Photon 2 vs Slyyd Lighting Control
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Wireless Art-Net/sACN DMX control
- Philips Hue Entertainment integration
- Customizable user interface
- Scene and sequence creation
- Beat synchronization to music
- MIDI controller support
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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.
Slyyd Lighting Control
This app offers advanced lighting control for creators and professionals. It allows for precise color mixing, fixture management, and the design of complex lighting setups using DMX rigs and LED technology. Users can build, save, and share lighting projects with ease.
- Dynamic color selection
- Fixture management with tags
- Save and share lighting projects
- Direct control of multiple fixtures
- Create looping animations
- Precise CCT adjustments
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Transform your lighting with Slyyd: the ultimate app for creators, gaffers, cinematographers, lighting professionals, and enthusiasts. Slyyd's intuitive and powerful controls enable colors mixing, fixtures management, and design of stunning lighting setups — whether you're working with cutting edge LED fixtures, LED tape, dimmers, or complex DMX rigs. Build shareable projects and control lights with precision, regardless of your experience with traditional lighting consoles. Control your DMX-connected fixtures with sACN E1.31 or Art-Net over WiFi, ethernet, or LumenRadio BLE. Save your favorite Looks, create looping animations, and effortlessly share projects with colleagues. Whether you're new to lighting or an experienced professional, Slyyd empowers your workflow. UNIFIED LIGHTING CONTROL INTERFACE ∙ Dynamic color selection using precise CIExy values, a color wheel, plus/minus RGB buttons, swatch libraries, or a combination ∙ Fine-tune CCT adjustments for high fidelity white light ∙ Visual controls without the need for typing at a command-line ∙ Creamsource control channel features are fully integrated ∙ Save and name reusable color swatches for different fixtures ∙ Gel library and source match presets for accurate color replication ∙ Additional features like pan/tilt, strobe, gobos, and color wheels for supported fixtures DIRECT LIGHTING CONTROL ∙ The interactive Scratchpad allows simultaneous, direct control of multiple fixtures ∙ Organize fixtures with tags for quick selection and streamlined control ∙ Smoothly dial in exact values and make relative adjustments with the encoder wheel LOOKBOOK & LOOKSTACKS ∙ Save scenes with colors and intensities as Looks and organize them in your LookBook ∙ Fade between Looks with adjustable timing and precision ∙ Create and play stepped or looping sequences with LookStacks (advanced functions require subscription) COLOR PRECISION WITHOUT THE PAIN ∙ Match colors across fixtures with different light engines: including CIExy, RGB, RGBW, and RGBAW, etc (note: color matching depends on fixture quality; CIExy modes/profiles are recommended when available) ∙ Experience smooth transitions with an advanced color engine that maintains accuracy and intensity ∙ White light is optimized for photographic precision ∙ Preview color gamuts within the color picker for rec709, rec2020, AdobeRGB, and other color workflows ∙ The color engine’s device-independent model ensures consistent controls and results, no matter the DMX profile PROJECTS ∙ Organize all patching, lighting metadata, Looks, and swatches in one place ∙ Share projects via AirDrop, email, iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, or any Apple Files-supported service, including iMessage and WhatsApp PATCHING ∙ Name fixtures, assign numbers, or set icons to organize them within your projects ∙ Re-patch, un-patch, or move fixtures between connections at any time ∙ Batch patch multiple fixtures automatically PROFILES ∙ Trustworthy profiles library built by lighting experts ensures compatibility with industry-standard fixtures ∙ Effortless cloud updates keep profiles up-to-date while preserving existing projects PROTOCOLS & NETWORKING ∙ Creamsource Vortex can be controlled directly via LumenRadio BLE and transmitted into larger fixture networks, without any additional hardware ∙ Supports up to four connections, including E1.31 sACN, Art-Net, LumenRadio BLE, or a combination, with one connection per DMX universe. (subscription required to activate more than one connection) ∙ Requires E1.31 sACN, Art-Net, or LumenRadio BLE compatible hardware or fixtures ∙ LumenRadio BLE devices, such as the MoonLite, can serve as transmitters ∙ Works on WiFi or ethernet (with compatible accessories such as the FTSLED Cerise 1U) on iPhone and iPad ∙ Hardware is only needed to control fixtures; Slyyd is fully usable for project prep and with virtual fixtures (Unreal engine, Capture, etc) CURRENTLY UNSUPPORTED FEATURES ∙ Zone control and some DMX modes
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Slyyd Lighting Control at 5.0 against Photon 2's 4.5. Slyyd Lighting Control also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 81%). Photon 2's advantage is ratings volume (72 vs 8) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). 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. Photon 2 sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per year and Slyyd Lighting Control sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $15.00 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Slyyd Lighting Control holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Photon 2 has 72 ratings behind it against 8, 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 100% of Slyyd Lighting Control's.
Photon 2 ships an update every 5 weeks, Slyyd Lighting Control every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Photon 2 | Slyyd Lighting Control |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (72 ratings) | 5.0 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 80.8% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 72 — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 46 MB | 104 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Photon Studio | Creamsource North America, Inc. |
Customer experience
Photon 2
Slyyd Lighting Control
In-app purchases
Photon 2
- Photon+ Founder$29.991 Year
- Photon+$59.991 Year
- Starter Plan$44.99
- Pro Plan$64.99
- Pro Plan$79.99
Slyyd Lighting Control
- Slyyd Plus Monthly14 Days trial$15.001 Month
- Slyyd Plus Monthly$15.001 Month
- Slyyd Pro Monthly14 Days trial$20.001 Month
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- Slyyd Plus Annual14 Days trial$150.001 Year
- Slyyd Plus Annually$150.001 Year
- Slyyd Pro Annually14 Days trial$200.001 Year
Questions
Is Photon 2 free?
Is Slyyd Lighting Control free?
Which has better reviews, Photon 2 or Slyyd Lighting Control?
Do Photon 2 or Slyyd Lighting Control have ads?
Which is updated more often, Photon 2 or Slyyd Lighting Control?
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