WLED Max Free Plan and Premium, Explained
What WLED Max includes for free (every feature, one light), what the one-time Premium purchase adds, and how Restore Purchases works.
The short version: the number of lights is the only thing we charge for. With one WLED light you get every feature in WLED Max, free, for as long as you use it. Premium is a one-time purchase (no subscription) that adds unlimited lights. Effects, Segment Studio, Pattern Maker, Snap a Palette, Light Alerts, Music Reactive, schedules, Circadian Mode, widgets, firmware updates and backups all work on the free plan. Things that only make sense with several lights, like groups, need Premium in practice.
This page is about our own app, which we make. If you don’t want to pay anything at all, WLED’s web interface and the free WLED Native app control any number of lights. Our comparison of WLED apps covers them.
What the free plan includes
Everything the app does, for one light:
- Live effect previews, filters, Customize, Quick Effects
- Palettes and Snap a Palette (1.1.4)
- Pattern Maker with holiday templates (1.1.4)
- Segment Studio, presets, playlists with Shuffle (1.1.4)
- Music Reactive with your phone’s microphone
- Schedule & Timer, device schedules, Circadian Mode
- Light Alerts (1.1.4), Siri and Shortcuts on iOS, the Tasker and MacroDroid plugin and the Quick Settings tile on Android
- Home screen widgets, plus a Lock Screen widget on iOS
- Device Settings, Firmware Update, Backup & Restore
- Contact Us with replies in the app
There are no ads and no account.
What Premium adds
Unlimited lights. That’s the whole difference. Premium is a one-time purchase in the App Store or Google Play, shown as “Unlock Unlimited Devices” in the app. The price appears in the store in your local currency.
With more than one light, these features become useful:
- Groups, with one power button for the whole group
- Apply to Multiple Devices for effects and presets
- Light Alerts on several lights at once
- Copy Presets Between Devices
- Music Reactive to several Target Devices
- Saving a Snap a Palette palette to several lights
How multi-light control works is in control multiple WLED devices at once.
How the free plan handles extra lights
On the free plan you can add one light. Tapping + for a second one opens the upgrade screen. If you already have more lights saved (from an older version, say, or after a refund), the first light you added stays active, and the others are locked.
They stay in your list (nothing is deleted), but you can’t control them from the app until you upgrade. Widgets pointing at a locked light show a short note instead of controls.
One rule worth knowing: on the free plan, if you remove your light and add a different one, the removed light can’t be added back for 24 hours. Removing and re-adding the same light is always allowed. This keeps the free plan to one light without making you pick perfectly the first time.
On iPhone and iPad with Sync with iCloud (1.1.4), the free plan works per device. The first light you added on each device stays active there, and lights that come from your other devices are added locked.
Restore Purchases and other devices
- Restore Purchases (in the Premium screen) brings your purchase back on a new phone or after reinstalling. It works on devices signed in to the same Apple Account (iOS) or Google account (Android).
- Sync with iCloud does not carry the purchase. Each device gets it from the App Store, so tap Restore Purchases there.
- An App Store purchase does not carry over to the Android app, and a Google Play purchase does not carry over to the iOS app. The stores don’t share purchases.
Redeem Code (1.1.4)
Got a code from us, for example from a creator video or a support reply? Version 1.1.4 adds Redeem Code next to Restore Purchases on the Premium screen, and as a row in Settings while you’re on the free plan (“Have a code? Unlock Unlimited Devices”). On iOS it opens App Store offer code redemption. On Android it opens Google Play’s redeem page.
Quick ones
No subscription, and no account. The free plan doesn’t expire, so you can try every feature on your first light before deciding.
If your one light breaks and you replace it, remove the old one and add the new one. The 24-hour rule only matters if you want the old one back.
And no, WLED Max isn’t made by the WLED project. WLED is open-source firmware (kno.wled.ge). WLED Max is an independent app and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the official WLED project. It is made by MeowScript LLC.
Moving to a new phone? This guide covers what comes along. Download links and screenshots are on the WLED Max page.