# Philips Hue vs Smart Hue Remote

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Philips Hue at 85% against Smart Hue Remote's 0%. Philips Hue also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.3) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 months). Smart Hue Remote's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Philips Hue sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Smart Hue Remote sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Philips Hue holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Philips Hue has 118K ratings behind it against 4, 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 0% of Smart Hue Remote's.

Philips Hue ships an update every 2 weeks, Smart Hue Remote every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Philips Hue | Smart Hue Remote |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (118K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/philips-hue/id1055281310/reviews)** | [3.3 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-hue-remote/id1389086564/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **118K** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | **85.3% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#175** | — |
| Size | 248 MB | 140 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **9.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Signify Netherlands B.V.](https://appshunter.io/developer/979064009) | [TINAC Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/539875795) |

## What reviewers say

### Philips Hue

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

**Currently charting:** #175 Top Free · 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


### Smart Hue Remote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-hue-remote/id1389086564)

Control your Philips Hue lights with dynamic and animated colors. Choose from over 50 pre-set lighting scenes or create your own. Requires a Philips Hue bridge and lights, and your phone and bridge must be on the same network.

**Highlights:** Dynamic and animated colors, Over 50 lighting scenes, Scene categories: Fruits, Lamps, Sky, Baby Night Lights, Northern Lights, Fire, Club, Paris, New York, Philips Hue bridge and lights integration, iOS 9.0+ compatibility

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimit Light Selection | $0.99 | one-time |
| Northern Lights Scene | $0.99 | one-time |
| Fire Scene | $0.99 | one-time |
| Club Scene | $0.99 | one-time |
| Weather Scene | $0.99 | one-time |
| Paris Scene | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Philips Hue free?

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

### Is Smart Hue Remote free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Philips Hue or Smart Hue Remote?

Philips Hue is rated higher. Philips Hue averages 4.7 out of 5 from 118K ratings, while Smart Hue Remote averages 3.3 from 4 ratings.

### Do Philips Hue or Smart Hue Remote have ads?

Neither Philips Hue nor Smart Hue Remote shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Philips Hue or Smart Hue Remote?

Philips Hue ships an update every 2 weeks, and Smart Hue Remote every 6 months. Most recently, Philips Hue was updated on November 6, 2026 and Smart Hue Remote on November 2, 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.*