Comparison

Philips Hue vs Excel BM

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

Excel BM

Features
Read full description

Excel Building Management is proud to partner with BuildingLink to bring you the Excel Resident App – your convenient gateway to building services and support. With the app, you can submit maintenance and defect requests, book shared facilities, access important building documents, update your contact details, and stay informed with the latest updates about your building – all from your mobile device. To access these features, you’ll need to be registered with Excel Building Management. If you haven’t received your login details or require assistance, please contact your Building Manager.

Screenshots

Philips Hue4 screens
Excel BM3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Excel BM at none against Philips Hue's 10. Philips Hue's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly) and chart position (#204 vs unranked). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Excel BM asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Philips Hue ships an update every 2 weeks, Excel BM monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Philips Hue versus Excel BM: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhilips HueExcel BM
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (117K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews85.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings117K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#204 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size247 MB96 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSignify Netherlands B.V.BuildingLink.com

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

Excel BM

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
None

Excel BM

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Philips Hue free?
Philips Hue is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Excel BM free?
Excel BM is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Philips Hue or Excel BM have ads?
Neither Philips Hue nor Excel BM shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Philips Hue or Excel BM?
Philips Hue ships an update every 2 weeks, and Excel BM monthly. Most recently, Philips Hue was updated on October 26, 2026 and Excel BM on October 25, 2026.

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