# Philips Hue vs B1W

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Philips Hue at 85% against B1W's 13%. Philips Hue also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.1) and ratings volume (118K vs 44). B1W's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Philips Hue sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. B1W asks for nothing beyond the download.

Philips Hue holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Philips Hue has 118K ratings behind it against 44, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Philips Hue's written reviews are positive against 13% of B1W's.

Philips Hue ships an update every 2 weeks, B1W monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Philips Hue | B1W |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (118K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/philips-hue/id1055281310/reviews)** | [2.1 (44 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/b1w-cardvr/id1294583121/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **118K** | 44 |
| Positive reviews | **85.3% of reviews** | 12.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#162** | — |
| Size | 248 MB | 43 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Signify Netherlands B.V.](https://appshunter.io/developer/979064009) | [树 贝](https://appshunter.io/developer/616011285) |

## What reviewers say

### Philips Hue

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/philips-hue/id1055281310)

**Currently charting:** #162 Top Free · Lifestyle, #196 Top Grossing · Lifestyle (US App Store)

Control and customize your smart lights and accessories from anywhere. Organize lights into rooms, set moods with pre-designed or custom scenes, and automate your lighting to fit your daily routine. Enhance home security with motion detection and real-time monitoring.

**Highlights:** Organize lights by rooms/zones, Remote light control, Hue scene gallery, Home security features, Natural light automation, Sync lights with media, Voice control integration

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Motion Aware Monthly Plan | $0.99 | per month |
| Sync TV-app for LG (1 Month) | $2.99 | per month |
| Secure Basic for 1 camera | $3.99 | per month |
| Secure Basic for 2 cameras | $7.99 | per month |
| Secure Plus | $9.99 | per month |
| Motion Aware Yearly Plan | $9.99 | per year |
| Secure Basic for 1 camera | $39.99 | per year |
| Secure Basic for 2 cameras | $79.99 | per year |
| Secure Plus | $99.99 | per year |
| Sync TV-app for LG (Lifetime) | $129.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### B1W

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/b1w-cardvr/id1294583121)

Control your CDV04 video recorder remotely using your smart device. Access features like live preview, photo album viewing, setup adjustments, and file management.

**Highlights:** Remote viewfinder/preview, View photo album, Setup adjustments, Take photos, Record video, File delete/download, Playback recordings

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Dashcam works well
- 👍 Simple setup (sometimes)
- 👍 Good clarity
- 👍 Discreet design
- 👍 Wide angle capture

**What reviewers complain about**

- ❌ Does not connect to dash cam
- ❌ App no longer works
- ❌ Does not work with iOS 18
- ❌ Internet not available error
- ❌ WiFi goes away

**Reported bugs**

- App won't connect to dash cam
- App no longer works
- Incompatible with iOS 18
- Shows 'internet not available'
- WiFi connection drops

**Requested features**

- Software update for connectivity
- Add dark mode
- Add multi-download for videos
- Improve app interface
- Add English menu


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Philips Hue free?

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

### Is B1W free?

B1W is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Philips Hue or B1W?

Philips Hue is rated higher. Philips Hue averages 4.7 out of 5 from 118K ratings, while B1W averages 2.1 from 44 ratings.

### Do Philips Hue or B1W have ads?

Neither Philips Hue nor B1W shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Philips Hue or B1W?

Philips Hue ships an update every 2 weeks, and B1W monthly. Most recently, Philips Hue was updated on November 10, 2026 and B1W on November 6, 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.*