# Luminair vs Stellar by ARRI

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.

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 October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Luminair | Stellar by ARRI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/luminair/id920440588/reviews)** | [4.5 (41 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stellar-by-arri/id1429030664/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.2K** | 41 |
| Positive reviews | **36.0% of reviews** | 30.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 1.7 GB | 84 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **13.1** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Synthe FX, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/285556080) | [ARRI Group](https://appshunter.io/developer/733009342) |

## What reviewers say

### Luminair

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/luminair/id920440588)

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:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Luminair Standard Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Luminair Pro Monthly | $19.99 | per month |
| Luminair Standard Yearly | $99.99 | per year |
| Luminair Pro Yearly | $199.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🚀 Reliable performance
- 🚀 Flexible lighting control
- 👍 Great customer support

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔒 Subscription model concerns
- 🔒 Paid updates for existing users
- 🔋 Slow network performance

**Reported bugs**

- Scenes not loading properly
- Ethernet connectivity problems
- Unexpected settings changes during use

**Requested features**

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


### Stellar by ARRI

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stellar-by-arri/id1429030664)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Stellar Monthly Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| Stellar Yearly Subscription | $99.99 | per year |
| Stellar Unlimited | $99.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Luminair free?

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

### Is Stellar by ARRI free?

Stellar by ARRI is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Luminair or Stellar by ARRI?

Luminair is rated higher. Luminair averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Stellar by ARRI averages 4.5 from 41 ratings.

### Do Luminair or Stellar by ARRI have ads?

Neither Luminair nor Stellar by ARRI shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Luminair or Stellar by ARRI?

Luminair ships an update fortnightly, and Stellar by ARRI every 6 weeks. Most recently, Luminair was updated on October 29, 2026 and Stellar by ARRI on October 24, 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.*