Capture Mobile vs Ctrl Player
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Capture Mobile
Visualize project files for lighting and stage design on your iPad and iPhone. Supports industry-standard protocols like Art-Net, sACN, and CITP for DMX control. Compatible with files from various editions.
- View and visualize project files
- Supports Art-Net, sACN, CITP protocols
- Ethernet-based DMX control
- Compatible with Student Edition files
- Bidirectional CITP for fixture focusing
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With our Capture iOS app you can view and visualise Capture project files on the iPad and iPhone. It supports the Art-Net, sACN and CITP ethernet protocols for ethernet-based DMX. (Bidirectional CITP communication is limited to fixture focusing. Other protocols normally available in our macOS app, such as for instance NDI, are not available.) In addition to opening files from our regular Editions, files from the Student Edition are also supported.
Ctrl Player
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For Version 2 of Ctrl Suite. The intuitive app making it easier than ever to control your installation's audio, entertainment, video, lighting, and so much more. Player makes control of multiple pieces of complex equipment on your installation centralised & simple by allowing you to view and interact with your Ctrl Suite interfaces. Player presents the customisable buttons, sliders, steppers, images, device modules & more in a form that makes triggering automation, controlling devices intuitive and straightforward for any level of technical ability. Player setup has been designed to be as simple and user-proofed as possible. Connect and go. Once the App is opened, Player can be discovered and adopted into a Ctrl Engine session over your local network to allow users to start controlling the installation. Why limit yourself to one device? The Ctrl Suite architecture allows you to connect multiple Player devices on the same installation. The system state is synchronised between all of them over the Ctrl Engine. Within Ctrl Designer, your Player interfaces can be authored to trigger devices using the following protocol types: · MIDI / Musical Instrument Digital Interface · OSC / Open Sound Control · UDP / User Datagram Protocol · HTTP(S) / HTTP(S)/1.1 Methods, Headers, Body · TCP / Transmission Control Protocol · MQTT / MQ Telemetry Transport · Serial · KNX over IP · Telnet · Timecode Alternatively, you can map each interface button to be fed into a logic process within Ctrl Engine to manipulate the input in real-time for more advanced projects. We’re always adding custom interface modules to simplify interaction with specific services to help you create the ultimate unified control interface for your installation: · Session timers · Buttons · Sliders · Steppers · Titles · Text · Images · Audio controls · Tab navigation bars · Side navigation bars · Module Specific controls Ctrl Player displays all customisation options defined in Ctrl Designer: · Custom background images & logos · Custom background colours Contact our team through our website if you're looking at Ctrl Suite for a project or installation and want to try the entire system.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Capture Mobile at 14.1 against Ctrl Player's 16.0. 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Capture Mobile ships an update every 3 months, Ctrl Player every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Capture Mobile | Ctrl Player |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.1 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 120 MB | 21 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Capture Visualisation AB | ON LX Limited |
In-app purchases
Capture Mobile
No in-app purchases
Ctrl Player
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Capture Mobile free?
Is Ctrl Player free?
Do Capture Mobile or Ctrl Player have ads?
Which is updated more often, Capture Mobile or Ctrl Player?
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