Comparison

Photon vs Stellar by ARRI

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

Stellar by ARRI

This app simplifies professional lighting control for film and studio productions. It automates complex DMX settings, offers intuitive interfaces for color adjustments, and seamlessly connects ARRI and third-party fixtures. Organize setups, manage fixtures, and create custom looks with ease.

Highlights
  • Project and scene organization
  • Automatic fixture discovery (RDM)
  • Auto Layout for DMX management
  • Advanced color control (CCT, HSI, RGBW, x,y)
  • Fixture grouping and control
  • Import light plot diagrams
  • Export/Import projects and scenes
Features
Read full description

ARRI is improving Stellar since its introduction, closely follow technology developments and users’ feedback of this intelligent app for professional lighting control. Stellar reimagines lighting control by automatically managing complex DMX settings and by featuring control interfaces with stunning graphic design. Programmed intelligence and advanced communication make connecting ARRI LED fixtures and third party fixtures to the app simple and straightforward. Features: - Create projects and scenes to organize your lighting setups - Automatic discovery of ARRI fixtures using RDM - Auto Layout (automatically manages DMX modes and addresses) - Unique and beautiful user interfaces for all color modes - Control CCT, HSI, RGBW, x,y Coordinates, Gel Selection, Source Matching and Lighting Effects - Select gel and source matching colors for the L-Series - Import a light plot diagram to visually layout fixtures - Advanced color gamut selection in x,y Coordinates - Group fixtures to control them at the same time - Favorites to store a custom color or lighting effect - Look creation to store scene color settings - Live Sync - Export/Import projects, scenes, & favorites - iCloud backup - Change settings of fixtures - Control the master intensity of all fixtures - Multi-Select fixtures - Advanced search and sort functions - Quickly identify fixtures via RDM - Handles Art-Net compliant nodes and complex DMX networks - Assign names to fixture for easy referencing - Works on iPhones and iPads Stellar is the perfect app to quickly and easily control ARRI and third party lights in small to mid size studio as well as while on set. Whether a large film with many scenes and setups or a small project with just a few fixtures, Stellar is built to work in all scenarios. With a long list of feature additions already implemented and planned, Stellar is growing into a fully featured lighting control platform. Stellar is the “go-to” application for controlling fixtures as it seamlessly integrates functionality with great design making the task of adjusting lights effortless. Preview: https://youtu.be/JmGP9tzg-X8 Compatibility: Works with iPhones (5.5” and up) and iPads (9.7” and up), iOS 11 and up Art-Net Gateways: SkyLink, SkyPanel (FW 4.1 and up), ENTTEC, Luminex Stellar Unlimited: Test and work with all features of Stellar, it is free of charge for five fixture. Get unlimited access with a one-time payment. Privacy Policy: https://www.arri.com/en/privacy EULA: http://www.arri.com/corporate/about_arri/legal/end_user_license_agreement/ ©2022 Arnold & Richter Cine Technik GmbH & Co. Betriebs KG. All ARRI trademarks and copyrights used herein are the property of the ARRI. All rights reserved.

Screenshots

Stellar by ARRI4 screens

Verdict

The call

Photon and Stellar by ARRI both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 42% of Photon's written reviews are positive against 31% of Stellar by ARRI's. Photon also leads on iOS requirement (10 vs 13.1). Stellar by ARRI's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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 Stellar by ARRI sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Photon against 4.5 for Stellar by ARRI. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 27 and 41 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 42% of Photon's written reviews are positive against 31% of Stellar by ARRI's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and August 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Photon versus Stellar by ARRI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhotonStellar by ARRI
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (27 ratings)4.5 (41 ratings) — better
Positive reviews41.7% of reviews — better30.8% of reviews
Number of ratings2741 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS10 — better13.1
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB84 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperPhoton StudioARRI Group

Customer experience

Photon

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

Stellar by ARRI

All ratings41 ratings
Positive87.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.2%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive30.8%
Neutral7.7%
Negative61.5%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Photon

One-time1
  • Light Sequencer$24.99
3 purchases

Stellar by ARRI

Subscriptions2
  • Stellar Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Stellar Yearly Subscription14 Days trial$99.991 Year
One-time1
  • Stellar Unlimited$99.99

Questions

Is Photon free?
Photon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Stellar by ARRI free?
Stellar by ARRI is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Photon or Stellar by ARRI?
Stellar by ARRI is rated higher. Photon averages 4.4 out of 5 from 27 ratings, while Stellar by ARRI averages 4.5 from 41 ratings.
Do Photon or Stellar by ARRI have ads?
Neither Photon nor Stellar by ARRI shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Photon or Stellar by ARRI?
Photon ships an update every 6 weeks, and Stellar by ARRI every 6 weeks. Most recently, Photon was updated on June 1, 2026 and Stellar by ARRI on August 31, 2026.

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