Comparison

Philips Hue vs Meross

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Philips Hue

Control and customize your smart lighting system from anywhere. Organize lights by room, create custom scenes, and automate your lighting to match your daily routine or enhance security. Sync lights with media for immersive experiences.

Highlights
  • Organize lights into rooms and zones
  • Remote control from anywhere
  • Explore and create custom lighting scenes
  • Home security features with sensors
  • Automate lighting schedules
  • Sync lights with TV, music, and games
  • Voice control integration
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The official Philips Hue app is the most comprehensive way to organize, control, and customize your Philips Hue smart lights and accessories. Organize your smart lights Group your lights into Rooms or Zones — your entire downstairs floor or all the lights in the living room, for example — that mirror the physical rooms in your home. Easily control your lights — from anywhere Use the app to control your lights anywhere you have an internet connection. Explore the Hue scene gallery Created by professional lighting designers, the scenes in the scene gallery can help you set the mood for any occasion. You can even create your own scenes based on a photo or your favorite colors. Set up bright home security  Make your home feel safer, no matter where you are. The Security Center lets you program your Secure cameras, Secure contact sensors, and indoor motion sensors to send you alerts when they detect activity. Trigger light and sound alarms, call the authorities or a trusted contact, and monitor your home in real-time. Get the best light for any moment of the day Let your lights change automatically throughout the day with the Natural light scene — so you feel more energized, focused, relaxed, or rested at the right times. Just set the scene to watch your lights change with the sun’s movement, transitioning from cool blue tones in the morning to warmer, relaxing hues for sunset. Automate your lights Make your smart lights work around your daily routine. Whether you want your lights to gently wake you up in the morning or greet you when you get home, setting up customizable automations in the Philips Hue app is effortless. Sync your lights to TV, music, and games Make your lights flash, dance, dim, brighten, and change color in sync with your screen or sound! With the Philips Hue Play HDMI sync box, the Philips Hue Sync for TV or desktop apps, or Spotify, you can create totally immersive experiences. Set up voice control Use Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, or Google Assistant to control your smart lights with voice commands. Turn lights on and off, dim and brighten, or even change colors — completely hands-free. Use Siri Shortcuts for quick control Use the Shortcuts app to create shortcuts that you can place into widgets on your Home Screen for even faster control of your lights. Turn lights on or off, adjust their brightness and temperature, or set scenes — all without even opening the app. Learn more about the official Philips Hue app: www.philips-hue.com/app. Read the Philips Hue Privacy Notice at www.philips-hue.com/privacy. Note: Some features in this app require a Philips Hue Bridge.

About

Meross

Control and manage a wide range of smart home devices remotely. Set schedules, create custom scenes, and integrate with voice assistants for automated control. Access troubleshooting guides, firmware updates, and community forums for support.

Highlights
  • Remote device control
  • Custom schedules and scenes
  • Voice assistant integration
  • Firmware updates
  • In-app hardware guides
  • Consumer forum
Features
Read full description

Meross app can help you set up and manage smart WiFi bulb, plug, switch, garage door opener, thermostat, air purifier, sensor, humidifier and so on. Meross app offers you special value that other platform apps can not offer such as in-app hardware guide and troubleshooting, in-app setup guide and dedicated troubleshooting, firmware update, cloud service maintenance notice, digital user manual, consumer forum, and new product release information. With Meross app, you can 1. Turn on and off your devices remotely from anywhere with internet. 2. Set schedules and scenes for your devices so that they can run automatically as you wish. 3. Link your devices to your voice assistant platform. 4. Check and update your devices to the latest firmware. 5. Share great product experience with others and discuss about how to use products in Forum. 6. Find information about special offer and new product release. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Philips Hue4 screens
Meross4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Philips Hue at 118K against Meross's 7.9K. Philips Hue also leads on chart position (#200 vs unranked) and review sentiment (85% vs 77%). Meross's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Philips Hue sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Meross sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Philips Hue against 4.6 for Meross. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Philips Hue has 118K ratings behind it against 7.9K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 85% of Philips Hue's written reviews are positive against 77% of Meross's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Philips Hue versus Meross: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhilips HueMeross
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (118K ratings) — better4.6 (7.9K ratings)
Positive reviews85.3% of reviews — better77.2% of reviews
Number of ratings118K — better7.9K
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#200 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size248 MB228 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSignify Netherlands B.V.Chengdu Meross Technology Co.,Ltd.

Customer experience

Philips Hue

All ratings117,436 ratings
Positive93.4%
Neutral1.7%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews9,021 reviews
Positive85.3%
Neutral3.5%
Negative11.3%

Meross

All ratings7,910 ratings
Positive89.6%
Neutral2.7%
Negative7.6%
Written reviews1,599 reviews
Positive77.2%
Neutral6.1%
Negative16.7%

User reviews

Philips Hue

From 118K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Reliable and stable
  • 💡 Flexible lighting control
  • 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly
  • 🎨 Vibrant and customizable colors
  • 🔒 Secure remote access

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Connectivity issues after updates
  • 🔀 Confusing navigation and UI changes
  • ⏱️ Slow performance and lag
  • 🤯 Frustrating loss of key features
  • 🤖 Incompatible with older devices

Meross

From 7.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use app
  • 🚀 Reliable and stable performance
  • 💡 Useful features like power consumption monitoring
  • 🔒 Secure and private
  • 🔌 Seamless integration with smart home platforms

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional connectivity issues and device disconnections
  • 🔧 Setup can be tricky at times
  • 📱 Limited customization options in the app
  • 🕰️ Routines and scheduling could be more flexible

Bugs and requests

Philips Hue

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Lights not responding to app commands
  • Scenes and automations not working as expected
  • Frequent app crashes and freezes
  • Inability to log in or sync with account
  • Erratic behavior after software updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to control lights individually in a room
  • More dynamic and customizable lighting scenes
  • Seamless integration between multiple Hue bridges
  • Improved automation and scheduling options
  • Restore removed timer and widget functionality

Meross

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Unreliable garage door status reporting
  • Compatibility issues with iOS 16 updates
  • Inconsistent device discovery and pairing

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for more smart home platforms
  • Improve app interface and allow for more customization
  • Enhance scheduling and automation features
  • Provide more detailed energy consumption reporting

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Philips Hue

Subscriptions9
  • Motion Aware Monthly Plan$0.991 Month
  • Sync TV-app for LG (1 Month)$2.991 Month
  • Secure Basic for 1 camera$3.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • Secure Basic for 2 cameras$7.991 Month
  • Secure Plus$9.991 Month
  • Motion Aware Yearly Plan$9.991 Year
  • Secure Basic for 1 camera$39.991 Year
  • Secure Basic for 2 cameras$79.991 Year
  • Secure Plus$99.991 Year
One-time1
  • Sync TV-app for LG (Lifetime)$129.99
8 purchases

Meross

Subscriptions6
  • 10 SMS for a month$0.991 Month
  • 优惠测试-月$1.991 Month
  • 优惠测试-年$1.991 Year
Show 3 more
  • 优惠测试-周$1.997 Days
  • 30 SMS for a month1 Month trial$2.491 Month
  • 100 SMS for a month$6.991 Month
One-time2
  • 30 SMS$3.49
  • 100 SMS$9.99

Questions

Is Philips Hue free?
Philips Hue is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Meross free?
Meross is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Philips Hue or Meross?
Philips Hue is rated higher. Philips Hue averages 4.7 out of 5 from 118K ratings, while Meross averages 4.6 from 7.9K ratings.
Do Philips Hue or Meross have ads?
Neither Philips Hue nor Meross shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Philips Hue or Meross?
Philips Hue ships an update every 2 weeks, and Meross every 2 weeks. Most recently, Philips Hue was updated on October 30, 2026 and Meross on October 30, 2026.

Other comparisons