Vibrio | DMX Lighting Control vs Light Captain
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Vibrio | DMX Lighting Control
Control DMX lighting for your venue or show with this intuitive iPad application. It connects wirelessly to lights using Art-Net protocol and offers features from high-end consoles in a beginner-friendly interface. Manage shows, create scenes, and layer effects for dynamic lighting designs.
- Manage Shows
- Fixture Library
- Effects Editor
- Scene & Stack Creator
- Layer Multiple Scenes
- Master Dimmer & Timing
- Tap Tempo BPM
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Vibrio is a revolutionary DMX lighting control software for the iPad. One intuitive solution to handle lighting for your venue or show. It connects to the lights wirelessly using an ethernet-to-DMX converter and the Art-Net protocol. We believe Vibrio bridges the gap between lighting programmers and designers by having a simple interface that even beginners can learn quickly. When designing Vibrio, we took the best features of high-end lighting consoles and brought them to the iPad. Features: - Manage Shows - Fixture Library - Effects Editor - Scene & Stack Creator - Layer Multiple Scenes Simultaneously - Master Dimmer & Timing - Tap Tempo BPM - Universe Visualizer - Midi Support - Safe Mode - Supports 1 Output Universe (512 addresses) The app gives the user 16 DMX addresses free, with In-App Purchases upgrades for 512 addresses. Required for Use: An Ethernet-to-DMX converter, router, and DMX lighting fixtures. For more information, visit our website at www.vibriolighting.com In-App Subscription Info: Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current billing period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription at any time in your Apple ID account settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial, if offered, will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. For more information, please review our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Support: support@toastmobile.com Privacy Policy & Terms: http://www.toastmobile.com/vibrio-privacy-policy/ EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Light Captain
Control DMX lighting systems for parties, concerts, and theater. Suitable for beginners and professionals, it offers intuitive scene creation, advanced programming, and fixture libraries. Requires a specific interface for operation.
- DMX lighting control
- Scene and chase programming
- Music synchronization
- Fixture library
- Password-protected mode
- Color and effect control
- Moving light control
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This lighting control app for DMX devices leaves nothing to be desired: it is just as suitable for party use as for concert or theater performance. The app is aimed at both beginners, who are taking their first DMX steps, and demanding users. Therefore, the app is very clearly and logically structured, so that even inexperienced users can quickly find their way around. At the same time, Light Captain offers many solutions that also make the work of professionals easier and enable more complex lighting situations. The app is suitable for all types of spotlights: White light spotlights, colorful LED spotlights, compact lighting systems of all kinds, lighting effects, or moving lights. Even the DMX protocols of show lasers or multi-effects can be mapped. To operate the app as a lighting controller, the Eurolite freeDMX interface is required. For beginners and professionals: In the first section (Chases), users who want to use different lighting scenes and chases for parties or concerts will feel most comfortable. Chases can be controlled either by adjusting the speed or by music control. Advanced users will prefer the second section, which also allows individual programming of cues and scenes with individual fade times. A password-protected mode allows operators to recall and adjust lights only, but not change programs or shows. Light Captain is therefore also suitable for installations and clubs where the lights are pre-programmed and need to be operated by different people without sources of error. Programming: A large and constantly growing library of fixtures already offers many models pre-programmed. Creating other fixtures is just as easy. For professional requirements, values can also be restricted or default values assigned and the individual positions of the color and gobo wheels can be defined. "Lamp on/off" commands for discharge lamps are also easy to assign and recall later. Control: Light Captain can inherently control four color segments on each fixture, each with up to 8 basic colors. No matter if KLS system, LED bar with 4 segments, or wash light with four rings, everything can be easily created and adjusted. For color effects, there is a separate effect section with 6 pre-programmed effects, which can also be modified in the expansion stages. For moving lights, there is a 16bit capable control. In addition to positioning, there is an effects unit that can be used to create motion effects quickly and effectively. Another control level is used to adjust gobos, prisms, zoom, focus, etc. Eight Freepatch controls can be freely assigned. Even complex multi-effects or show lasers can be sensibly created here. Frequently used settings can be stored on pre-cues and called up again and again. There are 15 general memory locations, 15 memory locations that store color values, and 15 memory locations that store position values. Theater mode (only available in the Full version) allows you to control your lights in programmed shows and performances. It allows you to save scenes in a specific order and then have them play during the performance.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Light Captain at free against Vibrio | DMX Lighting Control's free with in-app purchases. Vibrio | DMX Lighting Control's advantage is review sentiment (67% vs 44%) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Vibrio | DMX Lighting Control sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $44.99 per year and Light Captain sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Vibrio | DMX Lighting Control ships an update every 4 weeks, Light Captain every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Vibrio | DMX Lighting Control | Light Captain |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (109 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better | 43.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 109 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 14.3 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 33 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Toast - Apps and Software LLC | Steinigke Showtechnic GmbH |
Customer experience
Vibrio | DMX Lighting Control
Light Captain
In-app purchases
Vibrio | DMX Lighting Control
- Vibrio Pro7 Days trial$44.991 Year
- 256 Address$44.99
- 512 Address (Reduced)$69.99
- 512 Address$89.99
Light Captain
- Basic Light Captain$22.99
- Upgrade Light Captain$22.99
- Full Version Light Captain$44.99
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- ArtNet - Add On$89.99
Questions
Is Vibrio | DMX Lighting Control free?
Is Light Captain free?
Do Vibrio | DMX Lighting Control or Light Captain have ads?
Which is updated more often, Vibrio | DMX Lighting Control or Light Captain?
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