Comparison
browser vj software, and when to buy resolume instead.
kott is a browser-based visual instrument: 208 GPU effects in one dither, halftone, print and glitch language, hardware MIDI over WebMIDI, MIDI clock sync, camera processed on the device, and one price of $39 once until 13 September, then $59, covering the web studio and an offline macOS app. It is not a mixer and not a media server. There is no NDI, no Syphon and no virtual camera output, so if your rig routes video between applications, buy Resolume and stop reading here.
The incumbents cost $199 to EUR 799. Below is what each one charges, what kott cannot do, and which of them to buy instead when the answer is not this.
01/ INSTEAD
buy one of these instead.
The reasons kott is the wrong purchase, in the order they usually end the conversation. None of them is a matter of taste.
- Your rig routes video between applications — NDI, Syphon or a virtual camera
Buy Resolume Avenue, EUR 299.
kott has none of the three. Nothing in it sends video to another application, so it cannot sit in the middle of that chain at any price. This is the single most common reason not to use it, which is why it is first.
- You mix clips live, on Windows
Buy Resolume Avenue, EUR 299, or Arena at EUR 799.
kott is one instrument with one look, not a clip grid, and its offline build is macOS only — on Windows it is the browser or nothing, and the browser has no NDI either.
- You want the Mac-native standard and you have the budget
Buy VDMX6, $199, or VDMX Plus at $349.
One-time, Mac only, and it has been the Mac VJ workhorse far longer than kott has existed.
- You would rather build the instrument than play one
Get TouchDesigner: free for non-commercial use, ~$600 commercial, ~$2,200 pro.
If the interesting part is the patch, kott is the wrong shape — it has parameters, not a node graph.
- You want a MIDI-mappable visualiser and nothing more
Synesthesia is $199 ($399 Pro, optional $60/yr for updates); Magic Music Visuals is about $69.95.
Both are perpetual and both take MIDI. Neither asks you to like one particular visual language, which kott very much does.
- The deciding factor is the last ten dollars
Mosh-Pro is $49 once, or $24 a year.
Web and desktop, MIDI and audio-reactive — the closest thing to kott on this list. kott's argument against it is 208 effects in one coherent language and the clock lock, not the price, and if that argument does not land then $49 is the better deal.
- You want free, and you would rather type than turn knobs
Use Hydra. Free, open source, runs in a browser.
Live-coded visuals, no licence, no install. A different craft from moving a fader, and it costs nothing to find out which one you are.
02/ PRICES
what they cost.
Prices as the vendor charges them, in the vendor’s own currency. Most of this category is perpetual, which is why kott is one price once and not a subscription.
| Tool | Price | Model | Runs on | MIDI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| kott | $39 until 13 September · then $59 | one-time · web studio + macOS app | browser (WebGL2) · macOS app | yes · MIDI clock in |
| TouchDesigner | free non-commercial · ~$600 commercial · ~$2,200 pro | perpetual | desktop | yes |
| Resolume Arena | EUR 799 | perpetual · paid update packs EUR 219 | desktop · Windows + macOS | yes |
| Synesthesia | $199 · Pro $399 | one-time · optional $60/yr updates | desktop | yes · MIDI-mappable |
| VDMX6 | $199 · Plus $349 | one-time | desktop · macOS only | yes |
| Resolume Avenue | EUR 299 | perpetual · paid update packs EUR 79 | desktop · Windows + macOS | yes |
| Magic Music Visuals | ~$69.95 | one-time | desktop | yes |
| Mosh-Pro | $49 once · or $24/yr | one-time or subscription | browser · desktop | yes · audio-reactive |
| Hydra | free | open source | browser · live-coding | not checked |
Checked 2 September 2026. Euro prices are left in euros because that is what the vendor’s checkout charges. “not checked” means kott has not verified that cell — read it as unknown, not as missing. Operating systems are named only where they were verified; a row that says “desktop” installs, and nothing more is claimed. Resolume’s update packs are optional and priced per release, not annual dues.
03/ LIMITS
what kott does not do.
Written down so nobody discovers it after paying.
- No NDI, no Syphon, no virtual camera output. For a rig built around any of those, it does not slot in.
- It is not a mixer and not a media server. There is no clip grid, no cue list and no timeline; it plays one look, live.
- The offline native build is macOS only. Windows and Linux run the web studio in a browser, which needs the machine to have a browser open and does not add NDI.
- The look is narrow on purpose. Dither, halftone, print, ASCII, engraving, glitch and CRT — if you want 3D, generative geometry or procedural systems, this is the wrong instrument.
- The free tier is 30 of the 208 effects. The rest are paid, once.
04/ KOTT
what it is, then.
One instrument with one look, open in a browser in the time the others take to install. Every row below can be demonstrated live.
30 of 208 effects free · $39 once for the rest
Or read the effect library first — one page per effect, with a before and after on each.
05/ FAQ
questions.
- Is there VJ software that runs in a browser?
- Yes. kott is a browser-based visual instrument with 208 GPU effects, hardware MIDI over WebMIDI and MIDI clock sync. Mosh-Pro runs in the browser and on the desktop for $49 once or $24 a year. Hydra is free and open source and runs in the browser for live-coded visuals. Resolume, VDMX, TouchDesigner, Synesthesia and Magic Music Visuals are all desktop installs.
- What is the cheapest Resolume alternative?
- Of the tools here, Hydra is free, kott is $39 once, Mosh-Pro is $49 once and Magic Music Visuals is about $69.95 — against Resolume Avenue at EUR 299 and Arena at EUR 799. But cheap is only relevant if the cheaper tool does the job: none of those four is a media server, and if you need what Resolume does, the cheapest way to have it is Resolume Avenue.
- Can kott replace Resolume?
- No. Resolume is a media server and a mixer; kott is one instrument with one visual language. kott has no NDI, no Syphon and no virtual camera output, so it cannot route video to another application, and it has no clip grid or timeline. If either of those is in your set, buy Resolume.
- Does kott support NDI or Syphon?
- No. There is no NDI, no Syphon and no virtual camera output. What it does have is a second-window mirror for a projector and fullscreen output, plus REC, which writes the canvas to MP4 with the audio in sync.
- Can it sync to a DJ's clock?
- Yes. It reads MIDI realtime bytes straight off the port — 0xF8 clock at 24 PPQN, plus start, continue and stop — and turns them into a BPM and a quarter-note phase, so the movement comes from the clock rather than from a beat detector guessing. If there is no clock, it can run autocorrelation off the incoming audio instead, or a BPM you set by hand.
- Is kott a subscription?
- No. kott is $39 once until 13 September 2026 and $59 once after that, and one licence covers both the web studio and the macOS app, which runs fully offline. There is no monthly plan. The free tier is 30 of the 208 effects with a clean 1080p export, and it is not a trial.
- What is the best cheap VJ software for a Mac?
- On the Mac specifically: VDMX6 at $199 one-time is the long-standing Mac-native choice, Magic Music Visuals is about $69.95, and kott is $39 once for the browser studio plus a native macOS app that runs offline. TouchDesigner is free if your use is non-commercial. Resolume and VDMX both do things kott does not, starting with routing video to other applications.
- Do I have to install anything to try it?
- No. The web studio opens in any browser with WebGL2 and starts running before you touch a knob; there is nothing to download and no account needed to look. Camera and microphone are processed on the device and nothing uploads.
Something not answered here? Ask before you pay, not after.