# VLC Light Stream vs Celebright Cloud

The clearest difference is rating: Celebright Cloud at 4.9 against VLC Light Stream's 3.1. Celebright Cloud also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (734 vs 8). VLC Light Stream's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

Celebright Cloud holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Celebright Cloud has 734 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of VLC Light Stream's written reviews are positive against 50% of Celebright Cloud's.

VLC Light Stream ships an update every 5 months, Celebright Cloud every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | VLC Light Stream | Celebright Cloud |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.1 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vlc-light-stream/id1436506833/reviews) | **[4.9 (734 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/celebright-cloud/id1521072167/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 8 | **734** |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | **50.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 33 MB | 46 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Village Lighting](https://appshunter.io/developer/1276283822) | [Celebright Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1459058629) |

## What reviewers say

### VLC Light Stream

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vlc-light-stream/id1436506833)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Celebright Cloud

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/celebright-cloud/id1521072167)

Control your permanent holiday and accent lighting system from anywhere. Customize colors, patterns, and individual bulbs. Schedule automatic light displays for holidays or year-round use.

**Highlights:** Remote control from anywhere, Customizable colors and patterns, Individual bulb control, Automated scheduling, Year-round accent lighting

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Highly customizable light configurations and scenes
- 📚 Easy-to-access library with downloadable presets
- 🎨 Beautiful hardware that blends seamlessly into home
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface (for some users)
- ⚙️ Ability to build and save custom presets

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent connectivity issues and server reconnection problems
- 🐛 Regular app crashes and glitches
- 🐛 Scheduling functionality unreliable and buggy
- 😕 Poor UI/UX design and confusing navigation
- 😕 Inconsistent app behavior across updates

**Reported bugs**

- App won't open or load properly
- Password reset functionality broken
- Login authentication failures
- Schedules end or disable randomly
- Lights don't respond to preset selections

**Requested features**

- Preview feature to see light patterns before applying to house
- Simple on/off toggle without disabling entire schedule
- Cut and paste functionality in studio mode
- Ability to work in studio without lights automatically turning on
- Custom date options for recurring events


## Frequently asked questions

### Is VLC Light Stream free?

VLC Light Stream is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Celebright Cloud free?

Celebright Cloud is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, VLC Light Stream or Celebright Cloud?

Celebright Cloud is rated higher. VLC Light Stream averages 3.1 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Celebright Cloud averages 4.9 from 734 ratings.

### Do VLC Light Stream or Celebright Cloud have ads?

Neither VLC Light Stream nor Celebright Cloud shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, VLC Light Stream or Celebright Cloud?

VLC Light Stream ships an update every 5 months, and Celebright Cloud every 2 weeks. Most recently, VLC Light Stream was updated on October 24, 2026 and Celebright Cloud on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*