# Luminair vs Photon 2

Luminair and Photon 2 both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 81% of Photon 2's written reviews are positive against 36% of Luminair's. Photon 2 also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). Luminair's advantage is ratings volume (1.2K vs 72) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Luminair sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Photon 2 sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per year. 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 Photon 2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Luminair has 1.2K ratings behind it against 72, 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 81% of Photon 2's.

Luminair ships an update fortnightly, Photon 2 every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Luminair | Photon 2 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/luminair/id920440588/reviews)** | [4.5 (72 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photon-2-dmx-light-controller/id1545017671/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.2K** | 72 |
| Positive reviews | 36.2% of reviews | **80.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 1.7 GB | 46 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Synthe FX, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/285556080) | [Photon Studio](https://appshunter.io/developer/449592177) |

## 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


### Photon 2

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photon-2-dmx-light-controller/id1545017671)

This app provides a professional lighting console for controlling DMX and Philips Hue devices wirelessly. It allows users to create custom interfaces, manage lights, and synchronize effects to music for live events, performances, and filmmaking.

**Highlights:** Wireless Art-Net/sACN DMX control, Philips Hue Entertainment integration, Customizable user interface, Scene and sequence creation, Beat synchronization to music, MIDI controller support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Photon+ Founder | $29.99 | per year |
| Photon+ | $59.99 | per year |
| Starter Plan | $44.99 | one-time |
| Pro Plan | $64.99 | one-time |
| Pro Plan | $79.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Luminair free?

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

### Is Photon 2 free?

Photon 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Luminair or Photon 2?

Luminair is rated higher. Luminair averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Photon 2 averages 4.5 from 72 ratings.

### Do Luminair or Photon 2 have ads?

Neither Luminair nor Photon 2 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Luminair or Photon 2?

Luminair ships an update fortnightly, and Photon 2 every 5 weeks. Most recently, Luminair was updated on September 24, 2026 and Photon 2 on September 17, 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.*