Lightkey pairs professional DMX lighting control with a polished, Mac-style experience, popular with musicians, churches, and clubs. It focuses on lighting and is known for being approachable.
| Capability | Relackout | Lightkey |
|---|---|---|
| Lighting + audio in one app | check_circle Yes — built in | No |
| Smart lights (Tuya IoT) as fixtures | check_circle Yes | No |
| Custom touch mixer surface (software) | check_circle Yes | Live view (fixed) |
| Mobile remote over local network (PIN) | check_circle Yes | Companion app |
| Easy to use — fast to learn | check_circle Designed for it | Varies |
| Frequent updates — active development | check_circle Yes | Varies |
| DMX output — Art-Net + USB DMX | check_circle Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | check_circle macOS · Windows | macOS · Windows |
| Licensing | check_circle Yearly license | Paid (license) |
You want a polished, lighting-only app and are primarily on macOS.
Yes. Like Lightkey, Relackout patches fixtures and outputs DMX over Art-Net and USB DMX. Relackout additionally includes built-in audio playback, Tuya smart-light control, a multi-layer effect engine, and a custom touch mixer with mobile remote — in one supported application.
Lightkey is mac-first lighting control. Relackout adds music playback, Tuya smart devices, a fully custom touch-driven mixer surface, and a PIN-protected mobile remote over the local network, so lights and audio run from one app.
Yes. Relackout includes a multi-channel music library (MP3/WAV, playlists) and master audio control alongside lighting, plus Tempo & BPM, MIDI, and OSC — all included in every plan.
Yes. Relackout uses a touch-first, approachable UI built to get you running shows quickly — from clubs and bars to concerts and theatres — and it is actively developed with frequent updates.
