ShowTool LD vs Playback for Eos
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ShowTool LD
This app provides essential tools for lighting design and electrical calculations in theatre and film. It helps with beam angles, gel cutting, DMX addressing, power consumption, and network subnetting. Data syncs across devices via iCloud.
- Beam angle and throw calculations
- Gel cut and wastage estimation
- DMX universe/address translation
- Power consumption calculations
- Network subnetting tools
- iCloud data synchronization
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ShowTool LD is a comprehensive suite of Lighting Design and Electrics utilities for theatre and film. Beam Quickly calculate and visualise beam angles, throw and beam diameter. Gel Calculate the number of cuts and wastage from all major gel manufacturers and stock sizes. Choose from a selection of standard frame sizes, or define your own custom frame size. DMX Translate between universe/address and absolute address, discover how many fixtures will fit within a universe and calculate dip switch configuration. Power Simple power calculations in single and three phase configurations. Discover the total power consumption for your rig. Network What is a subnet? Easy tools to discover valid addresses for devices on your lighting network. Lists are kept in sync across all your devices using iCloud.
Playback for Eos
This app connects to ETC Eos family consoles, allowing users to monitor and control playback status for live events. It offers features like triggering commands, adding notes to cues, and syncing status with cue lists.
- Monitor playback status
- Trigger Go and Stop/Back commands
- Add notes to cues
- Sync cue status
- Discover consoles automatically
- Save console settings
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Playback for Eos combines seamless connectivity with elegant simplicity, allowing you to keep track of your production. With a native iOS app connected to an ETC Eos® family console, you can control, view, and note the playback status. Customisable Console Connections • Automatically discover consoles on your local Wi-Fi network. • Intuitively edit console settings to fit your system. • Save console settings for effortless portability. • Seamlessly integrate with consoles in a restricted local network. Powerful Playback • Trigger Go and Stop/Back commands on the connected console. • Attach notes to the current cue for production review. • Sync cue status to a specified cue list. Our responsive support team is always ready to help – reach out anytime at support@artificers.co.uk. Eos® is a registered trademark of ETC, INC. Artifice Industries Ltd. is an independent developer and is neither affiliated with nor endorsed by ETC, INC.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Playback for Eos at 100% against ShowTool LD's 70%. Playback for Eos also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months). ShowTool LD's advantage is price ($4.99 vs $9.99) and device support (4 vs 2). On 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
ShowTool LD costs $4.99 and Playback for Eos $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
ShowTool LD ships an update every 5 months, Playback for Eos every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and June 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ShowTool LD | Playback for Eos |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 — better | $9.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (6 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 70.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 6 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 18.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Daniel Murfin | Artifice Industries Ltd. |
Customer experience
ShowTool LD
Playback for Eos
In-app purchases
ShowTool LD
No in-app purchases
Playback for Eos
No in-app purchases
