Back in 2013 I published two lists of mobile apps for lighting technicians and designers, one for iPhone and iPad and one for Android. I went back to check them in 2026: about half of those apps have disappeared from the stores. Here are the ones that are still available, together with newer apps worth knowing in 2026, grouped by the job they do rather than by platform, with a link to each store.
Prices are the ones shown on the US App Store in October 2026 and may change.
Gels, colour and light
Stagehand
Patrick Angle. Brings the Roscolux, GAM, Lee and Apollo swatch books together on your phone, so you can browse and compare gels without a paper swatch book. Free.
Gel Swatch Library
Crossroads Motorsport. Browse, search and compare gels from the main manufacturers. $9.99.
LightSpectrum Pro
AM PowerSoftware. Uses the camera to measure the colour temperature of a light source, without buying a dedicated meter. Not as accurate as a spectrometer, but handy for a quick check. $1.99.
LEE Swatch Book
LEE Filters. The official app with the complete range of LEE lighting filters and gels, to browse and compare colours on the go. Free.
Rosco myColor
Rosco Laboratories. Rosco’s portable colour studio: explore Roscolux and other Rosco colours and find the right filter. Free.
Lux Light Meter Pro
Marina Polyanskaya. A light meter for illuminance (lux and foot-candles) and exposure that uses the phone’s sensors. Good for a quick reading, not a substitute for a calibrated meter. Free.
Design and paperwork
ShowTool LD
Daniel Murfin. A complete set of lighting design and electrics utilities for theatre and film: beam calculations and other everyday tools in one app. $4.99.
Lightwright Touch
West Side Systems. The mobile companion to Lightwright 5 and 6: view and edit your lighting paperwork on the iPad during focus and tech. $49.99, useful only if you already work with Lightwright.
Theatre Words LE
Helitera. A theatre dictionary in English, French and German. Very useful on international tours, when you need the right word for a piece of kit in another language.
Vectorworks Nomad
Vectorworks. Open, view and mark up your Vectorworks drawings on a phone or tablet, handy for checking the plot on site. Free.
Consoles and control
MagicQ Remote Control
ChamSys. The official remote for ChamSys MagicQ consoles and MagicQ PC: walk the stage during focus and control the desk from your phone. Free.
Luminair
Synthe FX. Turns an iPhone or iPad into a DMX controller over Art-Net and sACN. Good for small rigs, tests in the workshop or as a backup. Free to download.
iRFR and aRFR
ETC. The official ETC remotes for the Eos family (Eos, Ion, Element and more), the standard tool for focus calls on an ETC desk. Free.
Titan Remote
Avolites. Works alongside an Avolites console running Titan: select fixtures, set levels and run playbacks from your phone. Free.
iHog
CCT Plus. A wireless OSC remote for Hog 4 consoles and Hog 4 PC. Not an official ETC/High End app. Free to download.
G3Link
Roger Imhof. An OSC remote for grandMA3, built for focusing without someone babysitting the console. Third-party, not made by MA Lighting.
CUEPal
James Stratford. A cross-platform cue light system over the network: one device works as the console, the others as cue lights.
Wireless DMX and LED fixtures
CRMX Toolbox
LumenRadio. Find and link your CRMX receivers and fixtures, check signal quality and manage wireless DMX from the phone. Free.
AsteraApp
Astera LED Technology. Fast control and setup of Astera battery tubes and lamps, from colour and effects to DMX settings. Free.
Sidus Link
Sidus Link. Wireless control for Aputure and amaran film lights over Bluetooth mesh. Free.
Electrics
Ohm’s Law Calc.
V. Pugazhenthi. About 60 electrical calculators with formulas and circuit diagrams, plus 16 converters: voltage, current, resistance, power and more. Free.
Electrodoc
IODEMA. Formerly ElectroDroid: a collection of electronics tools and references, from pinouts to resistor colour codes and calculators. Free, with a Pro version.
Barbizon Handbook
Barbizon Lighting. The pocket electricians’ handbook from Barbizon, with formulas, tables and references for entertainment technicians. Free.
Rigging and everyday tools
Knots 3D
Nynix. Knots shown in animated 3D, step by step, that you can rotate to see every turn. Useful for anyone who rigs, ties off cables or works with rope on stage.
Smart Tools
Venusapps. A toolkit of everyday measuring tools, construction maths and device sensors in a single app.
The ones that didn’t make it
For the record, these apps from the 2013 lists are no longer available: Lighting Handbook, iStage All Access, RW Color Picker, MyGobo by Rosco, ZWCAD Touch, Sandy, Pinouts, Electro Memory, Convert Pad, LD Tools, Stage Lighting and White Balance.