Comparison

VLC Light Stream vs Hunter NODE

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

Head to head
About

VLC Light Stream

Control your holiday lights with custom color themes and patterns. This system allows you to use your existing Christmas light wires by simply swapping out the bulbs and pairing the components.

Highlights
  • Customizable bulb colors
  • Create color themes
  • Use with existing wires
  • Control holiday lighting
  • Indoor and outdoor use
Features
Read full description

Harness the power of infinite possibilities with Light Stream™. Using the Light Stream™ app and Light Stream™ components, you can unleash the magic of the holidays with the click of a button. Have up to six different bulb colors at any given time. You decide whether you want all the bulbs to be the same color or create your own custom color themes. Light Stream™ will give you the freedom you’ve been looking for in a Christmas light. Use it on your roof lines, tree, bushes, or even indoors! Innovative lighting for infinite possibilities of colors and patterns. Unlike competitors wireless lights, our design allows for you to use your existing E12 Christmas wire. Saving you time and money, simply swap your bulbs, pair the components and go! - V-20670 & V-20770: Remote LED Bulbs ( Required - Cannot mix bulbs on the same system ) - V-20671: Controller ( Required ) - V-20672: Switch ( Recommended for larger projects ) Thank you for reading all about the all-new, innovative wireless lighting solution that is Light Stream™. To purchase Light Stream components, please visit Villagelighting.com or VLCWholesale.com for more information.

About

Hunter NODE

Control your landscape irrigation system remotely via Bluetooth. This app allows for easy programming, scheduling, and monitoring of watering cycles without needing to access the valve box. Manage multiple controllers, set custom schedules, and receive important status updates directly on your smartphone.

Highlights
  • Remote controller management
  • Custom watering schedules
  • Manual irrigation control
  • Sensor activation
  • Controller status monitoring
  • Offline schedule editing
  • Controller event logs
Features
Read full description

NODE-BT is a Bluetooth®-enabled, app-configured irrigation controller from Hunter Industries that lets you automatically irrigate any plant material lacking AC power and not having to open the valve box! NODE-BT is quick to install, and swift to program and operate. The app provides convenient features originally on NODE, now with new enhancements all accessed from a smartphone. This means no more crossing traffic to get to roadway medians, searching for controllers in overgrown bushes, and opening dirty and potentially dangerous valve boxes. This app allows you to: • Remotely manage unlimited NODE-BT controllers up to 50' (15 m) away • Manually start, stop, or suspend irrigation for up to 99 days • Configure watering schedules with 3 programs and 8 start times each • Activate rain or soil moisture sensors, and set monthly seasonal adjust • See controller status, total watering and next start times, watering calendar, and irrigation logs • View battery health and signal status • Set battery change reminders every 3, 6, 9, or 12 months • Pin controllers on a map for faster locating • Copy and paste schedules from controller to controller for faster setup • View and edit irrigation schedules offline • View controller event logs and share with other members • Assign images and rename stations and controllers • Add a passcode to each controller for additional security The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG Inc. and any use of such marks by Hunter Industries is under license.

Screenshots

VLC Light Stream4 screens
Hunter NODE4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Hunter NODE at fortnightly against VLC Light Stream's every 5 months. Hunter NODE also leads on ratings volume (59 vs 8). VLC Light Stream's advantage is review sentiment (40% vs 23%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.1 for VLC Light Stream against 3.1 for Hunter NODE. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hunter NODE has 59 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 40% of VLC Light Stream's written reviews are positive against 23% of Hunter NODE's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VLC Light Stream ships an update every 5 months, Hunter NODE fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
VLC Light Stream versus Hunter NODE: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVLC Light StreamHunter NODE
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (8 ratings)3.1 (59 ratings)
Positive reviews40.0% of reviews — better22.9% of reviews
Number of ratings859 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB127 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVillage LightingHunter Industries

Customer experience

VLC Light Stream

All ratings8 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%

Hunter NODE

All ratings59 ratings
Positive45.8%
Neutral10.2%
Negative44.1%
Written reviews35 reviews
Positive22.9%
Neutral8.6%
Negative68.6%

In-app purchases

None

VLC Light Stream

No in-app purchases

None

Hunter NODE

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is VLC Light Stream free?
VLC Light Stream is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hunter NODE free?
Hunter NODE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, VLC Light Stream or Hunter NODE?
VLC Light Stream and Hunter NODE are both rated 3.1 out of 5 on the App Store, from 8 and 59 ratings respectively.
Do VLC Light Stream or Hunter NODE have ads?
Neither VLC Light Stream nor Hunter NODE shows ads.
Which is updated more often, VLC Light Stream or Hunter NODE?
VLC Light Stream ships an update every 5 months, and Hunter NODE fortnightly. Most recently, VLC Light Stream was updated on September 29, 2026 and Hunter NODE on October 2, 2026.

Other comparisons