Comparison

iRFR Preview 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 Preview

This app offers a view-only display of active cue lists for lighting consoles. It's designed for professionals needing to monitor current and upcoming cues. iPad users can also take and export notes on cues.

Highlights
  • View-only cue list display
  • Monitor current and pending cues
  • Note-taking on iPad
  • Export notes to text file
  • Works on iPhone and iPad
Features
Read full description

The Preview iRFR application for the Eos family of products - Eos, Ion and Element - provides a view-only Cue List display of the active cue list. ideal for lighting designers and stage managers who need to only see current and pending cues, this application works on the iPhone, iPad Touch and iPad products. On the iPad, this application makes it possible for designers to take notes on cues, copy those notes to a text file and email them as needed.

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

iRFR Preview3 screens
ShadowMagic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ShadowMagic at 100% against iRFR Preview's 0%. ShadowMagic also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.8) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 12 months). iRFR Preview's advantage is price (Free vs $14.99) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). On ratings volume, 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 Preview is free to download; ShadowMagic costs $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 2.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of iRFR Preview's written reviews are positive against 100% of ShadowMagic's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iRFR Preview ships an update every 12 months, ShadowMagic every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
iRFR Preview versus ShadowMagic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriRFR PreviewShadowMagic
PriceFree — better$14.99
Rating2.8 (4 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 12 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
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 Preview

All ratings4 ratings
Positive25.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

ShadowMagic

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

In-app purchases

None

iRFR Preview

No in-app purchases

None

ShadowMagic

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iRFR Preview free?
iRFR Preview is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ShadowMagic free?
ShadowMagic costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iRFR Preview or ShadowMagic?
ShadowMagic is rated higher. iRFR Preview averages 2.8 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while ShadowMagic averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do iRFR Preview or ShadowMagic have ads?
Neither iRFR Preview nor ShadowMagic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iRFR Preview or ShadowMagic?
iRFR Preview ships an update every 12 months, and ShadowMagic every 3 months. Most recently, iRFR Preview was updated on October 3, 2026 and ShadowMagic on October 6, 2026.

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