Pixel mapping software, compared for permanent installs
Choosing software for a facade, a bridge or a permanent feature is not the same as picking a tool for a live show. Nobody is in the room, it has to run for years, and the failure mode is a dark building the client sees every night. Here is how ELM and the field stack up through that lens.
The comparison at a glance
Rows are the software; columns are the criteria that decide a permanent install. Live-performance strengths are noted honestly, but they are not the axis being scored. Competitor figures are from each vendor's own current published pages.
| Software | Licensing | Dongle | Max universes | No-PC playback | Platform | Entry price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENTTEC ELM Best fit | Perpetual, capacity packs | No | 32,768 per protocol, one instance | Yes, via S-PLAY | Windows | Free, then $250 / $1,999 |
| Madrix 5 | Perpetual, tiered | Yes, MADRIX KEY USB | 2,048 per license | No | Windows | Quote via reseller |
| Resolume Arena | Per machine, 12mo updates | Optional | ~256 per IP (Art-Net) | No | Windows, macOS | EUR 799 |
| Chromateq PIXXEM | Key / hardware unlock | Key-based | 3,072 | Varies | Win, macOS, Linux | Not public |
| LED Strip Studio 4 | Licensed, free trial | No | 200,000+ pixels | Varies | Windows, macOS | Not public |
| Lightjams | Perpetual, license file | No | 256 | No | Windows | $125 to $450 |
| TouchDesigner | Licensed / free non-commercial | No | Build-your-own | No | Windows, macOS | Free (NC) / $600 |
| Pharos | Hardware-centric, free software | No | Controller-defined | Yes, solid-state | Win, macOS (software) | Hardware-priced |
| Nicolaudie | Perpetual / standalone hardware | Varies | Varies | Yes, Stick / SLESA | Windows, macOS | Varies |
Universe and pixel ceilings are a rough proxy for how large an install a tool can drive, not the whole story. A tool that maps beautifully but needs a PC left running forever can still be the wrong choice for an unattended site.
The criteria that actually decide it
A checklist a specifier can lift straight into a spec document, each explained by why it bites specifically on a permanent, unattended job.
Licensing and its failure modes
A USB dongle is a physical single point of failure in a rack: lose it or have it fail and the facade goes dark until a replacement ships. A software license that re-activates without hardware removes that risk.
Cost over the life of the install
Look past sticker price to scaling tiers, add-on output costs, the always-on PC each tool needs, and whether the license survives an OS reinstall or a PC swap years later.
Universe headroom, in one instance
Enough ceiling to grow without re-platforming. ELM reaches 32,768 universes per protocol in a single integrated instance; scaling by stitching several separate licenses together, as some tools require, is harder to manage on a complex site.
Unattended 24/7 reliability
What runs the show when nobody is in the room. A PC-driven mapper is fine for a staffed venue but fragile for a facade. ELM hands the finished show to an S-PLAY for true no-PC playback.
Integrated monitoring and device management
RDM monitoring (voltage, temperature, status) and device management from the same tool, so you know a fixture is failing before the client does. ELM 2026 builds this in; Madrix does it through separate, separately-licensed software (RADAR).
Patching speed on real geometry
How fast you lay out strips over an irregular facade and change it later. In ELM you draw a line per strip and set the pixels on it, then edit any time, often the difference between a half-day and a two-day commission.
ELM 2026 versus Madrix: how close it now is
Madrix is the tool this page's readers most often weigh ELM against. The historic reasons to choose it over ELM have narrowed sharply in 2026.
| Capability | ENTTEC ELM 2026 | Madrix 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Patching workflow | Draw strips on screen, edit pixels-per-strip any time | Fixture and matrix patch editor |
| Pixel mapping | 2D and 3D, deep content engine, NDI/Spout video in | 2D and 3D voxel mapping |
| Effect / layer stacking | Yes, layer stacks (2026) | Yes, long-standing strength |
| Audio / beat detection | Yes (2026) | Yes, audio-reactive |
| RDM monitoring + device mgmt | Integrated in the app | Separate software (RADAR), separately licensed |
| Max universes | 32,768 per protocol, one instance | 2,048 per license |
| Licensing | Perpetual, no dongle, free to start | Perpetual, USB dongle, quote-priced |
| Install base and references | ~10,000 licenses in the field | The deepest reference-project library |
The practical takeaway: effect stacking and integrated monitoring, the two places Madrix used to lead, are matched or bettered in ELM 2026, while ELM leads on patching speed, single-instance universe ceiling, and licensing. With roughly 10,000 licenses already in the field, ELM is not a challenger. For a new permanent install, the differences are small enough that the free, no-dongle, single-vendor case is hard to argue with.
Where each tool genuinely wins
Fair is the point. A comparison that only flatters ELM is worth nothing to a specifier.
- Madrix has the deepest architectural case-study library in the category and mature 2D and 3D tools. If you want the software most integrators already recognise, it is Madrix.
- Resolume Arena is unmatched for live generative video and projection mapping. For a club, a stage, or a live media-server job, it is the right tool and ELM is not competing for that work.
- TouchDesigner is effectively limitless for bespoke generative content if you have the developer time. It is a platform, not a turnkey mapper.
- Chromateq PIXXEM is genuinely cross-platform (Windows, macOS, Linux, Raspberry Pi) and touchscreen-oriented, which suits some commercial control jobs well.
- Lightjams is built for interactivity (MIDI, OSC, audio, Spout/NDI) and excels at reactive and performance work at its scale.
- Pharos and Nicolaudie are strong turnkey architectural control platforms with proper standalone, no-PC playback, well proven for control-led jobs without heavy pixel mapping.
Where ELM fits, and where it does not
ELM (ENTTEC LED Mapper) is built for exactly this case: permanent and semi-permanent LED pixel installs, from a single strip to a whole building.
Where it honestly is not the answer: ELM is Windows only today, and it is a pixel-mapping and architectural-playback platform, not a projection-mapping media server. For mapping video onto complex 3D building surfaces or running a primary live projection show, dedicated tools still lead. ELM does accept NDI and Spout video in, so the two can work together. Full scale is paid (tiers plus universe packs), though still no dongle.
A short worked example: scoping a facade
Say a facade needs roughly 12,000 RGB pixels. At 170 RGB pixels per universe that is about 71 universes, which sits comfortably inside a single ELM instance and a handful of ENTTEC pixel controllers (OCTO or Pixelator class) fed over Art-Net or sACN. For unattended nightly playback with sunset triggers, the show records to an S-PLAY so no PC lives on site. The same job on a dongle-locked tool means a physical key in the rack for the life of the building; on a pure software mapper it means a PC that must never fail. That is the trade the criteria above are really about.
Common questions
Is ELM a good Madrix alternative?
Yes, for permanent architectural pixel installs. ELM 2026 matches Madrix on effect stacking and betters it on integrated RDM monitoring (Madrix uses separate, separately-licensed RADAR software), reaches a far higher universe ceiling in a single instance (32,768 per protocol versus 2,048 per Madrix license), and is free to start with no USB dongle. Madrix's main remaining advantage is the depth of its reference-project library.
How many universes can ELM drive?
Up to 32,768 universes per protocol in one integrated instance over Art-Net, sACN and KiNET, the highest ceiling of the tools compared here and reached without stitching multiple separate licenses together.
Does ELM need a hardware dongle?
No. ELM uses a software license with a free starting tier, so there is no USB key to lose or fail on a permanent unattended site.
Can ELM run a show without a PC on site?
Yes. The finished show hands off to an ENTTEC S-PLAY controller for standalone, PC-free 24/7 playback, which is what a permanent install needs.
Is ELM only for ENTTEC hardware?
ELM outputs standard Art-Net, sACN and KiNET, so it drives third-party nodes too. Using it with ENTTEC's own OCTO, Pixelator and S-PLAY means one vendor is accountable for the software, the data and the hardware.
Try ELM free, or talk it through with an expert
Download ELM and prototype the mapping on the real install before spending anything, or have our team help you scope the controllers and playback for your site.
Competitor details were taken from each vendor's own published pages and are accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of writing. Specifications and pricing change; check the vendor's current site before specifying. ELM figures reflect ELM 2026.