Video Comparison
TruLight vs JellyFish: The Full Breakdown
JellyFish is one of our closest competitors on hardware. Both systems are 48V with 16-gauge 4-wire. But once you look at the LEDs, the chip, the white light, the controller, and the app, the differences are significant.
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Here's the Bottom Line
JellyFish is a good system. The hardware build quality is solid, and they run at 48V with 16-gauge wire, just like we do. But JellyFish has no true white light, fewer patterns, no built-in motion sensors, and a controller that costs hundreds more once you add music. TruLight gives you more LEDs, a better chip, and more features for less.
6 LEDs vs 3
TruLight has 3 RGB plus 3 dedicated warm white LEDs per node. JellyFish has 3 RGB only. That means no true warm white and no pure white on a JellyFish system.
Built-in Music
TruLight's music sync is built right into the controller at no extra cost. JellyFish charges an additional $300 for a Music Box, plus install. That's $450+ extra.
144+ Patterns vs 9
TruLight's app has 144+ motion patterns with density control and an animated house preview. JellyFish has 9 base animations with some layered special effects.
Full Side-by-Side Specs
| Feature | TruLight | JellyFish |
|---|---|---|
| LED Chip | UCS7604 (RGBW) | Omega (upgraded WS2811, RGB) |
| LEDs Per Node | 6 | 3 |
| True Warm White | ||
| True Pure White | ||
| System Voltage | 48V | 48V |
| Wire Gauge | 16 gauge | 16 gauge |
| Wiring System | 4-wire (redundant data) | 4-wire (redundant data) |
| Puck Profile | 37mm, more low profile | 30mm, sticks out further |
| Expected Lifespan | 100,000 hours | 50,000 hours |
| Warranty | Lifetime | 5 years |
| Signal Redundancy | ||
| Motion Patterns | 144+ | 9 |
| Density Control | ||
| Animated House Preview | ||
| True Global Zoning | ||
| Motion Sensors | ||
| Built-in Music Sync | ||
| Indoor Controller Cost | ~$450-550 | $750 |
| Outdoor Controller Option | Included in standard price | $850 add-on |
| App Stability | One app with updates | 5+ different apps over time |
*True Warm White: JellyFish only has red, green, and blue LEDs. Their white is blended from RGB, which comes out with a cool blue tint.
*Puck Profile: Both are puck-style discs, but JellyFish pucks extend almost twice as far from the track.
*Motion Sensors: JellyFish integrates with Alexa, Google, and Ring, but does not offer dedicated motion sensor modules built into the lighting system.
*Built-in Music Sync: JellyFish released a music feature in late 2025/early 2026. It requires an additional $300 Music Box plus installation.
Which LED Chip Is Better: Omega or UCS7604?
JellyFish uses what they call the Omega chip. It is an upgraded version of the WS2811, pushed to run at 48V with signal redundancy. Props to JellyFish for the upgrade. But under the hood, it is still a 3-channel RGB chip with 8-bit color depth, which means 256 grayscale levels per channel.
TruLight uses the UCS7604, a 4-in-1 RGBW chip with 16-bit color depth. That is 65,536 grayscale levels per channel, with a dedicated warm white LED baked into the chip. The result is smoother dimming, truer color, and a real white light instead of a blended RGB approximation.
Don't take our word for it. Google “WS2811 vs UCS7604” yourself and read what comes up. In the video, we did that exact search live on camera. Google describes the UCS7604 as a superior high-fidelity protocol for professional installations, and the WS2811 as a budget-friendly chip ideal for holiday displays.
See this comparison at 4:25 in the videoDoes JellyFish Have True White Light?
No. JellyFish only has red, green, and blue LEDs. When you ask for white, the system blends those three colors together, which produces a cool, blue-tinted white. This is the single biggest drawback JellyFish customers talk about, and it is not something a software update can fix. The hardware would need a new LED to solve it.
TruLight has 3 dedicated warm white LEDs per node in addition to the 3 RGB LEDs. That gives you two distinct white modes. A real warm white that flatters stone and stucco, and a true pure white when you blend all 6 LEDs. White is the color most homeowners use every single night for everyday lighting, so if the white is off, you notice it constantly.
In the video, we show a house that had JellyFish installed, then had TruLight installed in its place. The JellyFish white reads as pale blue in the photo. The TruLight warm white reads as a clean, neutral glow. Both photos were taken by the customer. Neither was edited.
See the white light comparison at 8:00 in the videoWhy Does JellyFish Cost More for the Same Voltage?
A lot of the JellyFish price goes into the controller, not the lights. Their indoor controller runs $750. The outdoor version runs $850. If you want music sync, you pay another $300 for a separate Music Box, plus roughly $150 for installation.
That means a JellyFish system with music can easily add up to $1,200 to $1,500 just for the control hardware. On a total lighting install of $3,000 to $5,000, that is a huge chunk of the budget going to one box.
TruLight's controller runs around $450 to $550. Music sync is built in at no additional cost. That saves you several hundred dollars on the controller alone, and you still get more features.
See the controller pricing breakdown at 12:25 in the videoHow Does Music Sync Actually Work?
JellyFish released music sync in late 2025 / early 2026 as a $300 add-on box. It uses either a microphone to pick up ambient sound or an audio jack to plug directly into a sound system. The lights then react to the detected beat. They have about 7 music-specific patterns.
TruLight's music sync is built into every controller at no extra cost. You upload music into our music manager, and the system reads the actual beat data inside the track itself. That means the lights land on the exact beat, not an approximation of the beat. We also support mic mode if you want to clap or use a live sound source.
Between the built-in hardware and beat-data detection, you get more accurate sync, more patterns, and no separate device to install or replace.
See the music sync breakdown at 16:54 in the videoWhich App Has Better Features and Controls?
JellyFish's app has 9 base animations. Chase, chase with progression, chase with fill, fireworks, paint, multi-paint, sequence, sequence with fade, and stacker. They layer special effects like lightning and twinkle on top, which is a clever system. But it starts from a small base.
TruLight's app has 144+ motion patterns, plus density control so you can tune how “busy” an effect looks. We also include an animated house preview in the app so you can see each effect on a virtual roofline before you turn the lights on. That is especially useful when you want to set up a custom scene for a holiday or game day.
TruLight App
- 144+ motion patterns
- Density control
- Animated house preview
- True global zoning
- Motion sensor zones
- Music manager with beat data
- Single app, pushed updates
JellyFish App
- 9 base animations + layered effects
- Density control
- Animated house preview
- True global zoning
- Motion sensor zones
- Music sync ($300 add-on box)
- 5+ apps released over time
Why Motion Sensors Matter (Especially for HOA Approval)
TruLight includes dedicated motion sensor modules that tie directly into the lighting system. When motion triggers a sensor, an assigned zone of lights turns on. JellyFish integrates with Alexa, Google, and Ring doorbells, but does not have dedicated motion sensor hardware in the same way.
This matters more than it sounds. When motion sensors are part of your permanent lighting, the whole system counts as a security enhancement, not just decorative holiday lighting. HOAs are far more likely to approve a system that includes real security features, because they can see it replaces a big, ugly flood light with something more discreet.
See the motion sensor discussion at 27:04 in the videoWho Actually Has True Zoning?
A lot of permanent lighting companies claim to zone. Most of them really mean light grouping or individual selection, which is not the same thing. True zoning lets you build separate, independent zones that each run their own patterns, colors, and effects at the same time.
JellyFish is actually one of the few competitors with a real zoning system, and we will give credit where it is due. They let you group lights and assign zones in a way that goes beyond basic selection. TruLight has zoning as well, plus the ability to reverse pattern direction in a zone and assign motion sensors per zone.
So in the zoning category, TruLight and JellyFish are the two systems doing it properly.
See the zoning breakdown at 25:22 in the videoHow Does JellyFish Hold Up on Build Quality?
Honestly, JellyFish builds a solid light. Both systems use puck-style nodes mounted inside aluminum track. Both use 16-gauge wire, 4-wire redundant data, and run at a real 48V. This is one of the few competitors where the build is genuinely comparable to ours.
Where they differ on hardware: TruLight pucks are 37mm and more low profile. JellyFish pucks are 30mm wide but stick out almost twice as far from the track. When the lights are off and the system is invisible, ours disappear more cleanly against the trim. TruLight lights are also rated at 100,000 hours with a lifetime warranty. JellyFish is rated at 50,000 hours with a 5-year warranty.
See the hardware breakdown at 2:01 in the videoStraight From the Video
“That is not a blue color. We're not trying to make it blue. That is their white.”
“Right there, just for the control box to be on your house with music, you're paying $1,300 to have it installed.”
“If the light does not have a white light in it, there's nothing that'll ever happen until JellyFish launches a new light.”
Ready to See the Difference?
Get your instant quote, then use our free preview tool to draw your roofline and see what TruLight looks like on your home. More LEDs, true white light, built-in music, and a friendlier controller price.