What HitLight cannot do
HitLight does not run on Windows and has no Linux build. The browser app cannot output DMX on any platform. Hardware output requires the Mac app on macOS 14 or later, and HitLight is public beta software. Here is the whole list, before you download anything.
Everything below is rendered from the same fact file the in-app FAQ and our machine-readable fact sheet read from, so this page cannot say something different from the rest of the site. If a limit is not here and it matters to you, it is an oversight rather than a secret — the address for that is at the bottom.
Does HitLight run on Windows?
No. HitLight does not run on Windows. The app that drives your lights is macOS only and requires macOS 14 or later. Anyone on any platform can use the browser app to design a rig, build scenes and watch them in 3D, but it cannot output DMX. Windows support is the most requested thing on our list and has no announced date.
Can the browser app control real lights?
No. The HitLight browser app authors shows, visualises them in 3D and acts as a remote for a Mac that is connected to the rig. Hardware output over USB, Art-Net and sACN happens only in the macOS app. Everything you build in the browser is ready to go live the moment you open it on the Mac.
Is there a Linux version?
No. There is no Linux build of HitLight. The browser app works on Linux for authoring and 3D visualisation, but it cannot output DMX.
Does HitLight work offline?
Not fully. Internet access is required for account sync, collaboration and AI features. Offline recovery is being tested during the beta and is not yet promised.
Is HitLight finished?
No. HitLight is public beta software. Features, quotas, file formats and availability may change, and it ships without an uptime guarantee. Assistant usage is capped while we validate cost.
What will Auto Show not do?
Auto Show drives colour, intensity, a steady open shutter and eligible movement. It will not drive lasers, flashing strobes, blinders, UV, smoke, haze, fans, flame, pyro, fixture macros or unverified effect channels. Those channel types are removed from every automatic path in code.
Can Auto Show listen to anything other than the room?
Not in v1. Auto Show uses the Mac's system-default microphone as its only audio source. There is no line-in, no DJ-software integration and no track pre-analysis.
Which HitLight app can actually control lights?
The Mac app, and only the Mac app. HitLight ships three clients and they share one show, but DMX output over USB, Art-Net and sACN happens in the native macOS app alone. The browser app and the iOS remote author, visualise and remote-control that Mac. This table is the whole distinction in one place.
| Client | Requires | Outputs DMX? | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mac app | macOS 14 or later | Yes — over USB, Art-Net or sACN. | The native macOS app is the only HitLight client that outputs DMX to real lighting hardware. It runs the engine, drives the rig, and hosts Auto Show. |
| Browser app | Any modern browser | No — authoring, 3D visualisation and remote control only. | The browser app patches fixtures, builds scenes, visualises the rig on a 3D stage and acts as a remote for a Mac that is connected to the hardware. The HitLight browser app cannot output DMX. |
| iOS remote | iPhone or iPad, via TestFlight | No — authoring, 3D visualisation and remote control only. | The iOS app is a remote: it follows show and Auto Show status, fires cues and virtual-console widgets, and can issue Stop or Blackout. It does not output DMX. |
So what does HitLight actually do well?
HitLight programs lighting scenes from plain-English descriptions for the fixtures you have patched, and can run a rig live from the music in the room through the Mac's microphone. Underneath that sits an ordinary console: a matrix scene editor, cue lists with GO and BACK, a multi-track timeline, reusable palettes, a virtual console and MIDI learn. The assistant is optional and you can take over at any moment.
If none of the limits above disqualify you, download the Mac beta. If one of them does, choosing DMX software is an honest comparison of the alternatives, including the cases where one of them is the better tool. For anyone on Windows or Linux today, QLC+ is genuinely free, genuinely capable, and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux.
Why publish a page about your own limits?
Because you will find out anyway, and the order matters. Volunteering a constraint before someone signs up reads as credibility; discovering the same constraint afterwards becomes a complaint thread, and that thread outranks anything we write. The largest lighting subreddit banned self-promotion in June 2026 citing "a massive influx of vibe coded apps" — a market that has been overclaimed at will trust a checkable negative over any amount of enthusiasm.
It is also the only version of this page we can keep honest. Free during the public beta, with no credit card. Launch pricing has not been announced. Features, quotas and availability move during a beta, so this list is dated, versioned in the same file as every other product fact, and updated when the software changes rather than when the marketing does.
What if the limit that matters to you is not listed?
Tell us and we will add it. Send the specifics — your macOS version, your interface, the fixture or the workflow that did not work — to support@hitlight.app. Requests for Windows are counted; they are the most requested thing on our list and still have no announced date, and we would rather say that plainly than imply a timeline we cannot keep.
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Still a fit? Try it on your own rig
Patch your fixtures, describe the look you want, and watch it on the 3D stage before you connect anything — or buy anything.
Free during the public beta, with no credit card. Launch pricing has not been announced. Requires macOS 14 or later for hardware output.