LightAct vs MapMap
LightAct
lightact.comMapMap
mapmapteam.github.ioSide by side
| Figure | LightAct | MapMap |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 4 | 2 |
| Spec score · Projection Mapping Software | 8.2 (#6) | 8.4 (#5) |
| Support | Bronze support includes ticketed email support with a 72-hour response time, public Discord channels, and LightAct Answerhub; response times apply during business hours unless agreed otherwise. | Users can report problems or suggest enhancements by opening a GitHub issue; the page also lists a mailing list, IRC channel, and email contact. |
Plans
LightAct
- CreatorFree
- Easy Perpetual Upgrade€295, paid once
- Easy Perpetual€1,770, paid once
- Live PerpetualPriced on request
In their own words
LightAct
LightAct combines software and hardware for live events and immersive fixed installations, including projection mapping. Its Layer Layouts support video and audio playback, conditional logic, and messaging with third-party apps. The 3D mapping workflow includes camera-projector calibration and manual warping and blending. Multi-server clusters can distribute workloads and synchronize frame by frame. Integrations include Notch blocks, TouchDesigner components, and Unreal Engine; content I/O includes Deltacast, Blackmagic, DirectShow-compatible sources, NDI, Spout, and Unreal Texture Share. Network messaging supports OSC, TCP, UDP, and TUIO, and the software supports third-party camera and object tracking. Its customizable WebUI runs in a browser but is available only on LightAct servers. LightAct is self-hosted on Windows; minimum requirements include Windows 10 or later, a discrete Nvidia graphics card, and at least 8 GB of RAM. The free Creator plan unlocks all features and unlimited outputs, but outputs are watermarked. Easy Perpetual costs €1,770, paid once; the Live Perpetual price is available by request. LightAct does not support sending or receiving interlaced video streams.
MapMap
MapMap is projection mapping software for placing video and other media onto surfaces selected by the user. It is aimed at artists and small teams and runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows. Mapping shapes include quads or meshes, triangles, and ellipses. The media library supports video, still images, animated GIFs, color paints or masks, and webcams on Linux. Preferred containers include MOV, AVI, MP4, OGG, and OGV, with listed codecs including Motion-JPEG or Photo-JPEG, MPEG4, and Apple Pro Res 422. Layers can be shown or hidden, isolated, locked, duplicated, deleted, and rearranged. Projects use the .mmp extension and XML format. OpenSoundControl can change source files, opacity, visibility, and volume, although it is unsupported on macOS. MapMap is free, open source under GNU GPL v3, and offers GitHub issues, mailing-list, IRC, and email support.