Comparison

iRFR vs ShadowMagic

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

Head to head
About

iRFR

Control ETC Eos family lighting systems remotely from your mobile device. Access programming and playback features, including cue lists and direct selects. Requires Eos family software 2.6 or higher.

Highlights
  • Remote control for Eos family lighting systems
  • Programming and playback features
  • Tab-based display system
  • Moving light controls
  • Direct selects
  • Cue list access
  • Security controls
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The iRFR from ETC provides a remote for any Eos family lighting system (Eos, Eos Ti, Gio, Gio @5, Ion, Element and Eos/Ion Remote Processors). This application requires Eos family software 2.6 or higher on the connected lighting system. Eos 3.0 or higher is required for Focus Wand Please note the iRFR is NOT support by Cobalt. The iRFR supports most features needed for programming and playback. It does not support remote patching and system configuration. A tab-based system changes the displays from the full keyboard, moving light controls, direct selects, playback tools and a cue list. Security controls prevent un-authorized access to a lighting system.

About

ShadowMagic

A virtual lighting simulator for theatrical and stage design. Visualize lighting, color, shadows, and scenery with realistic fixtures and over 1600 gel colors. Save and share your designs.

Highlights
  • Virtual light lab and Black Box theatre
  • Realistic Source Four® Spotlight and Fresnel fixtures
  • Zoom and dimming capabilities with photometric accuracy
  • Over 1600 gel colors from major manufacturers
  • Precise fixture positioning and auto-focus
  • Save, organize, and share designs as PDF reports
Features
Read full description

A virtual light lab, or Black Box theatre for visualizing lighting, color, shadows, and scenery. The lab has a 40’ x 30’ stage and a 40' x 20' cyclorama. The theatre space is 80’ wide, 40’ high, and 80’ deep. Designers can choose up to eight fixtures to light a very basic scene. Two types of lights are available. The Source Four® Spotlight is available with 14°, 26°, 19°, 36°, 50° lens barrels. The The Source Four® 7” Fresnel may also be selected and zooms from full flood at 65° to spot focus with a beam angle of 20°. All of the beam spreads are photometrically correct. The lamp for both fixtures is a 750 W HPL, and when it is dimmed the color temperature decreases from 3200° K at full down to 2300° when the light is at 4%. Each light can be dimmed individually or the entire scene lowered using a grand master. Intensity has a resolution of 1%. A theatre lighting simulator would not be complete without gels and we have over 1600 colors to choose from the 4 major manufacturers. The gels can be assembled into a collection called a gel string and any color from the string can be applied to each light. Each of the lights may be positioned anywhere around the theatre to simulate booms, shinbusters, or the balcony rail. Resolution of the position is 0.1 feet. When focused on the actor, the lights are auto-focused so you can move the light’s position and see the resulting angle. Lights focused on the backdrop are focused manually by touching the cyc. When you move or rotate the actor, the lights will follow and stay focused right in the center of the body. Scenes may be saved and organized into projects. Both can be shared as a .pdf report with colleagues and friends to show off your ideas. While simple in concept and operation, ShadowMagic has subtleties such as reflections from a matte gray stage covering and the coloring of shadows from other light fixtures. From beginners to seasoned professionals, ShadowMagic makes visualizing and lighting a scene much quicker and easier and more fun.

Screenshots

iRFR4 screens
ShadowMagic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ShadowMagic at 100% against iRFR's 49%. ShadowMagic also leads on price ($14.99 vs $49.99) and rating (5.0 vs 2.9). iRFR's advantage is chart position (#94 vs unranked) and ratings volume (17 vs 2). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

iRFR costs $49.99 and ShadowMagic $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ShadowMagic holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iRFR has 17 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 49% of iRFR's written reviews are positive against 100% of ShadowMagic's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iRFR ships an update every 10 months, ShadowMagic every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
iRFR versus ShadowMagic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriRFRShadowMagic
Price$49.99$14.99 — better
Rating2.9 (17 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews49.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings17 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 10 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank#94 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB114 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperElectronic Theatre Controls, Inc.Crossroads Motorsport, LLC

Customer experience

iRFR

All ratings17 ratings
Positive35.3%
Neutral17.6%
Negative47.1%
Written reviews49 reviews
Positive49.0%
Neutral22.4%
Negative28.6%

ShadowMagic

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

iRFR

No in-app purchases

None

ShadowMagic

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iRFR free?
iRFR costs $49.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ShadowMagic free?
ShadowMagic costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iRFR or ShadowMagic?
ShadowMagic is rated higher. iRFR averages 2.9 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while ShadowMagic averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do iRFR or ShadowMagic have ads?
Neither iRFR nor ShadowMagic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iRFR or ShadowMagic?
iRFR ships an update every 10 months, and ShadowMagic every 3 months. Most recently, iRFR was updated on October 14, 2026 and ShadowMagic on October 6, 2026.

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