Magic Lights ES vs Ants on a Melon
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Magic Lights ES
Transform your device into a versatile light source. Enjoy dynamic disco effects, ambient lighting, and a functional flashlight. Customize colors and transitions for unique light shows.
- Flashlight functionality
- Disco-style color effects
- Soft ambient illumination
- Customizable light shows
- SOS light signal
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Magic Lights is the all-in-one light machine for your iPhone. It delivers flashlight, disco-style colors, soft ambient illumination — you name it. Magic Lights provides full control over the display colors and the LED photo light (if your device has one). Features: * Disco lights * Smooth ambient color changes * Flashlight (uses LED photo light if present) * SOS light (uses LED photo light if present) * Create your own light shows in a range of great colors and transition styles. TIPS: - Best effect in a darkened room - Turn your display brightness to the maximum in the iPhone's settings. - Turn the display towards a white wall for indirect illumination - Allow Magic Lights access to the back light (iPhone Settings -> Privacy -> Camera) WARNING: - Don't use if you are sensitive to light effects - Prolonged use of your phone's photo light will drain the battery quickly. - Prolonged use of your phone's photo light might cause temporary automatic disabling of the photo light to prevent overheating. NOTE: This free version is fully functional, but ad-sponsored. If you don't like to see ads and have a spare buck, consider getting Magic Lights Deluxe instead.
Ants on a Melon
Design and control custom lighting sequences for a Bluetooth-enabled color-changing flashlight. Create dynamic effects, adjust colors and brightness, and save favorite looks for performances, photography, or costuming.
- Adjust colors, brightness, and strobe
- Design dynamic lighting sequences
- Organize looks into playlists
- Access a library of presets
- Build custom modes with 8 effects
- Wireless control up to 20 meters
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Take total control of your RGB Critter BT color-changing flashlight with the Ants on a Melon app. Built for flow artists, light painters, photographers, and creative performers, the app makes it easy to design stunning lighting sequences and effects for shows, performances, long-exposure photography, and costuming. Use Bluetooth to adjust colors, brightness, strobe, and dynamic effects with intuitive color pickers and responsive controls. Organize your favorite looks into playlists, choose from a wide library of presets, or build your own custom modes with 8 dynamic effects and adjustable speed. A Universal Settings page lets you fine-tune autoplay, strobe intensity, brightness, and more. Users love how easy and fun it is to create and switch modes, praising the intuitive interface, huge color options, and smooth wireless control that enhances both flow art and light painting workflows. Wirelessly control the RGB Critter BT from up to 20 meters away, letting you tweak your visuals on the fly without interrupting your performance. Whether you’re building a vibrant light show for a festival, crafting long-exposure art, or matching colors to costumes and props, the Ants on a Melon app lets your creativity shine with precision and ease.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Ants on a Melon at 100% against Magic Lights ES's 36%. Ants on a Melon also leads on rating (4.9 vs 2.5) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 26 months). Magic Lights ES's advantage is ratings volume (74 vs 19) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 17.0). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Ants on a Melon holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 74 and 19 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of Magic Lights ES's written reviews are positive against 100% of Ants on a Melon's.
Magic Lights ES ships an update every 26 months, Ants on a Melon every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 22, 2026.
| Parameter | Magic Lights ES | Ants on a Melon |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.5 (74 ratings) | 4.9 (19 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 36.5% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 74 — better | 19 |
| Update frequency | Every 26 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 16 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | TLogic.de | Ants on a Melon, Inc. |
Customer experience
Magic Lights ES
Ants on a Melon
Bugs and requests
Magic Lights ES
Reported bugs
7 issues- Crashes on editing shows
- Crashes when trying to play shows
- App freezes on edit button
- App crashes before opening
- Stopped working after update
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- Button names not visible
- App won't open after update
Requested features
5 requests- More options for light effects
- Update LED for colored spots
- Sleep timer
- Add patterns or gradients
- Improve brightness
Ants on a Melon
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Magic Lights ES
No in-app purchases
Ants on a Melon
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Magic Lights ES free?
Is Ants on a Melon free?
Which has better reviews, Magic Lights ES or Ants on a Melon?
Do Magic Lights ES or Ants on a Melon have ads?
Which is updated more often, Magic Lights ES or Ants on a Melon?
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