Comparison

Profoto Control vs Buff Flash Control

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

Head to head
About

Profoto Control

Control Profoto Bluetooth-enabled lighting equipment remotely from your smartphone. Adjust settings with intuitive touch controls and ensure your gear is up-to-date with easy firmware updates.

Highlights
  • Smart remote control
  • View and control Profoto Bluetooth products
  • Touch, swipe, and tweak lighting
  • Easy firmware updates
  • Update Profoto Bluetooth products
Features
Read full description

The Profoto Control app has been created for the modern, connected photographers that want to get the most out of their creative workflow – whether using a DSLR or Mirrorless camera. This is the Profoto experience at its best. Key features: SMART REMOTE CONTROL View and control all Profoto Bluetooth-enabled products from your smartphone screen. Touch, swipe and tweak until you get the light just right. EASY UPDATES The latest updates for Profoto Bluetooth-enabled products are now available at your fingertips. Update quickly from the app, so you are ready to shoot with the latest, improved firmware. Ultimately, this app lets you be as creative as you can be. LOOKING FOR PROFOTO CAMERA APP? Looking for a way to create images with your smartphone and Profoto lights? Search App Store for “Profoto Camera” and start using it! Please send your feedback and feature ideas to hello@profoto.com! Love, Profoto team.

About

Buff Flash Control

Control your lighting setups remotely from your phone. Adjust flash and modeling lamp power, save custom setups, and update firmware for compatible units. Designed for photographers using specific hardware.

Highlights
  • Smart remote control for flash units
  • Adjust power output
  • Control modeling lamps
  • Save and recall lighting setups
  • Firmware updates for LINK800WS
Read full description

The Buff Flash Control app was created to help photographers take control of their lighting setups directly from their phone. - KEY FEATURES - SMART REMOTE CONTROL Use the HUB remote to find Paul C. Buff, Inc. flash units in your setup. Once added to your setup, you can control the power outputs of both the flash and modeling lamp, turn them on/off directly from your phone, and save your setups for future use. LINK800WS FIRMWARE UPDATES Update the firmware of the LINK800WS Flash Unit directly from the app using the HUB remote. *Note: The Buff Flash Control app is only compatible with the Paul C. Buff, Inc. HUB remote and Paul C. Buff, Inc. flash units (AlienBees and newer). At this time this app is only capable of controlling the flash and model light outputs and saving lighting setups. Additional features are in development and will be released periodically.

Screenshots

Profoto Control4 screens
Buff Flash Control4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Profoto Control at 4.7 against Buff Flash Control's 2.4. Profoto Control also leads on review sentiment (38% vs 0%) and ratings volume (896 vs 7). Buff Flash Control's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.6). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Profoto Control holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Profoto Control has 896 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of Profoto Control's written reviews are positive against 0% of Buff Flash Control's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and August 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Profoto Control versus Buff Flash Control: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterProfoto ControlBuff Flash Control
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (896 ratings) — better2.4 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews38.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings896 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size80 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperProfotoPaul C. Buff, Inc.

Customer experience

Profoto Control

All ratings896 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral2.2%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews108 reviews
Positive38.0%
Neutral10.2%
Negative51.9%

Buff Flash Control

All ratings7 ratings
Positive28.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative71.4%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

Profoto Control

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Unable to register equipment in the app
  • App crashes on launch or when connecting to lights
  • Firmware update process is unreliable
  • Inconsistent exposure and zoom support

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for more Profoto light models
  • Improve camera integration and functionality
  • Implement independent light group control
  • Provide localization in more languages

Buff Flash Control

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Profoto Control

No in-app purchases

None

Buff Flash Control

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Profoto Control free?
Profoto Control is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Buff Flash Control free?
Buff Flash Control is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Profoto Control or Buff Flash Control?
Profoto Control is rated higher. Profoto Control averages 4.7 out of 5 from 896 ratings, while Buff Flash Control averages 2.4 from 7 ratings.
Do Profoto Control or Buff Flash Control have ads?
Neither Profoto Control nor Buff Flash Control shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Profoto Control or Buff Flash Control?
Profoto Control ships an update every 2 months, and Buff Flash Control every 2 months. Most recently, Profoto Control was updated on September 21, 2026 and Buff Flash Control on August 27, 2026.

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