What it does
Sunlitt is a sophisticated tool for visualizing the sun's position and path at any location, on any date. Designed for photographers, filmmakers, architects, and solar enthusiasts, it provides precise data on sunrise, sunset, golden hour, and twilight times. The app's core strength lies in its ability to show how light and shadows will fall using dynamic visuals, an augmented reality (AR) mode, and 3D map overlays.
Where it shines
Sunlitt excels by transforming complex solar data into an intuitive, tactile experience. The main interface (00:15) isn't a collection of menus but a single, interactive canvas where dragging a finger moves the sun through its daily arc, dynamically changing the background color and a central monolith's shadow. This gestural control is both beautiful and functional. Another highlight is the detailed information panel (01:26), which presents a clean, scannable list of every solar event, making it easy to plan activities around specific lighting conditions.
UX highlights
- Gestural Control: The primary interaction involves dragging to scrub through time. This makes exploring the sun's path feel fluid and engaging, replacing tedious data entry.
- Dynamic Feedback: The entire UI responds to the selected time. The background color shifts from deep blue for night to bright yellow for midday (03:42), providing instant visual context.
- Deep Customization: Users can tailor the experience extensively. The settings allow for granular notification controls for events like 'Golden Hour' (01:53) and even offer a wide array of alternative app icons (02:25).
- Multiple Visualization Modes: The app caters to different needs with its Monolith view, a compass mode (04:07), an AR overlay, and multiple 3D map styles (04:48), including satellite and terrain views.
- Contextual Permissions: The app asks for camera access only when the user taps the AR button (02:56), explaining the need at the exact moment of intent.
Monetization & growth
Sunlitt employs a direct and confident monetization strategy. After a brief interactive demo, it presents a paywall (00:28) that gates further use. The paywall itself is a strong piece of design, featuring a clear list of pro benefits and building trust with impressive social proof like 'Apple Design Awards' and a '4.8' star rating. It offers standard monthly and yearly subscriptions, with the yearly plan marked as 'Best Value'. Notably, it also includes a one-time lifetime purchase option (00:36), appealing to power users who prefer to avoid recurring fees.
Who it’s for
This app is built for professionals and serious hobbyists who depend on understanding natural light. This includes landscape and portrait photographers planning shoots around the 'golden hour,' filmmakers and cinematographers scouting locations, and architects analyzing how shadows will interact with buildings. The level of detail and multiple visualization tools suggest a user who values precision and is willing to pay for a high-quality utility.
Notes & opportunities
While the interactive UI is powerful, its minimalism might require a slight learning curve for users expecting traditional menus. The detailed information screen (01:26) is comprehensive but could benefit from collapsable sections to reduce initial cognitive load. Finally, the app prompts for a rating relatively early in the post-purchase experience (01:11), which could be delayed to allow users more time to explore the full feature set and form a stronger opinion.