GoldCast · iPhone App
LightCast

Best Golden Hour App for iPhone

LightCast GoldCast scores cloud altitude, horizon clarity, and humidity into a single golden hour quality score — then sends a push alert when tonight looks worth going outside for.

Download GoldCast — iOS App Try free on web first →

iOS app: $2.99/mo · 7-day free trial · Cancel anytime

What GoldCast does differently

A Score, Not a Lookup

Most golden hour apps tell you when golden hour is. That's useful but incomplete — knowing the timing doesn't tell you whether the sky will actually deliver anything worth shooting. GoldCast combines timing with a weather-based quality score so both questions are answered at once.

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Exact Golden Hour Timing for Any Location
GoldCast calculates the precise golden hour start and end for any location and date — including blue hour timing separately. Duration varies significantly by season and latitude and GoldCast shows the exact window, not a rough approximation.
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Sunset Quality Score: 0–100
Cloud altitude, horizon clarity, and humidity scored together into a single number. Above 70 is a strong evening. Below 40, conditions are likely disappointing. The score updates daily so you always have a current read on tonight.
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Push Alerts When It Matters
Set your location and minimum score once. GoldCast monitors conditions daily and sends a push notification when the forecast looks exceptional — so your phone tells you when to go out rather than you checking manually every evening.
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Sunrise Too
GoldCast scores and times both sunrise and sunset golden hours. Sunrise tends to have calmer wind and cleaner air — GoldCast scores both so you can compare which window is stronger on any given day.
LightCast GoldCast
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GoldCast Push Alerts
Exclusive to the iOS app. Set your location and score threshold once — GoldCast handles the daily monitoring and alerts you when an exceptional golden hour is forecast at your saved locations.
Common Questions
What is the best golden hour app for iPhone?
LightCast GoldCast. It shows exact golden hour timing for any location and scores sunset quality using cloud altitude, horizon clarity, and humidity. Push alerts notify you when tonight looks exceptional. Free on web, alerts in the iOS app. $2.99/month after a 7-day free trial.
Is LightCast free?
The web version is completely free. The iOS app includes a 7-day free trial then $2.99/month. Push notifications and saved locations are iOS-only features.
Does GoldCast work for sunrise too?
Yes. GoldCast scores and times both sunrise and sunset golden hours for any location. Sunrise often has better conditions — calmer wind, cleaner air — and GoldCast scores both so you can decide which is worth setting the alarm for.
What else is in the LightCast app?
Six tools: GoldCast (golden hour), StarCast (night sky), DroneCast (drone flight), CloudCast (cloud conditions), FogCast (fog prediction), and TriCast (camera calculators). All six for $2.99/month after a 7-day free trial.
How accurate is the sunset quality score?
Most accurate within 6–12 hours of the event. Check in the afternoon for the most reliable same-day read. The score updates daily as the forecast model refreshes.
LightCast
Golden hour timing plus a quality score. One app.

Exact timing · 0–100 score · Push alerts · Sunrise and sunset
Saved locations · 7-day free trial

Download LightCast for iOS
or
Try GoldCast free on web →

$2.99/mo after 7-day free trial · Cancel anytime in App Store