# Luminair vs Blackout Next

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Blackout Next at 100% against Luminair's 36%. Blackout Next also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Luminair's advantage is ratings volume (1.2K vs 21) and device support (5 vs 1). On price, update cadence, 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 Blackout Next sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Blackout Next holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Luminair has 1.2K ratings behind it against 21, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of Luminair's written reviews are positive against 100% of Blackout Next's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and June 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Luminair | Blackout Next |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/luminair/id920440588/reviews) | **[5.0 (21 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blackout-next/id6475490278/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.2K** | 21 |
| Positive reviews | 36.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 1.7 GB | 398 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Synthe FX, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/285556080) | [Blackout Lighting Console LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1635074667) |

## 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


### Blackout Next

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blackout-next/id6475490278)

This professional lighting console app offers an intuitive interface for controlling DMX, Art-Net, and sACN lighting systems. It features a vast cloud fixture database, custom fixture creation, and a robust multi-cuelist platform for organizing lighting looks.

**Highlights:** Cloud Fixture Database, Custom Fixture Creation, Intuitive Fixture Controls, Multi-Cuelist Platform, Dynamic Effects Engine, MIDI Support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Basic Plan | $799.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Luminair free?

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

### Is Blackout Next free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Luminair or Blackout Next?

Blackout Next is rated higher. Luminair averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Blackout Next averages 5.0 from 21 ratings.

### Do Luminair or Blackout Next have ads?

Neither Luminair nor Blackout Next shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Luminair or Blackout Next?

Luminair ships an update fortnightly, and Blackout Next fortnightly. Most recently, Luminair was updated on September 24, 2026 and Blackout Next on June 26, 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.*