💸 The Price
Resolume Arena costs €799. Avenue costs €299. Both run on desktop only.
I'm a developer. I wanted to VJ but I didn't want to carry a laptop. So I spent a year building a VJ app that runs in a browser. I called it VJam. It costs $27.
That's the story. No drama. Just a different tool for a different situation.
🎛️ Resolume Is Good
I want to be clear about this. Resolume is professional software built by people who know what they're doing.
- Arena — projection mapping, LED output, advanced compositing. €799.
- Avenue — same engine without the mapping. €299.
- MIDI controllers. Syphon. Spout. DMX. The full professional stack.
If you're running a festival stage with LED walls, you need Resolume. That's not up for debate.
But most VJ gigs aren't festival stages.
🍺 Most Gigs
A friend texts you. "Can you do visuals tonight?" The venue is a bar with one projector. The DJ is someone's cousin. The pay is beer.
This is where most VJs live. Small clubs. House parties. Art shows. Warehouses. Nobody in these rooms needs projection mapping. They need visuals that react to music and something that fits in a pocket.
Resolume doesn't fit in a pocket. It needs a laptop, a GPU, and a few hundred euros.
⚡ VJam
I built VJam for those gigs. $27. One-time. Lifetime. There's a 30-day free trial.
It's a URL. Open it on any device. Tap to start. The microphone picks up the music. 1,200+ presets react to the beat. That's the entire setup.
- 🎨 1,200+ presets — 945 MilkDrop presets (Butterchurn WebGL) + 286 original p5.js presets
- 📱 Any device — phone, tablet, laptop. If it has a browser, it works.
- 🔊 Beat-reactive — real-time audio analysis with 3 detection methods
- 🎚️ Layers — stack presets, change blend modes, apply filters
- 📡 HDMI output — phone to projector with a cable. Setup: 10 seconds.
- 🚫 No install — it's a website. Works offline as a PWA.
📊 VJam vs Resolume: Comparison
| VJam | Resolume Avenue | Resolume Arena | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $27 once | €299 | €799 |
| Free Trial | 30 days | Yes (watermark) | Yes (watermark) |
| Platform | Any (browser) | Mac / Win | Mac / Win |
| Mobile | ✅ Phone / Tablet | ❌ | ❌ |
| Install Required | No | Yes | Yes |
| Presets | 1,200+ | Custom content | Custom content |
| Beat Detection | ✅ Built-in | ✅ BeatLooker | ✅ BeatLooker |
| MIDI Support | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Projection Mapping | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| LED / DMX | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| HDMI Output | ✅ (phone → projector) | ✅ | ✅ |
| Works Offline | ✅ (PWA) | ✅ | ✅ |
| Best For | Solo VJs, small venues, mobile | Mid-size venues | Festivals, LED walls |
🎯 Which One
Resolume if you do festivals, LED walls, projection mapping, MIDI control, or your employer is paying.
VJam if you do clubs, parties, small venues, or you want to VJ from your phone without carrying a laptop.
They're not competing. They're for different situations. A touring VJ with a road case full of gear and a VJ who walks into a bar with a phone in their pocket are solving different problems.
❓ FAQ
What's the cheapest alternative to Resolume?
VJam. $27. One-time. Browser-based.
Can I VJ from my phone?
Yes. Open vjam.vercel.app. Tap. Your mic picks up the music and the visuals move.
How does VJam compare to Resolume Arena?
Arena is for festivals. VJam is for bars and clubs. Different price, different features, different use case. See the comparison table above.
Is there a free VJ app for mobile?
VJam has a 30-day free trial. After that, $27.
Does VJam support MIDI?
No. If you need MIDI, use Resolume.
1,200+ presets. Beat-reactive. Runs on your phone. $27 once.
Try VJam Free →30-day free trial. No credit card. No install.