# LightShow®SmartLights vs ChristmasPrism

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ChristmasPrism at 78% against LightShow®SmartLights's 23%. ChristmasPrism also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.0) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months). LightShow®SmartLights's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 14.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ChristmasPrism sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. LightShow®SmartLights asks for nothing beyond the download.

ChristmasPrism holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ChristmasPrism has 5.4K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 23% of LightShow®SmartLights's written reviews are positive against 78% of ChristmasPrism's.

LightShow®SmartLights ships an update every 2 months, ChristmasPrism every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | LightShow®SmartLights | ChristmasPrism |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightshowsmartlights/id1115496422/reviews) | **[4.8 (5.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/christmasprism/id1540103741/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 4 | **5.4K** |
| Positive reviews | 23.1% of reviews | **77.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 14 MB | 104 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Gemmy Industries Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/889851671) | [Michael Kane](https://appshunter.io/developer/677284939) |

## What reviewers say

### LightShow®SmartLights

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightshowsmartlights/id1115496422)

Control your holiday light displays directly from your smartphone. This app allows you to customize effects, colors, and themes for your lighting products, making holiday decorating easy and personalized.

**Highlights:** Smartphone control, Dozens of effects and colors, Multiple holiday themes, Customizable lighting options, Easy setup and management

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### ChristmasPrism

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/christmasprism/id1540103741)

Discover enchanting Christmas light displays in your neighborhood and beyond. Plan your festive tours with an interactive map and community updates. Share your own decorations, gain inspiration, and participate in contests to celebrate the holiday spirit.

**Highlights:** Discover Christmas light displays, Interactive map for light finding, Plan holiday light tours, Share home light displays, Vote on favorite displays, Enter and create contests

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ChristmasPrism Pro | $8.99 | per month |
| Yearly Pro | $49.99 | per year |
| 100 Coins | $1.99 | one-time |
| 300 Coins | $2.99 | one-time |
| Buy the Creator a Coffee | $2.99 | one-time |
| 1000 Coins | $3.99 | one-time |
| 2500 Coins | $9.99 | one-time |
| 5000 Coins | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Excellent light show
- 🎄 Brings Christmas spirit
- 🗺️ Helpful for finding light displays
- 🤩 Amazing and genius idea
- 🙌 Wonderful and exciting app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Map freezes after opening a house
- 🔍 Can't use without enabling location services
- 🤖 Keeps asking to rate the app after each house
- 🗺️ Can't find own location on map

**Reported bugs**

- House not showing up on the map
- No response from support for reported issues

**Requested features**

- Add support for other holidays like Halloween
- Allow updating house picture and caption
- Add ability to easily reset map orientation
- Implement a favorites feature
- Integrate current location on map


## Frequently asked questions

### Is LightShow®SmartLights free?

LightShow®SmartLights is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ChristmasPrism free?

ChristmasPrism is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, LightShow®SmartLights or ChristmasPrism?

ChristmasPrism is rated higher. LightShow®SmartLights averages 2.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while ChristmasPrism averages 4.8 from 5.4K ratings.

### Do LightShow®SmartLights or ChristmasPrism have ads?

Neither LightShow®SmartLights nor ChristmasPrism shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, LightShow®SmartLights or ChristmasPrism?

LightShow®SmartLights ships an update every 2 months, and ChristmasPrism every 6 days. Most recently, LightShow®SmartLights was updated on November 9, 2026 and ChristmasPrism on November 7, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*