Comparison

Active+ Mobile vs Helvar ActiveAhead

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Active+ Mobile

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This app is for adjusting settings in the Helvar Active+ lighting solution. To use this app, you must have an approved smartphone running iOS equipped with an LED flash, a luminaire fitted with an Active+ LED driver, and the Active+ Sense sensor. Settings that can be adjusted are: - Lights on and Power Save light levels - Occupancy time-outs - Fade times - Transition time-outs - Daylight dimming ranges - Bright-out functionality The app uses the smartphone’s LED flash to send data to the Active+ driver via the Active+ Sense light sensor. The smartphone must be within 70cm of the Active+ Sense sensor with the flash pointing directly at the sensor. Do not point any other light sources at the sensor while adjusting the settings. The luminaire light source LED will flash once when the settings have been received and stored. WARNING: This app uses high frequency LED light flashes. Notice: Active+ application is designed to work with a wide range of devices but may not be fully compatible with all phone models due to variations in hardware and software

About

Helvar ActiveAhead

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Helvar ActiveAhead app allows you to configure and adjust the truly intelligent wireless lighting solution ActiveAhead Generation 2. To use this application you must have a supported mobile device equipped with Bluetooth. With this app you can perform adjustments; such as, grouping, parameter changes and wall panel configuration, to the self-learning ActiveAhead Generation 2 system. To configure a wireless wall panel, mobile device must be equipped with NFC.

Screenshots

Active+ Mobile3 screens
Helvar ActiveAhead4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Helvar ActiveAhead at every 3 months against Active+ Mobile's every 14 months. Active+ Mobile's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.4). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Active+ Mobile ships an update every 14 months, Helvar ActiveAhead every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
Active+ Mobile versus Helvar ActiveAhead: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterActive+ MobileHelvar ActiveAhead
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 14 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS11.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHelvar Components Oy AbHelvar Ltd.

In-app purchases

None

Active+ Mobile

No in-app purchases

None

Helvar ActiveAhead

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Active+ Mobile free?
Active+ Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Helvar ActiveAhead free?
Helvar ActiveAhead is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Active+ Mobile or Helvar ActiveAhead have ads?
Neither Active+ Mobile nor Helvar ActiveAhead shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Active+ Mobile or Helvar ActiveAhead?
Active+ Mobile ships an update every 14 months, and Helvar ActiveAhead every 3 months. Most recently, Active+ Mobile was updated on September 10, 2026 and Helvar ActiveAhead on September 8, 2026.

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