WLED vs Pixelcade
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
WLED
Control and manage all your WLED light devices from your iPhone or iPad. This companion app works with the open-source WLED software for microcontrollers, offering automatic device detection, customizable names, and software update assistance.
- Automatic device detection
- Centralized light list
- Software update assistant
- Customizable device names
- Hide or delete devices
- Light and dark mode
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With the WLED app, you can easily and efficiently manage and control all your WLED light devices from your iPhone or iPad. This is a companion app for the free and open source WLED software for ESP8266/32 microcontrollers. WLED automatically detects and updates the device list, and offers customizable names, a hide or delete feature, and a light and dark mode. It can also help you install new software updates to your devices. Plus, it supports both phones and tablets. Main Features: - Automatic device detection (mDNS) - All lights are accessible from one list - Software Update Assistant - Custom names - Hide or delete devices - Light and dark mode
Pixelcade
This companion app allows users to manage their Pixelcade LED and LCD marquees. Browse, update, and change settings for your marquee artwork and access widgets. Connect wirelessly over Wi-Fi for a seamless experience.
- Browse Pixelcade artwork
- Update marquee artwork
- Change marquee settings
- Access Pixelcade widgets (LED only)
- Wi-Fi connectivity
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The Pixelcade Companion App enhances your experience with Pixelcade LED and LCD marquees by allowing you to browse Pixelcade artwork, update artwork, change settings, and access Pixelcade widgets (LED only). Connect seamlessly to your Pixelcade marquee over Wi-Fi, ensuring both devices are on the same network. Please note, Pixelcade LED software version 5.8 or higher is required for Pixelcade LED marquees. Learn more about Pixelcade arcade marquees at http://pixelcade.org.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Pixelcade at every 8 days against WLED's every 2 months. WLED's advantage is ratings volume (10 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.0 for WLED against 4.0 for Pixelcade. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: WLED has 10 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
WLED ships an update every 2 months, Pixelcade every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on August 12, 2026 and July 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | WLED | Pixelcade |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (10 ratings) | 4.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 10 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 8 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Christophe Gagnier | OPEN GADGETS LLC |
Customer experience
WLED
Pixelcade
Bugs and requests
WLED
Reported bugs
42 issues- Unable to connect to LEDs
- Lights randomly turn on
- Connectivity issues, needs re-pairing
- App doesn't work, glitchy
- Brightness control issues
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- Lights flicker after update
- Cannot find discover lights option
- Not connected to iPhone, setup issues
- App won't load, vanishes
- None of my devices show up
- Shows up blank, manual add only
- No longer finds WLED devices
- App doesn't work, no devices showing
- Confusing app, turns off
- App is unusable after update, errors
- App stopped picking up signal
- Only connects when at home
- Doesn't pick up esp8266
- Sound react option missing
- Time and macros section not working
- Update won't update
- Goes offline from time to time
- Update breaks app, beta works
- Drops connection, cannot adjust lights
- Latest release freezes, unstable wifi
- Loading WLED UI stuck
- Inconsistent connection after new update
- Lost all config after update
- Lost all presets after update
- Devices missing and disappearing
- Update ruined everything, random disconnects
- App constantly crashes, won't load
- Stopped working after update
- New upgrade feature killed device
- Inconsistent, can't find boards
- Cannot connect lights, IP address doesn't work
- Missing schedule function
- App doesn't work at all
- Doesn't work properly with WLED 0.14
- App won't allow changing anything, freezes
- Hidden devices reappear
- App goes offline and never connects again
Requested features
6 requests- User-friendly interface
- Simple interface with advanced option
- Widget features for Home Screen
- Sound react option
- Remote control when away from WiFi
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Timer or schedule function
Pixelcade
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
WLED
No in-app purchases
Pixelcade
No in-app purchases
