DMXCalc vs PatchPrinter
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
DMXCalc
This app simplifies DMX address calculations for entertainment lighting equipment. It helps determine absolute addresses, manage fixture blocks, and convert DMX values to percentages and hexadecimal. It also includes a dip switch calculator for easy configuration.
- DMX address calculation
- Universe and device address lookup
- Increment/decrement by block size
- Dip switch configuration tool
- Block addressing for multiple fixtures
- DMX level value reference
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Entertainment lighting equipment uses a control system called DMX512. DMXCalc is a simple and elegant calculator which does address arithmetic for DMX equipment. You can enter a DMX universe number and a device address to have DMXCalc calculate the absolute address. Or enter an absolute address to see the universe and device address. The + and - buttons can be set to increment or decrement the address by any block size. Handy for addressing a sequence of moving lights. When there is not enough space in the current universe for another fixture, the Address and + values turn red. Some DMX equipment utilizes dip switches to configure the address. The dip switch page has switches which show the settings for the current address value, or you can set the switches to match those on a light and discover what its address is. The sound button "plays" dipswitch settings so you can set switches without looking at the display. The Block page can be loaded with a range of blocks, based on the block size and starting at the current address. Tapping any block on the list loads that address into the calculator and dip switches, and tapping the arrow shows a list of all locations in the block, with both local and absolute addresses. This feature is particularly useful for addressing a series of moving lights, dimmer packs, or LED fixtures. A fourth page has a quick reference list showing all DMX level values from 0 to 255, with corresponding percentage, hexadecimal, and MIDI values. Altogether indispensable for the entertainment lighting technician.
PatchPrinter
View your preproduction files on your iOS device without needing hard copies. Easily open and share PatchPrinter files from various sources like email or Airdrop. Navigate between files seamlessly in the organized list.
- View preproduction files
- Open from email attachments
- Open from WhatsApp
- Open via Airdrop
- Easy file switching
- Share files with colleagues
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Open your PatchPrinter (www.PatchPrinter.com) file and have a look at your preproduction without the need of using hardcopies. PatchPrinter for iOS shows all of the information which is available in the PatchPrinter file. You can open your PatchPrinter file from an email attachment, WhatsApp message, Airdrop, etc. Switching between files is easy in the Files list. Here you also can share your PatchPrinter file with your colleagues.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: PatchPrinter at Free against DMXCalc's $1.99. PatchPrinter also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.6) and review sentiment (100% vs 69%). DMXCalc's advantage is chart position (#198 vs unranked) and ratings volume (7 vs 1). On ads, in-app purchases 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
PatchPrinter is free to download; DMXCalc costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
PatchPrinter holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DMXCalc has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of DMXCalc's written reviews are positive against 100% of PatchPrinter's.
DMXCalc ships an update every 8 months, PatchPrinter every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | DMXCalc | PatchPrinter |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.6 (7 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 69.2% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #198 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 14.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | West Side Systems | Bart van Stiphout |
Customer experience
DMXCalc
PatchPrinter
In-app purchases
DMXCalc
No in-app purchases
PatchPrinter
No in-app purchases









