Luminair vs Stellar by ARRI
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Multi-universe DMX control
- RDM support
- Apple HomeKit integration
- Fixture Cloud library
- DMX FX Engine
- Sound Active mode
- Luminair Remote for Apple Watch
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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
Stellar by ARRI
This app simplifies professional lighting control for film and studio productions. It automates complex DMX settings, offers intuitive interfaces for color adjustments, and seamlessly connects ARRI and third-party fixtures. Organize setups, manage fixtures, and create custom looks with ease.
- Project and scene organization
- Automatic fixture discovery (RDM)
- Auto Layout for DMX management
- Advanced color control (CCT, HSI, RGBW, x,y)
- Fixture grouping and control
- Import light plot diagrams
- Export/Import projects and scenes
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ARRI is improving Stellar since its introduction, closely follow technology developments and users’ feedback of this intelligent app for professional lighting control. Stellar reimagines lighting control by automatically managing complex DMX settings and by featuring control interfaces with stunning graphic design. Programmed intelligence and advanced communication make connecting ARRI LED fixtures and third party fixtures to the app simple and straightforward. Features: - Create projects and scenes to organize your lighting setups - Automatic discovery of ARRI fixtures using RDM - Auto Layout (automatically manages DMX modes and addresses) - Unique and beautiful user interfaces for all color modes - Control CCT, HSI, RGBW, x,y Coordinates, Gel Selection, Source Matching and Lighting Effects - Select gel and source matching colors for the L-Series - Import a light plot diagram to visually layout fixtures - Advanced color gamut selection in x,y Coordinates - Group fixtures to control them at the same time - Favorites to store a custom color or lighting effect - Look creation to store scene color settings - Live Sync - Export/Import projects, scenes, & favorites - iCloud backup - Change settings of fixtures - Control the master intensity of all fixtures - Multi-Select fixtures - Advanced search and sort functions - Quickly identify fixtures via RDM - Handles Art-Net compliant nodes and complex DMX networks - Assign names to fixture for easy referencing - Works on iPhones and iPads Stellar is the perfect app to quickly and easily control ARRI and third party lights in small to mid size studio as well as while on set. Whether a large film with many scenes and setups or a small project with just a few fixtures, Stellar is built to work in all scenarios. With a long list of feature additions already implemented and planned, Stellar is growing into a fully featured lighting control platform. Stellar is the “go-to” application for controlling fixtures as it seamlessly integrates functionality with great design making the task of adjusting lights effortless. Preview: https://youtu.be/JmGP9tzg-X8 Compatibility: Works with iPhones (5.5” and up) and iPads (9.7” and up), iOS 11 and up Art-Net Gateways: SkyLink, SkyPanel (FW 4.1 and up), ENTTEC, Luminex Stellar Unlimited: Test and work with all features of Stellar, it is free of charge for five fixture. Get unlimited access with a one-time payment. Privacy Policy: https://www.arri.com/en/privacy EULA: http://www.arri.com/corporate/about_arri/legal/end_user_license_agreement/ ©2022 Arnold & Richter Cine Technik GmbH & Co. Betriebs KG. All ARRI trademarks and copyrights used herein are the property of the ARRI. All rights reserved.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Stellar by ARRI at free with in-app purchases against Luminair's subscription. Luminair's advantage is ratings volume (1.2K vs 41) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks). On price, rating, review sentiment 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
Both are free to download. Luminair sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Stellar by ARRI sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Luminair against 4.5 for Stellar by ARRI. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Luminair has 1.2K ratings behind it against 41, 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 31% of Stellar by ARRI's.
Luminair ships an update fortnightly, Stellar by ARRI every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and August 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Luminair | Stellar by ARRI |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (1.2K ratings) — better | 4.5 (41 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 36.2% of reviews — better | 30.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.2K — better | 41 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 13.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.7 GB | 84 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Synthe FX, LLC | ARRI Group |
Customer experience
Luminair
Stellar by ARRI
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
Stellar by ARRI
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Luminair
- Luminair Standard Monthly14 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Luminair Pro Monthly14 Days trial$19.991 Month
- Luminair Standard Yearly14 Days trial$99.991 Year
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- Luminair Pro Yearly14 Days trial$199.991 Year
Stellar by ARRI
- Stellar Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Stellar Yearly Subscription14 Days trial$99.991 Year
- Stellar Unlimited$99.99
Questions
Is Luminair free?
Is Stellar by ARRI free?
Which has better reviews, Luminair or Stellar by ARRI?
Do Luminair or Stellar by ARRI have ads?
Which is updated more often, Luminair or Stellar by ARRI?
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