Comparison

ShadowMagic vs FireBug Night Vision

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

Head to head
About

ShadowMagic

A virtual lighting simulator for theatrical and stage design. Visualize lighting, color, shadows, and scenery with realistic fixtures and over 1600 gel colors. Save and share your designs.

Highlights
  • Virtual light lab and Black Box theatre
  • Realistic Source Four® Spotlight and Fresnel fixtures
  • Zoom and dimming capabilities with photometric accuracy
  • Over 1600 gel colors from major manufacturers
  • Precise fixture positioning and auto-focus
  • Save, organize, and share designs as PDF reports
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

A virtual light lab, or Black Box theatre for visualizing lighting, color, shadows, and scenery. The lab has a 40’ x 30’ stage and a 40' x 20' cyclorama. The theatre space is 80’ wide, 40’ high, and 80’ deep. Designers can choose up to eight fixtures to light a very basic scene. Two types of lights are available. The Source Four® Spotlight is available with 14°, 26°, 19°, 36°, 50° lens barrels. The The Source Four® 7” Fresnel may also be selected and zooms from full flood at 65° to spot focus with a beam angle of 20°. All of the beam spreads are photometrically correct. The lamp for both fixtures is a 750 W HPL, and when it is dimmed the color temperature decreases from 3200° K at full down to 2300° when the light is at 4%. Each light can be dimmed individually or the entire scene lowered using a grand master. Intensity has a resolution of 1%. A theatre lighting simulator would not be complete without gels and we have over 1600 colors to choose from the 4 major manufacturers. The gels can be assembled into a collection called a gel string and any color from the string can be applied to each light. Each of the lights may be positioned anywhere around the theatre to simulate booms, shinbusters, or the balcony rail. Resolution of the position is 0.1 feet. When focused on the actor, the lights are auto-focused so you can move the light’s position and see the resulting angle. Lights focused on the backdrop are focused manually by touching the cyc. When you move or rotate the actor, the lights will follow and stay focused right in the center of the body. Scenes may be saved and organized into projects. Both can be shared as a .pdf report with colleagues and friends to show off your ideas. While simple in concept and operation, ShadowMagic has subtleties such as reflections from a matte gray stage covering and the coloring of shadows from other light fixtures. From beginners to seasoned professionals, ShadowMagic makes visualizing and lighting a scene much quicker and easier and more fun.

About

FireBug Night Vision

Experience true night vision with advanced LIDAR and twilight modes. See in complete darkness or low-light conditions with enhanced imaging and recording capabilities. This professional-grade camera app offers unparalleled clarity and ease of use.

Highlights
  • LIDAR Night Vision mode
  • TWILIGHT Night Vision mode
  • Depth-mapped imaging
  • Low-light enhancement
  • Record and share photos/videos
  • Adjustable focal distances
  • Adjustable sensitivity
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Now, experience REAL night vision! No gimmicks. No silly filters or simulated effects. Navigate the night with confidence. See in low light. See in total and complete darkness. Developed by a team of professional engineers, we believe © FireBug Night Vision to be the most advanced night vision camera available. © FireBug Night Vision offers two modes of operation: LIDAR Night Vision The LIDAR infrared laser scanner is used to create depth-mapped imaging, which allows you to see in total and complete darkness. *This mode is only available on devices equipped with the LIDAR sensor (iPhone Pro devices). • Choose the minimum and maximum focal distances for the depth imaging. • Smooth the depth data to minimize variations in the depth imaging frame. • Use GPU processing to improve the resolution of the depth image map. • Render both depth-oriented and surface-oriented data field maps. TWILIGHT Night Vision By leveraging GPU-driven rendering, hardware configuration, and advanced digital image processing, faint light sources are enhanced permitting you to see in extraordinarily low-light conditions. • Adjust sensitivity of underlying camera hardware. • Adjust sensitivity of GPU and CPU image processing. • Enhance the resolution through advanced image processing. Enhanced Capabilities • Unparalleled night and twilight vision. • Unparalleled, world-class, professional series software. • Record, analyze, and share photos and video recordings. • Intuitive, professional, easy-to-use design. • Extensive help section. • Easy access to customer support. • Lifetime free updates. Frustration Free • No Ads • No Gimmicks • World-Class Customer Support If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about this app, please contact us at: JedaSoftwareSystemsHelp@gmail.com

Screenshots

ShadowMagic4 screens
FireBug Night Vision4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: FireBug Night Vision at $4.99 against ShadowMagic's $14.99. FireBug Night Vision also leads on ratings volume (15 vs 2). ShadowMagic's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.4) and review sentiment (100% vs 60%). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and chart position 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

ShadowMagic costs $14.99 and FireBug Night Vision $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ShadowMagic holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FireBug Night Vision has 15 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of ShadowMagic's written reviews are positive against 60% of FireBug Night Vision's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ShadowMagic ships an update every 3 months, FireBug Night Vision every 28 months. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
ShadowMagic versus FireBug Night Vision: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShadowMagicFireBug Night Vision
Price$14.99$4.99 — better
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better4.4 (15 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better60.0% of reviews
Number of ratings215 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 28 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#187 — better#189
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size114 MB109 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCrossroads Motorsport, LLCMichael Weber

Customer experience

ShadowMagic

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

FireBug Night Vision

All ratings15 ratings
Positive86.7%
Neutral6.7%
Negative6.7%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%

In-app purchases

None

ShadowMagic

No in-app purchases

None

FireBug Night Vision

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ShadowMagic free?
ShadowMagic costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is FireBug Night Vision free?
FireBug Night Vision costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ShadowMagic or FireBug Night Vision?
ShadowMagic is rated higher. ShadowMagic averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while FireBug Night Vision averages 4.4 from 15 ratings.
Do ShadowMagic or FireBug Night Vision have ads?
Neither ShadowMagic nor FireBug Night Vision shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ShadowMagic or FireBug Night Vision?
ShadowMagic ships an update every 3 months, and FireBug Night Vision every 28 months. Most recently, ShadowMagic was updated on September 18, 2026 and FireBug Night Vision on September 16, 2026.
Which is more popular, ShadowMagic or FireBug Night Vision?
ShadowMagic currently peaks at #187 in the App Store charts, and FireBug Night Vision at #189. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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