# Onyx Remote vs Luminair

The clearest difference is rating: Luminair at 4.6 against Onyx Remote's 3.9. Luminair also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (1.2K vs 19). Onyx Remote's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and review sentiment (70% vs 36%). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Luminair sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Onyx Remote asks for nothing beyond the download.

Luminair holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Luminair has 1.2K ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 70% of Onyx Remote's written reviews are positive against 36% of Luminair's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Onyx Remote ships an update every 3 months, Luminair fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Onyx Remote | Luminair |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.9 (19 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/onyx-remote/id338679276/reviews) | **[4.6 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/luminair/id920440588/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 19 | **1.2K** |
| Positive reviews | **69.6% of reviews** | 36.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Subscription |
| Size | 5 MB | 1.7 GB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Obsidian Control Systems](https://appshunter.io/developer/1434308450) | [Synthe FX, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/285556080) |

## What reviewers say

### Onyx Remote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/onyx-remote/id338679276)

Control Obsidian Onyx lighting systems remotely from your iPhone or iPod touch. Manipulate fixtures, presets, and DMX values with a user-friendly interface. Features include automatic device discovery, color control, and cuelist triggering.

**Highlights:** Automatic device discovery, Remote control of fixtures and presets, DMX channel manipulation, Accelerometer-based pan/tilt control, CMY and RGB color control with Lee filters, Cuelist triggering (Go, Pause, Release), Offline mode for practice

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Luminair

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/luminair/id920440588)

This professional lighting control platform offers advanced DMX and smart light management for designers, filmmakers, musicians, and artists. It supports multiple DMX universes, RDM, and HomeKit integration, allowing for complex scene creation and playback.

**Highlights:** Multi-universe DMX control, RDM support, Apple HomeKit integration, Fixture Cloud library, DMX FX Engine, Sound Active mode, Luminair Remote for Apple Watch

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Luminair Standard Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Luminair Pro Monthly | $19.99 | per month |
| Luminair Standard Yearly | $99.99 | per year |
| Luminair Pro Yearly | $199.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🚀 Reliable performance
- 🚀 Flexible lighting control
- 👍 Great customer support

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔒 Subscription model concerns
- 🔒 Paid updates for existing users
- 🔋 Slow network performance

**Reported bugs**

- Scenes not loading properly
- Ethernet connectivity problems
- Unexpected settings changes during use

**Requested features**

- Allow one-time purchase option
- Improve fixture profile management
- Add more advanced effects and animation
- Enhance multi-device/project workflow


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Onyx Remote free?

Onyx Remote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Luminair free?

Luminair is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Onyx Remote or Luminair?

Luminair is rated higher. Onyx Remote averages 3.9 out of 5 from 19 ratings, while Luminair averages 4.6 from 1.2K ratings.

### Do Onyx Remote or Luminair have ads?

Neither Onyx Remote nor Luminair shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Onyx Remote or Luminair?

Onyx Remote ships an update every 3 months, and Luminair fortnightly. Most recently, Onyx Remote was updated on September 25, 2026 and Luminair on October 16, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*