Comparison

Photon 2 vs Blackout Next

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

Blackout Next

This professional lighting console app offers an intuitive interface for controlling DMX, Art-Net, and sACN lighting systems. It features a vast cloud fixture database, custom fixture creation, and a robust multi-cuelist platform for organizing lighting looks.

Highlights
  • Cloud Fixture Database
  • Custom Fixture Creation
  • Intuitive Fixture Controls
  • Multi-Cuelist Platform
  • Dynamic Effects Engine
  • MIDI Support
Read full description

Blackout is a revolutionary professional Art-Net/sACN DMX Lighting Console app for the iPad. Redefine your lighting with our incredibly intuitive interface and powerful effects engine. Features: - Cloud Fixture Database: Access over 44,000 fixture profiles licensed from Carallon, the leader in fixture profile services. - Create Custom Fixtures: Utilize our Fixture Creation Wizard to design your own profiles, perfectly matching your specific lighting needs. - Fixture Patching Made Simple: Effortlessly categorize and label LED fixtures with a streamlined Patch interface, ideal for batch management. - Intuitive Fixture Controls: Adjust parameters with ease in Fixture Controls and experience our NEW multi-dimensional color picker. - Robust Multi-Cuelist Platform: Organize and save lighting looks within Sequences, complete with customizable fade times, delays, and links. - Presets for Quick Access: Save and recall fixture parameters instantly, streamlining batch changes across multiple fixtures through our Favorites. - Dynamic Effects Engine: Explore limitless creative possibilities with our advanced Effects Engine, featuring intensity chases, color loops, and more. - Macro Functionality: Simplify complex lighting tasks into single-button actions for maximum efficiency. - Enhanced Data Visibility: Experience our reworked UI with new view states for displaying data in various formats, aiding quicker analysis and decision-making. - Advanced MIDI Support (Input & Output): Gain tactile control over your lighting with MIDI compatibility, suitable for both wired and wireless controllers.

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Blackout Next at 5.0 against Photon 2's 4.5. Blackout Next also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 81%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks). Photon 2's advantage is ratings volume (72 vs 21) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 and Blackout Next sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Blackout Next holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 72 and 21 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Photon 2's written reviews are positive against 100% of Blackout Next's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Photon 2 ships an update every 5 weeks, Blackout Next fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and June 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Photon 2 versus Blackout Next: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhoton 2Blackout Next
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (72 ratings)5.0 (21 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings72 — better21
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB398 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPhoton StudioBlackout Lighting Console LLC

Customer experience

Photon 2

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

Blackout Next

All ratings21 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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
1 purchases

Blackout Next

One-time1
  • Basic Plan$799.99

Questions

Is Photon 2 free?
Photon 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Blackout Next free?
Blackout Next is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Photon 2 or Blackout Next?
Blackout Next is rated higher. Photon 2 averages 4.5 out of 5 from 72 ratings, while Blackout Next averages 5.0 from 21 ratings.
Do Photon 2 or Blackout Next have ads?
Neither Photon 2 nor Blackout Next shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Photon 2 or Blackout Next?
Photon 2 ships an update every 5 weeks, and Blackout Next fortnightly. Most recently, Photon 2 was updated on September 17, 2026 and Blackout Next on June 26, 2026.

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