Software comparison

QLab vs WATCHOUT

QLab is a show-control application, while WATCHOUT is a media server — they overlap in places but are often used together rather than as substitutes.

	QLab	WATCHOUT
Developer	Figure 53	Dataton
Country	United States	Sweden
Category	Show control	Media servers
Platforms	macOS	Windows
Licence	Free to program; paid licences to run advanced features	Paid licences
Skill level	Beginner → Pro	Pro
First release	—	—
Best for	Theatre sound and video playback with simple mapping.	Corporate events, museums and multi-projector shows.
Key features	Cue-based show control Video surfaces with corner-pin & mesh warp Audio playback & mixing MIDI / OSC / Network cues	Multi-display timeline production Edge blending & geometry correction 3D projection mapping Scalable display clusters

Verdict

Only QLab runs on macOS.

Only WATCHOUT runs on Windows.

Choose QLab for theatre sound and video playback with simple mapping.

Choose WATCHOUT for corporate events, museums and multi-projector shows.

Facts are curated and checked against vendor websites; licences and prices change — always confirm on the official sites before buying.