# Magic vs ION Sound Control™

The clearest difference is rating: ION Sound Control™ at 2.5 against Magic's 2.3. Magic's advantage is chart position (#189 vs unranked) and ratings volume (819 vs 94). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

ION Sound Control™ holds the better App Store score, 2.5 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Magic has 819 ratings behind it against 94, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 30% of Magic's written reviews are positive against 20% of ION Sound Control™'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Magic ships an update every 5 weeks, ION Sound Control™ every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Magic | ION Sound Control™ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.3 (819 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-lantern/id1479587050/reviews) | **[2.5 (94 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ion-sound-control/id6443914976/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **819** | 94 |
| Positive reviews | **29.9% of reviews** | 20.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#189** | — |
| Size | 80 MB | 79 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [shenzhen ELK Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1491353983) | [ION Audio](https://appshunter.io/developer/456471027) |

## What reviewers say

### Magic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-lantern/id1479587050)

**Currently charting:** #189 Top Free · Entertainment (US App Store)

Control your RGBIC LED strips with this app. Adjust brightness, colors, dynamic modes, and scenes. Sync lights to music, set timers, and customize pixel configurations for a personalized lighting experience.

**Highlights:** Color control, Dimming and grading, Dynamic modes and scenes, Music rhythm sync, Timer settings, Pixel and line sequence customization

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great product
- 👍 Lots of color options and effects
- 🎨 Decent app functionality
- 💡 Music sync feature

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Connection issues
- 🔌 Unreliable remote and app control
- 🎨 Limited color customization
- 🤔 Confusing UI and settings
- 🔒 Security/privacy concerns

**Reported bugs**

- Colors not displaying correctly
- Lights not responding to app commands
- App crashing or not connecting
- Scheduled timers not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Add holiday-themed color presets
- Allow custom color/pattern creation
- Improve music integration
- Add Siri/HomeKit support
- Provide better instructions and troubleshooting


### ION Sound Control™

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ion-sound-control/id6443914976)

Control compatible ION speakers remotely to adjust volume, lighting, and equalizer settings. Stream music from other apps, manage radio stations, and check battery status from up to 100 feet away. Requires Bluetooth connection.

**Highlights:** Remote volume control, Adjust lighting effects, Customize equalizer settings, Change input sources, Check battery status, Manage radio stations and presets

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Works with Bluetooth
- 👍 Good speaker quality
- 👍 Can control volume
- 👍 App works as expected for some users
- 👍 Reliable connection for some

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 FM input bugs
- 🐛 App features not working
- 🐛 Connectivity issues
- 🐛 LED control locked
- 🐛 Pairing issues

**Reported bugs**

- App hops back and forth in FM frequency
- App loses mind in FM input
- App loses functionality after update
- Cannot change LED color/pattern
- App doesn't work with specific speakers

**Requested features**

- Improve EQ with more bands
- Allow editing device names
- Make lights react to music
- Show volume number
- Turn speaker on from app


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Magic free?

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

### Is ION Sound Control™ free?

ION Sound Control™ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Magic or ION Sound Control™?

ION Sound Control™ is rated higher. Magic averages 2.3 out of 5 from 819 ratings, while ION Sound Control™ averages 2.5 from 94 ratings.

### Do Magic or ION Sound Control™ have ads?

Neither Magic nor ION Sound Control™ shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Magic or ION Sound Control™?

Magic ships an update every 5 weeks, and ION Sound Control™ every 2 months. Most recently, Magic was updated on September 25, 2026 and ION Sound Control™ on September 22, 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.*