Buff Flash Control vs Sabre II
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Smart remote control for flash units
- Adjust power output
- Control modeling lamps
- Save and recall lighting setups
- Firmware updates for LINK800WS
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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.
Sabre II
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What is Sabre II? Sabre II is a Wi-Fi enabled, weatherproof, multi-functional motion sensor and camera trigger. Note: This app is NOT compatible with the original Sabre. This app allows you to adjust all the settings for your Cognisys Sabre II photography sensor, including: Range, trigger mode, sample rate, cross-beam functionality, bulb mode, number of shots, and much more. You've just finished setting up your Sabre high in a tree to capture your subject and realize you need to adjust the settings -- no worries! Connect to Sabre with your phone using this app and make any changes you need. No need to get back to the sensor for adjustments. It can all be done right on your phone (or tablet). You can also use this app (in conjunction with the Sabre hardware) to measure distance using its advanced Lidar functionality. A new addition to Sabre II is the support for Cognisys Scout camera trapping equipment. This app requires the Cognisys Sabre II hardware.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Buff Flash Control at Free against Sabre II's $9.99. On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases 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
Buff Flash Control is free to download; Sabre II costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on August 27, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Buff Flash Control | Sabre II |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $9.99 |
| Rating | 2.4 (7 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 14.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Paul C. Buff, Inc. | Cognisys, Inc. |
In-app purchases
Buff Flash Control
No in-app purchases
Sabre II
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Buff Flash Control free?
Is Sabre II free?
Do Buff Flash Control or Sabre II have ads?
Which is updated more often, Buff Flash Control or Sabre II?
Other comparisons
