Lume vs Benro Connect
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Lume
Control multiple portable LED lights simultaneously and individually from your iPhone. Achieve professional-quality lighting for photos and videos, enhancing your creative output for social media or portfolios.
- Simultaneous sync of multiple lights
- Individual light control
- Professional lighting for photos/videos
- Enhance creative output
- Social media content creation
Read full descriptionHide full description
Lume Cube - Staff pick on Kickstarter, named USA Today’s Best of CES and VideoMaker Editor's CES Choice Award winner. With this intuitive companion iPhone app, you can simultaneously sync and individually control Lume Cubes and Lume Cube AIRs to create dynamic, dramatic, professional quality images and video to add to your portfolio or upload directly to social media. Photography is the study of light, the right light is critical to the creation of any masterpiece. Lume Cubes and Lume Cube AIRs are controlled by this iPhone app, opening new creative possibilities for photographers of any skill level. The ability to simultaneously sync and individually control multiple Lume Cubes and Lume Cube AIRs through the app makes Lume-X the ultimate tool for capturing content on the fly or setting up an entire scene. These rugged little lights are the perfect solution for the novice iPhonographer looking to take their images to the next level or for the seasoned vet needing to add the perfect light to get their desired result.
Benro Connect
Control your smart tripod head and modules for advanced photography. Remotely adjust angles, preview shots, and utilize programmable modes like time-lapse and panoramas. Achieve professional astrophotography and smooth day-to-night time-lapses with real-time light detection.
- Remote tripod head control
- Real-time shot preview
- Programmable shooting modes
- Astrophotography tracking
- Holy Grail time-lapse
- Live streaming capability
Read full descriptionHide full description
Benro Connect is designed to control the Polaris Smart Electric Tripod Head and Theta Smart Modules, delivering an uparalleled experience in long-distance photography. [Polaris Smart Electric Tripod Head] With the app connected to Polaris, you can remotely control the shooting angle and preview your shots in real-time on your mobile device via Wi-Fi or cellular networks, offering great flexibility. The app supports various programmable shooting modes such as time-lapse, panoramic shooting, and sunrise/sunset time-lapse. Additionally, when paired with the optional Astro kit, Polaris can be transformed into a professional equatorial mount, allowing you to easily capture stars using the GoTo feature and automatically track stars for long-exposure shots without star trails. [Fine-Tuning and Remote Control] By wirelessly connecting the app with Battery Module and Camera Control Module, you can not only fine-tune the leveling but also achieve precise remote camera control, including live view, parameter adjustments, and media file management, making the shooting process more efficient and flexible. [Holy Grail Time-Lapse Shooting] By wirelessly connecting the app with Battery Module, Camera Control and Optical Sensor Module, enabling real-time ambient light detection. The Camera Control Module can then combine sensor input with advanced algorithms to dynamically adjust exposure settings, ensuring smooth transitions from day to night (and vice versa) for Holy Grail time-lapse photography. [Live Streaming] By wirelessly connecting the app to Battery Module and GoLive Module, you can easily enable real-time live streaming.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Lume at 2.8 against Benro Connect's 2.3. Lume also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 12.0). Benro Connect's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (41% vs 23%). On price, ratings volume, 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Lume holds the better App Store score, 2.8 against 2.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 90 and 33 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 23% of Lume's written reviews are positive against 41% of Benro Connect's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Lume ships an update every 3 months, Benro Connect every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Lume | Benro Connect |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.8 (90 ratings) — better | 2.3 (33 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 23.2% of reviews | 40.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 90 — better | 33 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 23 MB | 327 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lume Cube, LLC | Benro Image Technology Industrial Co., Ltd. |
Customer experience
Lume
Benro Connect
Bugs and requests
Lume
Reported bugs
41 issues- Bluetooth connection is lost frequently
- App crashes frequently
- UI is janky, cluttered, and parts are off-screen
- Labels and toggles don't always function correctly
- Sliders used as buttons are confusing
Show 36 moreShow fewer
- Battery meter is inaccurate when ON
- App doesn't optimize for iPad lenses
- Cube light is harsh on edges
- App doesn't support RAW
- Camera interface needs update
- App requires full phone access (camera, mic, photos)
- Doesn't utilize volume buttons as shutter release
- Dive mode doesn't work
- No support for iPhone 11 (Pro) cameras
- Camera angles don't match iPhone X/11
- Dragging left on intensity sliders triggers delete bar
- Email required to pair Bluetooth
- Light settings are funky and get stuck
- Brightness slider is off by a power of 10 (e.g., 5% is 50%)
- iPhone gets hot when app is running
- App drains phone battery significantly
- Dark mode text fields are unreadable
- App defaults to camera app, not light controls
- Only one light can be connected
- UI is broken, portions don't show up
- App doesn't work with Cube 2.0 for brightness control
- Difficult to navigate
- Hard to read (battery percentage)
- App is stuck on photo/video mode with blinking logo
- Cannot register product
- Bluetooth cannot find light
- App is ugly and starts with camera app
- Lights won't connect after new update on iPhone
- Dive Mode not explained
- Optical trigger not working consistently
- Not compatible with iPhone SE, 5s, 5
- Subject needs to wait a second for light
- No controls or options in the app
- No menu or 'how to connect'
- Previous version had more flash options
- Strobe option not useful for night photography
Requested features
15 requests- Support for newer GoPro models
- Update app for iPhone 13 Pro Max camera features (4K, RAW, manual controls)
- Control individual cubes or groups of cubes
- Shoot in RAW format
- Add manual camera functions (WB, Shutter Speed)
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- Improve camera interface and lens optimization
- Dark mode support
- Use volume buttons as shutter release
- Add timer option for group shots
- Support for Bluetooth remote shutter remotes
- Add grouping option for multiple lights
- More flash options (flash length)
- Integration with established camera apps
- Improve UI/UX design
- Add instructions and walkthroughs
Benro Connect
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Lume
No in-app purchases
Benro Connect
No in-app purchases








