Comparison

MA Remote vs irBoard Lite

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

Head to head
About

MA Remote

Control lighting consoles remotely from a mobile device. Manage moving lights, conventional lights, effects, LEDs, and video with an intuitive interface. Offers real-time feedback on intensities and positions.

Highlights
  • Remote control for grandMA consoles
  • Control moving lights, dimmers, LEDs, effects
  • Real-time intensity and position feedback
  • Compatible with grandMA1 and grandMA2
  • Configurable for various applications
Features
Read full description

The grandMA consoles are the core of the fully integrated MA system. The grandMA consoles are able to control – in the most elegant manner – moving lights, conventional lights, and effects, as well as LEDs and video. The reliable and proven operational philosophy allows a direct, flexible and intuitive way of working. As there are more and more moving lights in the market, the use of remote control units together with lighting control systems has become more and more important. The solution of using a state-of-the-art mobile device in connection with a network together with the grandMA (1 & 2) consoles is offering a number of new operating possibilities. Many important operational functions of the grandMA (1 & 2) consoles can be realized with the remote control. The MA Remote can also be easily used in connection with a grandMA onPC (1&2). Because of the bi-directional communication between grandMA and remote control it is also possible to show intensities and positions or attributes of moving lights in real-time. Features: - Convenient remote control for all important functions of the grandMA range - High distances and safe use with all grandMA consoles - Up to 2 (for grandMA1 even up to 6) remote control units can be used with each console or station - Software is available free of charge - Same software for console compatibility: one system – one operating philosophy - Completely configurable for every application: Theatre, TV, Concert Touring, Entertainment, etc. - Elegant programming and control of moving lights, dimmers, LEDs, effects and media servers - Mature software and hardware – extensively field tested – provide unmatched stability and reliability For more information and free copy of the grandMA OnPC (1 & 2) checkout our website www.malighting.com Difference to the former grandMA remote Software (V.1.005): The MA Remote software connects to both grandMA2 series consoles and grandMA1 series consoles. Connectivity to grandMA2 consoles requires grandMA2 Version 2.1 at minimum.

About

irBoard Lite

Features
Read full description

Using irBoard Lite, you can conveniently monitor the status and operation of FA equipment and IoT devices through an iPad or any other iOS device. The control device known as a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) has communication protocols. irBoard Lite communicates with PLCs via its protocol. Additionally, it has the capability to communicate effectively with IoT devices, specifically the ESP32 device at present. You don’t need additional software besides irBoard Lite because the screen editor is already included. ===================================== irBoard Lite is a limited version of irBoard. The Lite edition allows users to connect to only one project per day and the launch page only with a maximum of ten items. And importing a project is not allowed. To lift these limitations, you can either acquire an unlock item or redeem a ticket to access for four hours. ===================================== FEATURE: - You can conveniently monitor the status and operation of FA equipment and IoT devices. - Although the FA equipment has fixed touch panels installed, the irBoard Lite on iOS devices offers superior portability. - It is possible to remotely check the status of a device in PLCs. - To ensure safety, manipulating connected PLC devices is only allowed on a single iOS device. - By switching projects, you can easily connect to multiple FA machines using just one iOS device. - irBoard Lite supports the following PLCs via Ethernet connection: MITSUBISHI Electric, KEYENCE, OMRON, and YOKOGAWA Electric, and support Modbus/TCP. - It can also connect to an open-source PLC LadderDrive running on Raspberry Pi. (https://github.com/ito-soft-design/ladder_drive) - The irBoard Library for ESP32 library supports ESP32 devices.(https://github.com/ito-soft-design/irboard_esp32) - The irBoard.NET library supports Windows .NET applications.(https://github.com/ito-soft-design/irboard-dotnet) - Using the LadderDrive protocol, allows for communication with IoT devices such as ESP32 without any difficulty. - The screen editor has already been included. it is easy for you to make modifications to the pages. ===================================== --- Notes --- With irBoard Lite, you have the ability to turn devices on and off. If you require the interlocking of PLC-controlled devices, it is necessary to configure this on the PLC. To ensure safety, we suggest setting the status of such devices to read-only. You can monitor the health status to determine if the connection is stable. If the connection is lost, it’s important to take precautionary measures when operating your PLC. =====================================

Screenshots

MA Remote4 screens
irBoard Lite4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MA Remote at none against irBoard Lite's 7. MA Remote also leads on iOS requirement (4.3 vs 16.0). irBoard Lite's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 10 months). On price, ads 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

Both are free to download. irBoard Lite sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. MA Remote asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MA Remote ships an update every 10 months, irBoard Lite every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
MA Remote versus irBoard Lite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMA RemoteirBoard Lite
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.2 (16 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews39.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings16 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 10 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS4.3 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB40 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperMA Lighting Technology GmbHITO SOFT DESIGN Inc.

In-app purchases

None

MA Remote

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

irBoard Lite

One-time7
  • Can import projects.$6.99
  • Unlock IoT$59.99
  • Unlock Modbus/TCP$119.99
Show 4 more
  • Unlock MITSUBISHI$199.99
  • Unlock KEYENCE$199.99
  • Unlock Omron$199.99
  • Unlock YOKOGAWA$199.99

Questions

Is MA Remote free?
MA Remote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is irBoard Lite free?
irBoard Lite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MA Remote or irBoard Lite have ads?
Neither MA Remote nor irBoard Lite shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MA Remote or irBoard Lite?
MA Remote ships an update every 10 months, and irBoard Lite every 3 weeks. Most recently, MA Remote was updated on October 5, 2026 and irBoard Lite on October 7, 2026.

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