Freefly Ember vs starCTRL
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Freefly Ember
Control your Freefly Ember camera wirelessly from your iOS or iPadOS device. Adjust settings, review footage instantly, and export your best shots with ease. The app mirrors your camera's on-screen interface for a seamless workflow.
- Wireless camera connection
- Live preview
- Remote camera settings adjustment
- Instant video playback
- Export selected video clips
- Synced user interface
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Introducing remote wireless control for your Freefly Ember on iOS and iPadOS. Quickly adjust your camera settings, enjoy instant playback, and easily export your favorite shots, all directly from the app. The Ember app replicates all camera controls available on the on-camera UI, providing a cohesive and intuitive experience. Any changes made on your camera are reflected in the app instantly, ensuring you're always in full control. Key Features: Wireless Connection: Connect the app to your Freely Ember camera via the camera’s WiFi network to view live preview and control your camera settings. Instant Playback: Replay your shots instantly, allowing you to check and perfect your videos on the go. Export: Specify in/out points on videos and transfer your shots directly from the camera to your device with a few simple taps. Synced UI: Changes made on your camera are instantly mirrored on the app for a seamless experience. Video playback requires a device that supports ProRes decoding: iPhone 13 and newer iPad Mini 6th generation and newer iPad Pro 12.9” 5th generation and newer iPad Pro 11” 3rd generation and newer iPad Air 5th generation and newer Ensure your device's compatibility for the best experience.
starCTRL
Design custom lighting setups with this app. Connect and control compatible fixtures, adjusting color, intensity, and effects. Save presets and group lights for complex designs.
- Auto-discovery of compatible fixtures
- Control lamp color and intensity
- Adjust color temperature and green offset
- Access built-in lighting effects
- Group lights for larger designs
- Save favorite colors and effects
- Set smooth transitions with fade times
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Designed for Litepanels Astra IP and Quasar Science Rainbow 2 and Double Rainbow, starCTRL is a simple-to-use app that allows users to connect wirelessly, create custom lighting designs and quickly adjust standard parameters. Unlock fast and creative lighting designs with the starCTRL app. 1. Connect instantly The starCTRL app is compatible with the following fixtures: - Quasar Science Rainbow 2 and Double Rainbow - Litepanels Astra IP series Supported fixtures are automatically discovered by starCTRL for fast easy setup. Simply set your lights to starCTRL mode in the fixture menu and open the starCTRL app — it’s that simple! 2. Control simply Take full control of your lights from your fingertips. Quasar Science control parameters: Intensity, CCT (1750-10000K), ±Green, Hue, Saturation, Output Mode, and FX Litepanels Astra IP control parameters: DIM and CCT (2700-6500K) Quickly adjust color and temperature using common presets. Access the full range of Rainbow series lighting effects, with the ability to fine-tune individual effect parameters. 3. Customize Group lights for more complex designs. Apply settings to an entire group or fine-tune individual fixtures. Save your own Colors and FX settings to Favorites for quick recall onto any selected fixture or group. Enable smooth transitions by setting a fade time of up to 5 seconds. Firmware Requirements Rainbow 2 & Double Rainbow - Recommended*: QS 0.9B with TimoTwo v1.1.1.5 - Minimum compatible: QS 0.8B with TimoTwo v1.0.7.2 *iOS26 users must update to recommended versions or later Litepanels Astra IP - Firmware v1.5.0 with VLPM v1.0.2m (or later)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Freefly Ember at 100% against starCTRL's 25%. Freefly Ember also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.9) and update cadence (monthly vs every 6 months). starCTRL's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). On price, ratings volume, 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.
Freefly Ember holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Freefly Ember's written reviews are positive against 25% of starCTRL's.
Freefly Ember ships an update monthly, starCTRL every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Freefly Ember | starCTRL |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (6 ratings) — better | 2.9 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 25.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6 | 7 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | FREEFLY SYSTEMS INC. | Videndum Production Solutions, Inc. |
Customer experience
Freefly Ember
starCTRL
In-app purchases
Freefly Ember
No in-app purchases
starCTRL
No in-app purchases









