷ Special underwater measurement mode *
⎷ Pro support by real human experts *

* These features require an in-app purchase to fully unlock

HOW ACCURATE IS PHOTONE?

Photone matches the accuracy of professional handheld PAR quantum sensors costing hundreds of dollars. Here's how:

⎷ RAW sensor data — capture true light intensity using the camera, the most precise sensor in your device **
⎷ Pre-calibrated per device model **
⎷ Developed according to the ISO/CIE 19476 standard for light measurement
⎷ Continuously tested — we regularly calibrate and test on new devices

DIFFUSER REQUIRED

Like every real light meter, Photone requires a diffuser to measure accurately **. A diffuser scatters incoming light evenly on the sensor and prevents hotspots. While it may sound complex, the solution is surprisingly easy. You have two options:

1) Easily build a diffuser yourself in less than a minute using standard printer paper. This is accurate enough for most use cases.

2) Get the dedicated Diffuser Accessory (free worldwide shipping) for best accuracy and convenience. Details: https://lightray.io/diffuser/

** ENHANCED LIGHT MEASUREMENTS WITH THE CAMERA
Accurate camera measurements require a default calibration, available only for popular devices. Supported devices: https://lightray.io/diffuser/compatibility/

On other devices, Photone falls back to the built-in ambient light sensor (ALS). It works without a diffuser, but is far less accurate and reliable than the camera. Learn more: https://growlightmeter.com/guides/different-light-intensity-sensors/

UPGRADE OPTIONS

Photone is free to download and use, with no ads or hidden costs. To unleash its full potential, it offers two types of upgrades:
→ Lifetime unlocks — one-time purchase, always restorable via your Google Account
→ Pro subscription — full access for as long as you subscribe, cancel anytime

Photone took 7+ years of R&D to develop. Upgrading unlocks powerful features and keeps the app ad-free for everyone. As a member of 1% for the Planet, we donate at least 1% of all revenue to environmental non-profits — so every purchase helps both your plants and the planet.

Terms and Conditions: https://growlightmeter.com/terms/
Privacy Policy: https://growlightmeter.com/privacy/
Turn your device into an accurate light meter — for plants (PAR/PPFD/DLI) & more
Updated on
Sep 10, 2026

Data safety

Safety starts with understanding how developers collect and share your data. Data privacy and security practices may vary based on your use, region, and age. The developer provided this information and may update it over time.
  • No data shared with third parties
    Learn more about how developers declare sharing
  • This app may collect these data types
    App activity, App info and performance, and Device or other IDs
  • Data is encrypted in transit
  • You can request that data be deleted

Ratings and reviews

11K reviews
An Deroid
June 18, 2026
Now paywalled, how disappointing. Response: Agreed, it should never be advised to sideload from untrusted sources. +2 stars for the valid reply. 1 star was unfair, I was annoyed at the time 😓. The app is good and I get it, it's your app, if you need to charge for it because it is operating at a loss, then that is fair, also your prerogative. However, the full price is as much as a dedicated low-mid range PAR meter, one may as well buy actual hardware instead of an app for the price IMO.
6 people found this review helpful
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Lightray Innovation GmbH
June 18, 2026
Feedback always welcome → growlightmeter.com/pricing Dennis – Developer of Photone Update: thx for your inputs. In my point, Photone Pro is way superior to a mid-range China PAR meter -> same/better accuracy/sensitivity, more features, lifetime updates, etc. But of course I'm biased 😉 Have a nice day
Damien Roberts
August 24, 2026
I finally bought an inexpensive grow light. I downloaded this app to see if it could help me ensure that seedlings weren't being starved or fried with light. Outside at 10 am sunlight came in at 1500 par. inside under grow light 900 par at canopy. I dimmed the light to 500. I couldn't have understood what I was dealing with without this app. It is quick and easy to set up and use. It doesn't share info with third parties. everything you need, nothing you don't.
10 people found this review helpful
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Lightray Innovation GmbH
August 25, 2026
Hi Damian, Thank you very much for this review! This is exactly why built Photone for — no starving, no frying 🌱 "everything you need, nothing you don't" may be the best summary of our design goal we have ever read 😃 This keeps us working on the product to make it even better. All the best, Dominik and the Photone team
Lloyd Powell
September 11, 2026
Works great for my needs. How accurate it is for absolute measurements, who knows. It's great for consistent comparisons. The payments that heaps of people are complaining about - it's not that expensive! Why shouldn't the developer make something out of it? I'd rather pay a little and not see annoying ads.
3 people found this review helpful
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Lightray Innovation GmbH
September 11, 2026
Hi Lloyd Thanks for the 5🌟! And thanks for the fair take on the price — that’s exactly the idea: no ads, ever, and the unlocks are what fund the development. On absolute accuracy: with the right light source selected, Photone is validated against LI-COR and Apogee reference meters, so the absolute numbers hold up too Dennis and the Photone team

What’s new

This update ships minor fixes and improvements