# beurer LightUp vs Hue Essentials

The clearest difference is rating: Hue Essentials at 4.1 against beurer LightUp's 2.8. Hue Essentials also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 9 months) and review sentiment (37% vs 22%). beurer LightUp's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8). On price, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hue Essentials sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. beurer LightUp asks for nothing beyond the download.

Hue Essentials holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 43 and 133 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 22% of beurer LightUp's written reviews are positive against 37% of Hue Essentials's.

beurer LightUp ships an update every 9 months, Hue Essentials every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | beurer LightUp | Hue Essentials |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.8 (43 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beurer-lightup/id1053482026/reviews) | **[4.1 (133 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-essentials/id1462943921/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 43 | **133** |
| Positive reviews | 22.2% of reviews | **37.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 25 MB | 269 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Beurer GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/762342284) | [Thomas Vos](https://appshunter.io/developer/1462943920) |

## What reviewers say

### beurer LightUp

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beurer-lightup/id1053482026)

Enhance your well-being with simulated sunrise and sunset features designed to improve sleep and mood. Control various light settings, including mood lighting with customizable colors and intensity, and enjoy integrated radio functionality for a more restful start and end to your day.

**Highlights:** Simulated sunrise alarm, Simulated sunset for sleep, Customizable mood lighting, Adjustable daylight intensity, Integrated radio with station presets, Sleep melodies

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Hue Essentials

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-essentials/id1462943921)

Unlock the full potential of your smart lighting system. Create custom scenes, dynamic effects, and automate your lights with schedules and triggers. Control multiple smart home bridges and devices seamlessly for a personalized ambiance.

**Highlights:** Custom scenes and effects, Music and entertainment sync, Sunrise/sunset automation, Multi-bridge control, Device discovery and setup, Button and sensor automation, Away from home control

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Effects: Christmas | $0.99 | one-time |
| Effects: Universe | $0.99 | one-time |
| Effects: Wonders of nature | $0.99 | one-time |
| Effects: Romantic | $0.99 | one-time |
| Effects: Floral fantasy | $0.99 | one-time |
| Effects: Spooky | $0.99 | one-time |
| Multiple bridges | $4.99 | one-time |
| Premium | $7.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent Hue lighting control
- 👍 Works well with multiple bridges
- 💡 Customizable remote controls
- 🚀 Faster than official Hue app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
- 🔒 In-app purchases required for key features
- 👎 Poor execution and user experience
- 🔋 Widgets and Apple Watch app not working

**Reported bugs**

- Fade feature not working
- Saving automations not working
- Crashes when checking 'About' section
- Widgets and Apple Watch app issues

**Requested features**

- Repeat/loop function for automations
- Strobing/flashing effects
- Dark mode
- Alexa integration


## Frequently asked questions

### Is beurer LightUp free?

beurer LightUp is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Hue Essentials free?

Hue Essentials is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, beurer LightUp or Hue Essentials?

Hue Essentials is rated higher. beurer LightUp averages 2.8 out of 5 from 43 ratings, while Hue Essentials averages 4.1 from 133 ratings.

### Do beurer LightUp or Hue Essentials have ads?

Neither beurer LightUp nor Hue Essentials shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, beurer LightUp or Hue Essentials?

beurer LightUp ships an update every 9 months, and Hue Essentials every 2 weeks. Most recently, beurer LightUp was updated on September 10, 2026 and Hue Essentials on September 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*