Comparison

shift vs Unrival

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

Head to head
About

shift

Easily view and edit patch information on your EOS family devices directly from your iOS device. Features include auto console discovery, channel/address viewing, and quick patching capabilities. Monitor streaming channel levels live with filtering options.

Highlights
  • Auto console discovery
  • View patch information by channel or address
  • Quickly jump to desired channel/address
  • DimCheck for address flashing and patching
  • Flash out channels and repatch
  • View streaming channel levels live
Features
Read full description

View and edit the patch information on your eos family devices quickly and easily from your iOS device - Auto console discovery - View patch information by channel or by address - quickly jump to a desired channel or address - Use "DimCheck" to quickly flash through addresses, jumping to the next empty address if required. Once an address is identified quickly patch it to the required address straight from your device - Flash out channels, repatch and move as required, all directly from your device - View streaming channel levels live, filter by group, keyword or active channels

About

Unrival

Features
Read full description

UNRIVAL is the professional iPhone app for preparing, patching, and maintaining entertainment lighting fixtures. Adjust DMX addresses, modes, personalities, network settings, IDs, and other parameters directly from your phone — no fixture display, no buttons, and in supported cases, no power applied. In practice, that means a prep tech can configure fixtures on the shelf, on the truss before flying, or sitting on top of a roadcase — and turn over a full rig before the first power cable is ever pulled. (NFC requires the phone to be close to the fixture's tag; it will not read through a closed roadcase.) KEY FEATURES • Easy patch/edit of any setting — direct access to fixture settings without the fixture's display or buttons. Change DMX address, mode, personality, network settings, IDs, and other parameters from the app. • Templates & Auto Prep — save known-good fixture configurations and apply them consistently across many fixtures. Auto Prep automatically applies saved templates as you work through a batch. • Rapid Patching from imported patch lists — bring in show data from ChamSys CSV, ChamSys QR Code, and MVR. For non-Chauvet NFC-enabled fixtures, the imported list also works as an easy-to-use manual patching checklist. • Operate and prepare fixtures while powered OFF — read fixture identity, review configuration, and prepare or apply supported settings with no power applied. A unique advantage over display-only or powered-only setup methods. Useful on the prep shelf, on the truss before flying, on top of a roadcase, and during pre-rig. • Firmware Update over Bluetooth — wireless firmware updates from your iPhone over BLE. No specialist cables or service tools required. ALSO INCLUDES • Fixture diagnostics — usage data and error history for faster troubleshooting and clearer maintenance records. • Scan History — a record of previous fixture interactions for traceability and less duplicated work. • Quick Tools — one-tap "Auto Test" and "Reset Defaults" for routine procedures. • MVR 2D & 3D visualizer — visual representation of fixtures inside a project or rig layout from MVR data; aids fixture identification on complex rigs. • Trip Management — organize fixtures and setup activity around specific jobs, projects, or deployments. Supports rental, touring, and install workflows. BUILT FOR Rental prep floors. Touring lighting crews. Install integrators. Service and maintenance teams. Master electricians, theatre, broadcast, houses of worship, film, and TV. USE IT FOR Pre-show prep • Patch turnover • Rental return inspection • Fault-finding in the field • Firmware rollouts • Inventory and identity tagging • Manufacturing QC • System commissioning GET STARTED Install UNRIVAL, open a Trip or load a patch list, and start working through your fixtures — powered or not. Save a template once, apply it across the whole batch with Auto Prep. UNRIVAL. Patch, prep, and update — no power required.

Screenshots

shift4 screens
Unrival4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Unrival at none against shift's 1. Unrival also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 11 months). shift's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.5). On price, ads 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. shift sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Unrival asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

shift ships an update every 11 months, Unrival every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
shift versus Unrival: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametershiftUnrival
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.5
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRichard WilliamsonChauvet Professional

In-app purchases

1 purchases

shift

One-time1
  • Full Access$10.99
None

Unrival

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is shift free?
shift is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Unrival free?
Unrival is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do shift or Unrival have ads?
Neither shift nor Unrival shows ads.
Which is updated more often, shift or Unrival?
shift ships an update every 11 months, and Unrival every 6 weeks. Most recently, shift was updated on September 17, 2026 and Unrival on September 22, 2026.

Other comparisons