Philips Hue vs Catit®
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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.
Catit®
Control and monitor your Catit PIXI Smart devices remotely. Manage feeding schedules, water fountains, and keep an eye on your cat with integrated cameras. Stay updated on cat care and new products.
- Remote device control
- Customizable feeding schedules
- Water fountain management
- Integrated pet camera
- Motion detection alerts
- Night vision functionality
- Product news and updates
Read full descriptionHide full description
Whether you want to get the most out of your Catit PIXI Smart device, or just want to stay posted on the latest cat news and brand-new Catit products - this app has got you covered! This free Catit® PIXI® mobile app can be used with the Catit® PIXI® Smart series: The PIXI® Smart Fountain, PIXI® Smart Feeder, PIXI® Smart 6-meal Feeder, PIXI® Smart Mouse Camera, and the PIXI® Vision Smart Feeder. Connect your PIXI® Smart device(s) with the PIXI® Smart Mouse Camera to watch and interact with your cat as you manage their drinking fountain or feeder in the app. Catit® PIXI® Smart Fountain Switch between fountain modes, start the UV-C clarification process with a swipe of your finger and even receive push notifications when it’s time to refill the reservoir or replace the filter. Catit® PIXI® Smart Feeder Provide your cat with timely, portioned dry food meals, even when you’re not at home. Schedule regular feedings without fail or delay, and monitor your cat’s food intake by setting custom meal sizes. Optimize your cat’s custom feeding schedule to reduce leftovers sitting out, keeping your cat’s dry food fresh and safely-stored in the food reservoir. Catit® PIXI® Smart 6-meal Feeder Easily serve up to 6 meals of your cat's favorite wet food, dry food or treats - day or night, in the order you want. Use the included ice packs to keep your cat’s food chilled. The possibilities for feeding your cat a varied diet are truly endless with the Catit PIXI Smart 6-meal Feeder. Catit® PIXI® Smart Mouse Camera This clever camera is a must-have cat parenting tool, as it allows you to learn your cat’s eating and drinking habits, and lets you keep an eye on what your feline is up to, all without having to stick around. Simply point the camera to face the areas you want to monitor, set up to two motion detection zones such as by your cat’s feeder and drinking fountain, and the camera will automatically record and keep track for you. Continue to use the camera at night thanks to automatic night vision. Use the camera log to match your cat’s feeding schedule to their natural feeding pattern, and connect your PIXI Smart Mouse Camera to your other Catit PIXI Smart devices in the PIXI mobile app for a smooth, integrated app experience. Catit® PIXI® Vision Smart Feeder This smart Catit® PIXI® food dispenser has a camera that allows you to get to know your cat’s eating habits so you can schedule their meals to match their natural feeding pattern. Keep an eye on your cat’s feeding dish and call them for mealtime to prevent excess food sitting out. Point the Catit® PIXI® Vision Smart Feeder to face other places of interest such as your garden, or your cat’s drinking fountain, and get notified when motion is detected in those areas. You can even set a custom feeding message and change the LED nightlight whiskers to your favorite color. The Catit® PIXI® Smart series helps you care for your cat from anywhere, at any time.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Philips Hue at 85% against Catit®'s 17%. Philips Hue also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.1) and ratings volume (118K vs 95). Catit®'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.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Philips Hue sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Catit® 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 95, 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 17% of Catit®'s.
Philips Hue ships an update every 2 weeks, Catit® every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Philips Hue | Catit® |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (118K ratings) — better | 2.1 (95 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 85.3% of reviews — better | 16.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 118K — better | 95 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #157 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 248 MB | 133 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Signify Netherlands B.V. | Rolf C Hagen Inc. |
Customer experience
Philips Hue
Catit®
User reviews
Philips Hue
From 118K App Store ratingsWhat 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
Catit®
From 95 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Works as expected
- 👍 Easy to set up
- 💡 Convenient remote control
- 🚀 Reliable connectivity
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent disconnections
- 🐛 Inconsistent scheduling
- 🐛 Buggy firmware updates
- 🐛 Unreliable notifications
- 🐛 Glitchy app behavior
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
Catit®
Reported bugs
5 issues- Deleted schedules reappearing
- Inaccurate feeding status reporting
- Pump turning on randomly
- Dispensing wrong portion sizes
- Connectivity issues after firmware updates
Requested features
6 requests- Add 'skip meal' function
- Allow 'feed every X hours' schedule
- Improve notification controls
- Add ability to disable screen
- Implement counter-clockwise tray rotation
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Support different schedules per day
In-app purchases
Philips Hue
- 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 moreShow fewer
- 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
- Sync TV-app for LG (Lifetime)$129.99
Catit®
No in-app purchases









