WLED vs POL emulator
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
POL emulator
Visualize permanent outdoor lighting on your home without installing any lights. This app allows users to preview designs with various animation modes and themes, and export professional previews. It's ideal for both homeowners and professional installers.
- Preview permanent outdoor lighting
- Tablet-optimized workspace
- Phone-friendly flexibility
- Static, Chase, Fade, Twinkle animations
- Holiday, sports, school themes
- Export professional PDF previews
- Save and reload multiple designs
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POL emulator – Permanent Outdoor Light Emulator Preview permanent outdoor lighting on your home – no lights required! Whether you’re a professional installer working from a tablet, or a homeowner curious about how lights would look on your house, POL emulator makes it simple. Optimized for iPad for large-screen precision, and just as effective on iPhone for quick edits in the field. Key Features Tablet-Optimized Workspace – Snap rooflines and preview lighting designs with precision on iPad. Phone-Friendly Flexibility – Plan and preview lighting designs from anywhere, anytime on your iPhone. Lighting Preview Modes – Switch between Static, Chase, Fade and Twinkle animations. Themes Library – Apply holiday, sports team, or school colors instantly. Export & Share – Create and export professional PDF with estimated footage and lighting preview. Saved Designs – Store multiple lighting projects and reload them whenever you need. Who It’s For Installers: Design professional layouts, prepare proposals, and export polished spec sheets. Homeowners: Thinking about getting permanent outdoor lights? Preview how they’ll look on your home before making a decision. Why Choose POL emulator? Use your iPad at home or in the office for detailed editing. Use your iPhone in the field for quick changes or presentations. No hardware required—just upload or take a photo of your house. Perfect for both professional planning and fun experimentation. POL emulator gives you the power to design, preview, and share your permanent outdoor lighting projects—right from your device. Download POL emulator today and light up your imagination! ——— SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION A 3-day free trial is included, after which the subscription renews automatically at $3.99/month unless cancelled. POLe Monthly: $3.99/month (auto-renewing) Includes: - Unlimited projects & saved designs - Re-load previously saved designs - Unlimited PDF exports - Create new designs all year long! Privacy Policy: https://dadsdiytx.wordpress.com/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use: https://dadsdiytx.wordpress.com/pole-app-terms-of-use/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: POL emulator at 5.0 against WLED's 3.5. POL emulator also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). WLED's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (12 vs 2). 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
Both are free to download. POL emulator sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per month. WLED asks for nothing beyond the download.
POL emulator holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: WLED has 12 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
WLED ships an update every 2 months, POL emulator weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | WLED | POL emulator |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (12 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 12 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 40 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Christophe Gagnier | James Clawson |
Customer experience
WLED
POL emulator
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
POL emulator
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
WLED
No in-app purchases
POL emulator
- POLe Monthly3 Days trial$3.991 Month









