Photon vs Slyyd Lighting Control
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
Slyyd Lighting Control
This app offers advanced lighting control for creators and professionals. It allows for precise color mixing, fixture management, and the design of complex lighting setups using DMX rigs and LED technology. Users can build, save, and share lighting projects with ease.
- Dynamic color selection
- Fixture management with tags
- Save and share lighting projects
- Direct control of multiple fixtures
- Create looping animations
- Precise CCT adjustments
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Transform your lighting with Slyyd: the ultimate app for creators, gaffers, cinematographers, lighting professionals, and enthusiasts. Slyyd's intuitive and powerful controls enable colors mixing, fixtures management, and design of stunning lighting setups — whether you're working with cutting edge LED fixtures, LED tape, dimmers, or complex DMX rigs. Build shareable projects and control lights with precision, regardless of your experience with traditional lighting consoles. Control your DMX-connected fixtures with sACN E1.31 or Art-Net over WiFi, ethernet, or LumenRadio BLE. Save your favorite Looks, create looping animations, and effortlessly share projects with colleagues. Whether you're new to lighting or an experienced professional, Slyyd empowers your workflow. UNIFIED LIGHTING CONTROL INTERFACE ∙ Dynamic color selection using precise CIExy values, a color wheel, plus/minus RGB buttons, swatch libraries, or a combination ∙ Fine-tune CCT adjustments for high fidelity white light ∙ Visual controls without the need for typing at a command-line ∙ Creamsource control channel features are fully integrated ∙ Save and name reusable color swatches for different fixtures ∙ Gel library and source match presets for accurate color replication ∙ Additional features like pan/tilt, strobe, gobos, and color wheels for supported fixtures DIRECT LIGHTING CONTROL ∙ The interactive Scratchpad allows simultaneous, direct control of multiple fixtures ∙ Organize fixtures with tags for quick selection and streamlined control ∙ Smoothly dial in exact values and make relative adjustments with the encoder wheel LOOKBOOK & LOOKSTACKS ∙ Save scenes with colors and intensities as Looks and organize them in your LookBook ∙ Fade between Looks with adjustable timing and precision ∙ Create and play stepped or looping sequences with LookStacks (advanced functions require subscription) COLOR PRECISION WITHOUT THE PAIN ∙ Match colors across fixtures with different light engines: including CIExy, RGB, RGBW, and RGBAW, etc (note: color matching depends on fixture quality; CIExy modes/profiles are recommended when available) ∙ Experience smooth transitions with an advanced color engine that maintains accuracy and intensity ∙ White light is optimized for photographic precision ∙ Preview color gamuts within the color picker for rec709, rec2020, AdobeRGB, and other color workflows ∙ The color engine’s device-independent model ensures consistent controls and results, no matter the DMX profile PROJECTS ∙ Organize all patching, lighting metadata, Looks, and swatches in one place ∙ Share projects via AirDrop, email, iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, or any Apple Files-supported service, including iMessage and WhatsApp PATCHING ∙ Name fixtures, assign numbers, or set icons to organize them within your projects ∙ Re-patch, un-patch, or move fixtures between connections at any time ∙ Batch patch multiple fixtures automatically PROFILES ∙ Trustworthy profiles library built by lighting experts ensures compatibility with industry-standard fixtures ∙ Effortless cloud updates keep profiles up-to-date while preserving existing projects PROTOCOLS & NETWORKING ∙ Creamsource Vortex can be controlled directly via LumenRadio BLE and transmitted into larger fixture networks, without any additional hardware ∙ Supports up to four connections, including E1.31 sACN, Art-Net, LumenRadio BLE, or a combination, with one connection per DMX universe. (subscription required to activate more than one connection) ∙ Requires E1.31 sACN, Art-Net, or LumenRadio BLE compatible hardware or fixtures ∙ LumenRadio BLE devices, such as the MoonLite, can serve as transmitters ∙ Works on WiFi or ethernet (with compatible accessories such as the FTSLED Cerise 1U) on iPhone and iPad ∙ Hardware is only needed to control fixtures; Slyyd is fully usable for project prep and with virtual fixtures (Unreal engine, Capture, etc) CURRENTLY UNSUPPORTED FEATURES ∙ Zone control and some DMX modes
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Slyyd Lighting Control at 100% against Photon's 42%. Slyyd Lighting Control also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.4). Photon's advantage is ratings volume (27 vs 8) 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
Both are free to download. Photon sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Slyyd Lighting Control sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $15.00 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Slyyd Lighting Control holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 27 and 8 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 42% of Photon's written reviews are positive against 100% of Slyyd Lighting Control's.
Photon ships an update every 6 weeks, Slyyd Lighting Control every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 4, 2026.
| Parameter | Photon | Slyyd Lighting Control |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (27 ratings) | 5.0 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 41.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 27 — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 10 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 36 MB | 104 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Photon Studio | Creamsource North America, Inc. |
Customer experience
Photon
Slyyd Lighting Control
In-app purchases
Photon
- Light Sequencer$24.99
Slyyd Lighting Control
- Slyyd Plus Monthly14 Days trial$15.001 Month
- Slyyd Plus Monthly$15.001 Month
- Slyyd Pro Monthly14 Days trial$20.001 Month
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- Slyyd Plus Annual14 Days trial$150.001 Year
- Slyyd Plus Annually$150.001 Year
- Slyyd Pro Annually14 Days trial$200.001 Year
Questions
Is Photon free?
Is Slyyd Lighting Control free?
Which has better reviews, Photon or Slyyd Lighting Control?
Do Photon or Slyyd Lighting Control have ads?
Which is updated more often, Photon or Slyyd Lighting Control?
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