# StageTools vs Digital Gel

The clearest difference is price: StageTools at Free against Digital Gel's $3.99. Digital Gel's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

StageTools is free to download; Digital Gel costs $3.99 up front. StageTools sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Digital Gel asks for nothing beyond the download.

StageTools ships an update every 2 weeks, Digital Gel every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | StageTools | Digital Gel |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $3.99 |
| Rating | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stagetools/id6760953336/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **3** | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 87 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [X0 Lighting Control Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1886615494) | [TIMO TAPIO HAAPASAARI](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896692908) |

## What reviewers say

### StageTools

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stagetools/id6760953336)

A comprehensive lighting toolkit for professionals, offering network scanning, DMX inspection, fixture testing, and plot creation. Manage fixture data, files, and notes without needing a laptop, with many tools available offline.

**Highlights:** Network device scanning, DMX viewer for sACN/ArtNet, Micro console for fixture testing, Protocol detector, LTC timecode generation/reception, Curve builder, Quick plot creation, Scout notes with multimedia

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| StageTools Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| StageTools Annual | $39.99 | per year |


### Digital Gel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/digital-gel/id6787510387)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is StageTools free?

StageTools is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Digital Gel free?

Digital Gel costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do StageTools or Digital Gel have ads?

Neither StageTools nor Digital Gel shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, StageTools or Digital Gel?

StageTools ships an update every 2 weeks, and Digital Gel every 3 weeks. Most recently, StageTools was updated on October 3, 2026 and Digital Gel on October 5, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*