Comparison

Photon 2 vs Elgato Stream Deck Connect

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

Head to head
About

Photon 2

This app provides a professional lighting console for controlling DMX and Philips Hue devices wirelessly. It allows users to create custom interfaces, manage lights, and synchronize effects to music for live events, performances, and filmmaking.

Highlights
  • Wireless Art-Net/sACN DMX control
  • Philips Hue Entertainment integration
  • Customizable user interface
  • Scene and sequence creation
  • Beat synchronization to music
  • MIDI controller support
Features
Read full description

Let's create your show with Photon 2. The next generation of professional DMX & Philips Hue lighting console has been rebuilt from the ground up for a better live experience. User-friendly and customizable, Photon 2 is perfect for musicians, nightclubs, live events, filmmakers, theater, stages… ◈ Wireless (Art-Net or sACN through WIFI) and ready to use, Photon reinvents the way to control DMX devices & Philips Hue*** with its single interface for all your lights. ◈ Create presets, combine them in sequences and synchronize your lights to music. Our beat tracker listens and animates your devices to the music rhythm. Live events will have no more secret for you. ◈ Want to turn your iPad into a real elegant personalized lighting control platform? The app features ground-breaking concepts that let you create your own user interface designed to make tasks practical and more intuitive. Connect external MIDI controllers like keyboards, pads, timecoders or others apps/softwares to control your fixtures. FEATURES (FREE VERSION) - 16 DMX channels - Multi-touch interface designed and optimized for iPad - Light group management. Link multiple lights together to perform the same action (colors, positions, brightness...) - Supports advanced controls (gobos/fog machine, focus) - Scene management: create presets, animate them in sequences - Create your dashboard and organize it as you wish - Art-Net/sACN/DMX channel monitor - Art-Net/sACN in multicast or unicast - Philips Hue Entertainment connection*** - Database with hundreds of pre-configured devices (fixtures) - Fixture creator to configure your devices STARTER (ONE-TIME PURCHASE) - 128 DMX channels - Create as many buttons (widgets) on your dashboard as you want - Enjoy the power of automatic BeatTracker and sync your lights to live music - Ableton Link support: sync your lights with your favorite DJ app or musical instruments - Background operation mode (Live Mode) PHOTON+ (SUBSCRIPTION) Everything in Starter included, plus: - 512 DMX channels (full universe) - Multi-Dashboard: create multiple dashboards to organize your widgets by lighting type, zone, or function. Swipe between them instantly during live performance - MIDI inputs: control dashboard buttons/faders with physical MIDI controllers (pads) or virtual ones (apps) - All next features on going * Requires an Art-Net to DMX bridge. Photon relies on Open Lighting Architecture (Open Lighting Project). *** Philips Hue Entertainment requires a Hue v2 or Pro bridge.

About

Elgato Stream Deck Connect

This application allows you to control compatible iPad apps using your Elgato Stream Deck device. It integrates your Stream Deck's tactile keys and dials with iPadOS, offering a new way to interact with your tablet's applications.

Highlights
  • Control iPad apps from Stream Deck
  • Integrates Stream Deck with iPadOS
  • Supports Elgato Capture app
  • Developer kit available for integration
  • Uses tactile keys and dials
Read full description

Control iPad from your Stream Deck Elgato Stream Deck Connect bridges your Stream Deck device with compatible iPad apps. Featuring a driver that integrates your Stream Deck device with iPadOS, it enables you to control supported apps like Elgato Capture using the tactile keys and dials you love. Developers can integrate Stream Deck support into their iPadOS apps with the Stream Deck Kit for iPad. For more information, see our documentation at https://docs.elgato.com/ipad For more details on Stream Deck, visit https://elgato.com/stream-deck Compatibility: Requires iPadOS 17.0 or later.

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Photon 2 at 81% against Elgato Stream Deck Connect's 14%. Photon 2 also leads on rating (4.5 vs 1.7) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 8 months). Elgato Stream Deck Connect's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5). On price, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Photon 2 sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per year. Elgato Stream Deck Connect asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Photon 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 1.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Photon 2 has 72 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Photon 2's written reviews are positive against 14% of Elgato Stream Deck Connect's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Photon 2 ships an update every 5 weeks, Elgato Stream Deck Connect every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Photon 2 versus Elgato Stream Deck Connect: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhoton 2Elgato Stream Deck Connect
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (72 ratings) — better1.7 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews80.8% of reviews — better14.3% of reviews
Number of ratings72 — better9
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB27 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPhoton StudioCorsair Memory, Inc.

Customer experience

Photon 2

All ratings66 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral1.5%
Negative7.6%
Written reviews26 reviews
Positive80.8%
Neutral3.8%
Negative15.4%

Elgato Stream Deck Connect

All ratings9 ratings
Positive11.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative88.9%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive14.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative85.7%

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Photon 2

Subscriptions2
  • Photon+ Founder$29.991 Year
  • Photon+$59.991 Year
One-time3
  • Starter Plan$44.99
  • Pro Plan$64.99
  • Pro Plan$79.99
None

Elgato Stream Deck Connect

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Photon 2 free?
Photon 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Elgato Stream Deck Connect free?
Elgato Stream Deck Connect is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Photon 2 or Elgato Stream Deck Connect?
Photon 2 is rated higher. Photon 2 averages 4.5 out of 5 from 72 ratings, while Elgato Stream Deck Connect averages 1.7 from 9 ratings.
Do Photon 2 or Elgato Stream Deck Connect have ads?
Neither Photon 2 nor Elgato Stream Deck Connect shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Photon 2 or Elgato Stream Deck Connect?
Photon 2 ships an update every 5 weeks, and Elgato Stream Deck Connect every 8 months. Most recently, Photon 2 was updated on October 14, 2026 and Elgato Stream Deck Connect on October 6, 2026.

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