FAQ

Starting with version 4.6.8, QLab is compatible with macOS Big Sur and Apple Silicon-based Macs.

QLab makes it simple to create intricate designs of light, sound, and video, which you play back during a live performance.

QLab allows you to lock in exactly how you want the light, sound, and video to play during your performance. When you’re done designing, you'll switch to “show mode” and run your show just by pressing “GO”.

QLab is designed specifically to handle the needs of live events, like theater. The person running the show each night can react to what is happening on stage, such as waiting for a scene to finish before they trigger a scene transition, or even to handle the case where a performer accidentally skips a few lines and jumps ahead. QLab can react dynamically to what is happening on stage, or it can be programmed to play back precisely the same way every night. Most shows will be a mix of both.

There’s a good chance you’ll find QLab in your favorite local theater. You’ll also see it on Broadway, the West End, and in churches, sports stadiums, and museums. From high school students to seasoned pros, QLab is what they use to make the show go.

The first thing to do is download the software. It's a free download, and many of QLab's features are even free to use. Really! To unlock additional capabilities you can buy or rent a license from our online store.

After you've downloaded QLab to your macOS computer, you can launch it and start working right away. But if you'd like some help getting started, you can also:

Ask us for help

Browse our friendly QLab documentation

Watch our tutorial videos

We provide support via email instead of phone so that we can quickly direct you to the team member who is best suited to answering your question, so that we have a clear record of all of your questions and what we’ve suggested, and most of all because after more than a decade of supporting QLab we know that it gets you better help, faster. We’re looking forward to hearing from you! Contact Support

You can purchase or rent a license from our online store. Your license will be added to your QLab Account. Once the license is in your account, you can sign in to QLab (version 4+ or version 3.2+) and install any license that's in your account.

For details on installing a license, see our documentation.

All QLab 3 purchases since August 1st, 2016, and all QCart purchases (ever), will be credited towards V4 licenses at their full original purchase price.

If you purchased QLab 3 before August 1st, 2016, you are also eligible for a discount on V4, based on the type of license you’re upgrading from:

Your discount will appear automatically in Your Account if you create an account using the email address associated with your QLab 3 license. If you no longer have access to that email please email us at support@figure53.com.

To apply your upgrade discount to your order, click the "Apply Discount in Cart" link next to the discount you wish to use in Your Account.

We offer rental licenses to make QLab accessible for tighter budgets. You can purchase and install rental licenses ahead of time and choose the date on which they will start. On the appropriate day, the license will activate and unlock the features. When the rental period is over, the license will simply time out; you do not need to "stop" or "cancel" a rental.

Our rental licenses are "rent-to-own," which means every dollar that you spend on rental licenses can be applied towards the purchase of a standard QLab license. At the end of each day, you'll receive "store credit" equal to the value of that day's rental. That store credit can be applied to the purchase of any standard, non-rental QLab license. You can view your store credit balance on your account page or on the checkout page.

Want to trade in a rental before it's finished? Simply select "Choose licenses to trade in" under the License Overview heading on your account page.

If you own a standard license, you can trade it in to receive its full purchase price as store credit. Did you buy the wrong feature set? Want to upgrade from an existing license? Select "Choose licenses to trade in" under the License Overview heading on your account page. (Please note that trading in a license deactivates any installations of that license.) Once you've traded in your license, you'll have a store credit balance available that you can apply to the purchase of any non-rental QLab license.

If you're renting a license, you'll receive store credit for the entire dollar amount you spend on rental licenses. The store credit balance updates once a day automatically. You can trade in your unused rental days manually on your account page.

You can see your store credit balance on your account page. When you check out, you have the option to apply any portion of your store credit balance to your purchase, or to hold on to it for later.

If you rented QLab 4 licenses before the switch to our new store credit system and did not yet earn a permanent license, you’ll receive full store credit for all of your rental days.

We do provide educational discounts. To access educational pricing you’ll need proof of status with an educational institution. Usually writing to support@figure53.com from an educational email address and attaching a copy of your ID is sufficient. If, for some reason, you are unable to provide these things, please write to support@figure53.com with an explanation. See this page for more information.

We offer site license options for larger institutions such as schools or rental shops. Please contact support@figure53.com for site license pricing and license management features.

We do not accept purchase orders of any kind for any reason. We apologize for the inconvenience. If it’s helpful we can provide a sole source letter stating that there is no other seller of our software.

We no longer sell a "Basic" license; all licenses are now "Pro".

We only sell QLab directly from our website, so we have no special relationships or pricing with dealers or resellers. We prefer to deal directly with our customers whenever possible. Of course, sometimes the end user isn't able to make the purchase, and a reseller is necessary. In that case, you're welcome to purchase the license from us and sell it to your client, but we do ask that you send them to us for support and help; they can reach us at support@figure53.com. We feel that we don't just sell QLab licenses - the support that comes along with it is part of the product.

If you do make the purchase on someone else's behalf, please ask them to create an account on our site. Then, once you've made the purchase, write back to us with the order number of the purchase and we'll transfer the license from your account to theirs. They can create the account at https://qlab.app/account/

Your work is still saved in your workspace, even if your license expires. All the license does is unlock the features to allow you to run cues that require the license, it doesn’t affect the workspace file itself. Just rent another license next time you need it, and your cues will run just like they did the first time.

QLab 3.2+ can be unlocked using a QLab 4 license. Just sign in and install your license inside QLab 3.2 just as you would from QLab 4.

Versions of QLab prior to 3.2 can not use a QLab 4 license, but of course you can continue to use any QLab 3 license you purchased for these versions.

QLab 2 and QLab 1 are no longer supported, and we are unable to generate new licenses for them.