Comparison

Luminair vs qControl

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

Head to head
About

Luminair

This professional lighting control platform offers advanced DMX and smart light management for designers, filmmakers, musicians, and artists. It supports multiple DMX universes, RDM, and HomeKit integration, allowing for complex scene creation and playback.

Highlights
  • Multi-universe DMX control
  • RDM support
  • Apple HomeKit integration
  • Fixture Cloud library
  • DMX FX Engine
  • Sound Active mode
  • Luminair Remote for Apple Watch
Features
Read full description

Luminair is a professional-grade lighting control platform that gives lighting designers, filmmakers and TV professionals, musicians, artists and other enthusiasts advanced control over DMX-enabled lights, as well as "Smart" lights via Apple HomeKit. Control any light... Luminair's Fixture Cloud library contains over 30,000 fixture profiles. Luminair 4 adds a wide range of user-requested features like multi-universe support, RDM support, user interface improvements, Universal Search, support for Apple HomeKit, and so much more. Move beyond the lighting console! Join us and see why Luminair has been setting the standard for mobile lighting control since 2008! Access all iPadOS, iOS, and macOS versions under a single subscription plan. Try it FREE for 2 weeks, with all features unlocked, and no obligation. See offer details below. Highlights: - 1 to 4 DMX Universes (512-2048 Channels, depending on Subscription level) - 1 Art-Net DMX Input Universe for creating Snapshot scene recordings from another lighting console - RDM Support over Art-Net - Works with any Art-Net or sACN E1.31 compliant DMX interface - Transmits Art-Net, sACN E1.31, and/or and KiNET over built-in Wi-Fi hardware - Supports DMX over Bluetooth with LumenRadio BLE CRMX devices, MoonLite and TimoTwo - Supports wired ethernet with 3rd-party adapters - Advanced document viewer allows you to save projects in iCloud, 3rd-party services like Creative Cloud and Dropbox, plus external disks and flash drives - LTP faders with fully-configurable scene parameters - DMX FX Engine with a Movement generator, Oscillator, Color Looping, Random Color/Intensity and more - Palette/preset based movement system allows you to control and edit movements of multiple moving lights together in unison - Sequences allow you to play back scenes with customized fade and hold times - Sound Active mode allows for music controlled light shows using the built-in microphone, or external sound sources - Innovative tap-to-bump gesture allows you to quickly bump the levels of a scene while holding it's button, releasing those levels when let go - Supports simultaneous control of DMX and HomeKit lights in the same project - Touch ID powered Lockdown mode allows you to lock specific parts of the Luminair user interface - Includes Luminair Remote for Apple Watch (on iPhone devices) - Supports various external control methods as MIDI, MIDI over Bluetooth LE and Wi-Fi, Geofences, OSC Input - Additional support for 4 Universes, Scheduling, DMX Input Triggers, iBeacons, MSC, MTC, and HomeKit Button Triggers available with Luminair Pro Subscription - 64-bit app with a scalable UI that uses the latest Apple technologies like iCloud, Core Animation, Core MIDI and more Please visit us at https://luminair.app for full details. IMPORTANT: Luminair requires external DMX or HomeKit hardware to control lights, but can also be used in an "offline" mode for building projects and as a learning tool. Access Luminair Standard or Luminair Pro with monthly or annual subscriptions. You will be automatically billed through Apple every 30 days for monthly subscriptions or every 365 days for yearly subscriptions until you cancel your subscription. The first billing will occur after the one-time free trial period of 2 weeks. Your subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Your subscription can be managed and the auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the App Store Account Settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Any unused portion of the free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription during the free trial period. Privacy Policy: https://luminair.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://luminair.app/terms

About

qControl

Control QLab audio software remotely from your iOS device. This simple application provides a streamlined interface for managing audio cues on your Mac.

Highlights
  • Remote control for QLab
  • Simple interface
  • iOS device compatibility
  • Audio cue management
Features
Read full description

Very simple app that allows the control of QLab audio software via iOS Device. Figure 53® and QLab® are registered trademarks of Figure 53, LLC. qController is not affiliated with with Figure 53, LLC and this application has not been reviewed nor is it approved by Figure 53, LLC

Screenshots

Luminair4 screens
qControl4 screens

Verdict

The call

Luminair and qControl both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 78% of qControl's written reviews are positive against 36% of Luminair's. qControl also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 14.0). Luminair's advantage is ratings volume (1.2K vs 5) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks). On price, rating and ads 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. Luminair sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. qControl asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Luminair against 4.6 for qControl. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Luminair has 1.2K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 36% of Luminair's written reviews are positive against 78% of qControl's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Luminair ships an update fortnightly, qControl every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Luminair versus qControl: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLuminairqControl
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (1.2K ratings)4.6 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews36.2% of reviews77.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.2K — better5
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS14.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.7 GB91 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSynthe FX, LLCJoel Wetzell

Customer experience

Luminair

All ratings1,172 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral2.8%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews196 reviews
Positive36.2%
Neutral9.7%
Negative54.1%

qControl

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive77.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative22.2%

Bugs and requests

Luminair

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Scenes not loading properly
  • Ethernet connectivity problems
  • Unexpected settings changes during use

Requested features

4 requests
  • Allow one-time purchase option
  • Improve fixture profile management
  • Add more advanced effects and animation
  • Enhance multi-device/project workflow

qControl

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Luminair

Subscriptions4
  • Luminair Standard Monthly14 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Luminair Pro Monthly14 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • Luminair Standard Yearly14 Days trial$99.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Luminair Pro Yearly14 Days trial$199.991 Year
None

qControl

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Luminair free?
Luminair is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is qControl free?
qControl is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Luminair or qControl?
Luminair and qControl are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1.2K and 5 ratings respectively.
Do Luminair or qControl have ads?
Neither Luminair nor qControl shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Luminair or qControl?
Luminair ships an update fortnightly, and qControl every 6 weeks. Most recently, Luminair was updated on September 24, 2026 and qControl on June 1, 2026.

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