HotSteamer vs Profoto Control
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HotSteamer
Easily add realistic steam effects to your coffee, tea, and food photos. Enhance your social media content with visually appealing, warm imagery in just seconds. The app uses fluid simulation for realistic steam that can be adjusted and repositioned.
- Realistic steam simulation
- Apply to camera preview or library photos
- Adjust steam intensity
- Reposition and resize steam
- Record video with steam effects
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Add realistic steam to coffee, tea, and food photos effortlessly. Create warm, eye-catching content for Instagram and social media in seconds. ◆Composites realistic steam — powered by fluid simulation — onto your camera preview or any photo from your library in real time. ◆ Pick a photo from your library to use as the background and layer steam on top. ◆ Adjust steam intensity with the slider. ◆ Swipe to reposition steam, pinch to resize it. ◆ Record video using iOS screen recording. Before purchasing the paid version, please try the free Lite version on your device first.
Profoto Control
Control Profoto Bluetooth-enabled lighting equipment remotely from your smartphone. Adjust settings with intuitive touch controls and ensure your gear is up-to-date with easy firmware updates.
- Smart remote control
- View and control Profoto Bluetooth products
- Touch, swipe, and tweak lighting
- Easy firmware updates
- Update Profoto Bluetooth products
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The Profoto Control app has been created for the modern, connected photographers that want to get the most out of their creative workflow – whether using a DSLR or Mirrorless camera. This is the Profoto experience at its best. Key features: SMART REMOTE CONTROL View and control all Profoto Bluetooth-enabled products from your smartphone screen. Touch, swipe and tweak until you get the light just right. EASY UPDATES The latest updates for Profoto Bluetooth-enabled products are now available at your fingertips. Update quickly from the app, so you are ready to shoot with the latest, improved firmware. Ultimately, this app lets you be as creative as you can be. LOOKING FOR PROFOTO CAMERA APP? Looking for a way to create images with your smartphone and Profoto lights? Search App Store for “Profoto Camera” and start using it! Please send your feedback and feature ideas to hello@profoto.com! Love, Profoto team.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Profoto Control at Free against HotSteamer's $4.99. Profoto Control also leads on review sentiment (38% vs 0%) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 19 months). HotSteamer's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Profoto Control is free to download; HotSteamer costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
HotSteamer ships an update every 19 months, Profoto Control every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on August 29, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HotSteamer | Profoto Control |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | — | 4.7 (896 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 38.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 896 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 19 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 80 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | KOJI HARA | Profoto |
Customer experience
HotSteamer
Profoto Control
Bugs and requests
HotSteamer
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Profoto Control
Reported bugs
4 issues- Unable to register equipment in the app
- App crashes on launch or when connecting to lights
- Firmware update process is unreliable
- Inconsistent exposure and zoom support
Requested features
4 requests- Add support for more Profoto light models
- Improve camera integration and functionality
- Implement independent light group control
- Provide localization in more languages
In-app purchases
HotSteamer
No in-app purchases
Profoto Control
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is HotSteamer free?
Is Profoto Control free?
Do HotSteamer or Profoto Control have ads?
Which is updated more often, HotSteamer or Profoto Control?
Other comparisons
