Comparison

Photon vs Blackout v2 (Legacy)

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

Head to head
About

Photon

Control DMX lighting wirelessly for events, clubs, and theaters. Create sequences, synchronize lights to music with beat tracking, and manage fixtures with a user-friendly interface. Offers advanced features via in-app purchase.

Highlights
  • Wireless Art-Net/sACN DMX control
  • Multi-touch interface optimized for iPad
  • Light group management
  • Scene and animation creation
  • Beat tracker for music synchronization
  • Fixture database and creator
  • Sequencer with timeline editing
Features
Read full description

Photon, the next generation of professional user friendly DMX lighting console perfect for night­clubs, musicians, live events, filmmakers, theaters... Wireless (Art-Net or sACN through WIFI) and easy to use, Photon reinvents the way to control DMX devices with its single interface for all your lights. Indeed, combine multiple presets to a sequence and synchronize your lights to music. Our beat tracker listens and animates your devices to the rhythm of the music. Live events will have no more secret for you. Features of the free version: - Multi-touch interface designed and optimized for the iPad. ⁃ Light group management. Associate multiple lights together to perform similar controls (colors, positions, brightness ...). - Classic DMX console for sophisticated controls (gobos/fog/focus...) ⁃ Managing scenes. Create and play animations/effects on your lights. ⁃ Smart color manager. ⁃ Art-Net /sACN / DMX output channel analyzer. ⁃ Complete control of an Art-Net universe with 512 channels. ⁃ Art-Net in multicast or unicast. ⁃ sACN in multicast or unicast. ⁃ Database with hundreds of pre-configured devices (fixtures). - Fixture creator to configure your custom devices. Features of the in-app purchase: ⁃ Sound analyzer : sync your lights to music. ⁃ Multi scene / multi group sequencer. Combine multiple cues to a sequence and animate it. ⁃ Edit your sequences as in a video editor with the timeline. ⁃ Automatic, manual or semi-automatic beat control for the sequencer. - Ableton Link support : Sync lights animations with your favorite DJ app or musical instrument. Link is a technology that keeps devices in time over a local network for a perfect synchronization between lights and music. ⁃ Management of the animation curve in/out. - Background mode * Requires an Art-Net (or sACN) Bridge to DMX. Photon is based on the open lighting architecture (open lighting project). ** Purchase of the "Sequencer" with the in-app purchase

About

Blackout v2 (Legacy)

This professional lighting console app offers an intuitive interface and powerful effects engine for controlling DMX, Art-Net, and sACN lighting setups. It features a vast cloud fixture database, custom fixture creation, and advanced control options for seamless lighting design and execution.

Highlights
  • Cloud Fixture Database
  • Custom Fixture Creation
  • Streamlined Fixture Patching
  • Intuitive Fixture Controls
  • Multi-Cuelist Platform
  • Dynamic Effects Engine
  • Advanced MIDI Support
Read full description

Blackout is a revolutionary professional Art-Net/sACN DMX Lighting Console app for the iPad. Redefine your lighting with our incredibly intuitive interface and powerful effects engine. Features: - Cloud Fixture Database: Access over 44,000 fixture profiles licensed from Carallon, the leader in fixture profile services. - Create Custom Fixtures: Utilize our Fixture Creation Wizard to design your own profiles, perfectly matching your specific lighting needs. - Fixture Patching Made Simple: Effortlessly categorize and label LED fixtures with a streamlined Patch interface, ideal for batch management. - Intuitive Fixture Controls: Adjust parameters with ease in Fixture Controls and experience our NEW multi-dimensional color picker. - Robust Multi-Cuelist Platform: Organize and save lighting looks within Sequences, complete with customizable fade times, delays, and links. - Presets for Quick Access: Save and recall fixture parameters instantly, streamlining batch changes across multiple fixtures through our Favorites. - Dynamic Effects Engine: Explore limitless creative possibilities with our advanced Effects Engine, featuring intensity chases, color loops, and more. - Macro Functionality: Simplify complex lighting tasks into single-button actions for maximum efficiency. - Enhanced Data Visibility: Experience our reworked UI with new view states for displaying data in various formats, aiding quicker analysis and decision-making. - Advanced MIDI Support (Input & Output): Gain tactile control over your lighting with MIDI compatibility, suitable for both wired and wireless controllers.

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Blackout v2 (Legacy) at 5.0 against Photon's 4.4. Blackout v2 (Legacy) also leads on review sentiment (76% vs 42%). Photon's advantage is ratings volume (27 vs 7) and iOS requirement (10 vs 18.0). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Photon sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Blackout v2 (Legacy) sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Blackout v2 (Legacy) holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 27 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 42% of Photon's written reviews are positive against 76% of Blackout v2 (Legacy)'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Photon ships an update every 6 weeks, Blackout v2 (Legacy) monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Photon versus Blackout v2 (Legacy): the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhotonBlackout v2 (Legacy)
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (27 ratings)5.0 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews41.7% of reviews76.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings27 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS10 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB372 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPhoton StudioBlackout Lighting Console Inc.

Customer experience

Photon

All ratings27 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive41.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative58.3%

Blackout v2 (Legacy)

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive76.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative23.8%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Photon

One-time1
  • Light Sequencer$24.99
1 purchases

Blackout v2 (Legacy)

One-time1
  • Basic Plan$799.99

Questions

Is Photon free?
Photon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Blackout v2 (Legacy) free?
Blackout v2 (Legacy) is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Photon or Blackout v2 (Legacy)?
Blackout v2 (Legacy) is rated higher. Photon averages 4.4 out of 5 from 27 ratings, while Blackout v2 (Legacy) averages 5.0 from 7 ratings.
Do Photon or Blackout v2 (Legacy) have ads?
Neither Photon nor Blackout v2 (Legacy) shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Photon or Blackout v2 (Legacy)?
Photon ships an update every 6 weeks, and Blackout v2 (Legacy) monthly. Most recently, Photon was updated on October 4, 2026 and Blackout v2 (Legacy) on October 7, 2026.

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