Comparison

Duet Display vs StageLight

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

Head to head
About

Duet Display

Transform your iPad or iPhone into an advanced, lag-free extra display for your Mac or PC. Interact with your computer using touch and gestures, and unlock professional drawing capabilities with Apple Pencil support.

Highlights
  • Extra display for Mac & PC
  • Lag-free performance
  • Touch and gesture support
  • Apple Pencil integration
  • Professional drawing tools
  • Portable productivity
Read full description

#1 best-selling iPad app in US, Japan, UK, Germany, and 17 other countries! Duet turns your iPad or iPhone into the most advanced extra display for your Mac & PC. Developed by a team of ex-Apple engineers, Duet offers unparalleled performance and display quality - all with zero lag. — DO MORE — Be twice as productive by multitasking with two screens. And for those that travel, have a portable way to stay productive. — INCREDIBLY SIMPLE — To get started, plug your iPad into your desktop using your charging cable. The free Duet desktop app will automatically detect your device, and transform it into a high performance touchscreen display. There’s no need to worry about unreliable Wi-Fi, laggy performance, pixelated screens or managing network passwords. — TOUCHSCREEN — Interact with Mac & PC like never before, with touch & gestures, including two-finger scrolling, pan and zoom. And with our latest release, you can even add a touch bar to any iPad with any Mac. — PERFECT FOR APPLE PENCIL — With Duet Pro, you can turn your iPad and Apple Pencil into a professional graphics tablet. We’ve re-engineered our rendering algorithms for ultra-responsive drawing, optimized specifically for designers, illustrators and artists. Duet Pro also unlocks pressure & tilt sensitivity, hover, palm rejection, and more to seamlessly draw in the most powerful programs for professionals. Get precise control in Photoshop, Corel Painter, Lightroom, ToonBoom, Illustrator, Manga Studio and more.  — PRESS — TechCrunch - "Feels Like Magic" TIME - "Getting Work Done Faster and More Efficiently" The Guardian - "Lag-free" Forbes - "The simple thing to note is this...Duet Display works." The Verge - "Glorious Fluidity" Lifehacker - "It's fast, easy to use, and works great" Business Insider - "Zero lag and true retina resolution” Wall Street Journal - “It’s as easy as just plugging it in" — REVIEWS — “Awesome! My iPad Pro can be an extra monitor! Cool app” ~CEO of T-Mobile, John Legere “Very smooth and responsive indeed, plus you could use the touch screen to “click” on screen interfaces!” ~Photographer, Lok Cheung “Love the ability to use my iPad as a monitor with Duet.” ~Former Chief Evangelist of Apple, Guy Kawasaki “Just started using this app called Duet… Kinda love it so far.” ~Comedian and Youtube, Phillip DeFranco “All my mac folks look at the Duet app… GREAT!” ~Actor and Comedian, Sinbad  "I really like the app, I suppose the biggest compliment I can give is that it's so easy to setup it almost seems like an Apple product.” ~Early Adopter, M. Nightingale "Amazing solution for me by the way. Works as I was hoping for and actually my main reason for getting an iPad : )” ~Early Adopter, M. Gemzoe Duet Works With: All iPhones and iPads with iOS 7.0 and later All Macs with 10.9 (Mavericks) and later All PCs with Windows 7 and later Duet Pro Works With: All iPad Pros with Apple Pencil All Macs with 10.9 (Mavericks) and later All PCs with Windows 8.1 and later (64 bit) Duet Pro is an optional upgrade for additional features, and price may vary by location. Duet Pro subscriptions will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You will not be able to cancel the subscription once activated. Manage Duet Pro in Account Settings after the optional upgrade. Learn more at http://www.duetdisplay.com Terms: https://www.duetdisplay.com/help-center/duet-terms-and-conditions Privacy Policy: https://www.duetdisplay.com/help-center/duet-privacy-policy

About

StageLight

This professional lighting control app allows users to manage and control lighting fixtures via Art-Net (DMX512 over IP). It offers a flexible interface, fixture libraries, MIDI integration, and the ability to record and playback cues and cue lists.

Highlights
  • Art-Net (DMX512 over IP) control
  • Up to 10 DMX universes
  • Fixture library based on Open Fixture Library
  • MIDI controller integration
  • Record and playback Cues and Cue Lists
  • Ableton Link synchronization
  • CITP and OSC protocol support
Features
Read full description

StageLight is a professional lighting control app for the iPad based on Art-Net (DMX512 over IP). The software combines the classic hardware lighting console feeling with a modern and intuitive user interaction design. The user interface is characterized by intelligent use of available space in combination with a high level of flexibility. MULTIPLE UNIVERSES Manage and control fixtures and groups across up to 10 DMX universes. FIXTURE LIBRARY StageLight offers an extensive fixture library based on the Open Fixture Library. New additions include GDTF file import, continued support for StageLight legacy fixtures, and a fixture editor for creating and customizing your own fixtures. MIDI Connect a MIDI controller and turn StageLight into a hardware-style lighting console, or synchronize cue lists with your preferred DAW. CONTROL CHANNELS StageLight is fixture-based. You can assign a single device, a group, or a cue list to a channel across up to 200 pages. IMPORT AND EXPORT Import and export projects or custom fixtures. Project export supports selectable options for fixture patching, cue lists / effects, and settings. Additional print exports are available, including patch sheets, fixture labels, and fixture lists. Use any sharing service such as iCloud, Dropbox, or AirDrop to share projects with friends, colleagues, or between different iPads. CUES AND CUE LISTS Record cues and play them back in cue lists as sequences or chases. Various trigger and sync options are supported, including Global BPM, Ableton Link, and MIDI Clock. EFFECTS Effects in StageLight enable dynamic lighting transitions directly inside cue lists. This allows you to combine static scenes with moving or rhythm-based effects to create more vivid and flexible shows. ABLETON LINK Ableton Link is a technology that synchronizes beat, phase, and tempo between Ableton Live and other Link-enabled applications (DAWs) over the network. In StageLight, Ableton Link is used to synchronize chaser tempo. CITP StageLight uses the Controller Interface Transport Protocol (CITP) to record cues, retrieve thumbnails, and select fixtures in Capture. OSC In StageLight, you can use the Open Sound Control (OSC) protocol to control supported devices with OSC commands. CRMX & W-DMX StageLight supports LumenRadio's Bluetooth DMX protocol, enabling communication with all LumenRadio and OEM products. STAGELIGHT API The StageLight API allows external control of key functions such as cue lists, fixture channels, and tempo. It is relevant for integrations with Companion and Stream Deck and extends StageLight with flexible connectivity to external control systems.

Screenshots

Duet Display3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Duet Display at 4.4 against StageLight's 3.8. Duet Display also leads on ratings volume (49K vs 8) and device support (4 vs 1). StageLight's advantage is review sentiment (84% vs 45%) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Duet Display sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and StageLight sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Duet Display holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duet Display has 49K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 45% of Duet Display's written reviews are positive against 84% of StageLight's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Duet Display versus StageLight: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDuet DisplayStageLight
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (49K ratings) — better3.8 (8 ratings)
Positive reviews45.5% of reviews84.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings49K — better8
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro — betteriPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size57 MB32 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDuet, Inc.Marko Seifert

Customer experience

Duet Display

All ratings48,726 ratings
Positive86.2%
Neutral3.1%
Negative10.7%
Written reviews2,383 reviews
Positive45.5%
Neutral6.7%
Negative47.8%

StageLight

All ratings8 ratings
Positive62.5%
Neutral25.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive84.2%
Neutral10.5%
Negative5.3%

Bugs and requests

Duet Display

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Incompatibility with certain software and drivers
  • Laggy performance and input delays
  • Unreliable connection and frequent disconnects

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved resolution and scaling options
  • Better support for older devices and Windows
  • More customization and control over settings
  • Wireless connectivity without subscription

StageLight

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Duet Display

Subscriptions6
  • Duet Starter (Monthly)$3.991 Month
  • Duet Air (Monthly)7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Duet Pro7 Days trial$7.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Duet Starter (Annual)$39.991 Year
  • Duet Air (Annual)7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Duet Pro (Annual)7 Days trial$79.991 Year
10 purchases

StageLight

One-time10
  • Upgrade S to XL$12.99
  • Premium S$19.99
  • Upgrade L to XL$24.99
Show 7 more
  • Premium L + MIDI$29.99
  • Upgrade S to XL$34.99
  • Upgrade XL to Ultimate$34.99
  • Premium XL + MIDI + CITP$49.99
  • Upgrade L to Ultimate$59.99
  • Upgrade S to Ultimate$69.99
  • Ultimate + MIDI + CITP$79.99

Questions

Is Duet Display free?
Duet Display is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is StageLight free?
StageLight is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Duet Display or StageLight?
Duet Display is rated higher. Duet Display averages 4.4 out of 5 from 49K ratings, while StageLight averages 3.8 from 8 ratings.
Do Duet Display or StageLight have ads?
Duet Display shows ads; StageLight does not.
Which is updated more often, Duet Display or StageLight?
Duet Display ships an update every 3 weeks, and StageLight every 3 weeks. Most recently, Duet Display was updated on October 18, 2026 and StageLight on October 9, 2026.

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