Comparison

Plotly vs Patch Assist

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

Head to head
About

Plotly

Features
Read full description

Need a stage plot and input list for your next gig? Plotly lets you drag your band's gear onto a stage diagram, list every channel, and send one tech-rider PDF to the house engineer — right from your iPhone. Add vocals, guitars and other instruments, drag them into position, fill in your inputs and tap Make Stage Plot PDF. The plot comes first, followed by the input list. • DRAG-AND-DROP STAGE — place up to 24 markers on a stage canvas seen from the audience, with the front of the stage at the bottom and upstage marked. • INSTRUMENT TYPES — vocal, guitar, bass, drums, keys, brass/horns, DJ, monitor or other, each with its own name you can rename. • INPUT LIST — up to 48 channels with channel number, input name, mic or DI, and notes (e.g. "Ch 7 Ā· Lead Vox Ā· SM58 Ā· wireless"). • ONE TECH PDF — stage plot and input list together in a single US Letter PDF, with your band name and show or venue in the header. • QUICK EDITS — reset the layout, remove a marker or reorder channels in seconds. Print with AirPrint, share the PDF with the venue or save it to Files. Everything is made on your iPhone — no account, no sign-up. Your first 3 stage plots are free. A one-time $4.99 unlock gives you unlimited stage plots and input lists. No subscription, no ads. Questions: overlapmarr@gmail.com

About

Patch Assist

Features
Read full description

Patch Assist is a fast, clear helper for anyone working with stage lighting — technicians, LDs and DIY users. It works offline, with no accounts and no data collection. PATCH CALCULATOR • Patch fixtures one by one by channel count • Automatic roll-over across universe boundaries • Addresses shown as universe.address • Overlap (conflict) warnings for clashing addresses • Name, edit and bulk-add fixtures • Save patches inside the app GDTF SHARE (optional) • Sign in with your gdtf-share.com account and pick fixtures from the catalog • Channel count and mode fill in automatically • Favorites and recently used fixtures at hand EXPORT • Patch list to PDF or JPG with an event header • Share the usual way (Files, email, AirDrop, Photos) DIP SWITCH CALCULATOR • Convert a DMX address to DIP switch positions and back, live • Flip the block to match your real device English and Czech. For iPhone and iPad.

Screenshots

Plotly3 screens
Patch Assist4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Patch Assist at none against Plotly's 1. On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Plotly sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Patch Assist asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
Plotly versus Patch Assist: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlotlyPatch Assist
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 daysEvery 3 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJhomar MaravillasKrystof Havlik

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Plotly

One-time1
  • Unlock Unlimited$4.99
None

Patch Assist

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Plotly free?
Plotly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Patch Assist free?
Patch Assist is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Plotly or Patch Assist have ads?
Neither Plotly nor Patch Assist shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Plotly or Patch Assist?
Plotly ships an update every 3 days, and Patch Assist every 3 days. Most recently, Plotly was updated on October 13, 2026 and Patch Assist on October 11, 2026.

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