Comparison

SmartThermo2 vs Hue Essentials

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

Head to head
About

SmartThermo2

This app simplifies grilling by allowing you to remotely monitor the internal temperature of your meat. Set your desired doneness for various meats and receive alerts when your food reaches the perfect temperature, making outdoor cooking easier.

Highlights
  • Remote meat temperature monitoring
  • Preset temperatures for 8 entrees
  • Customizable doneness settings
  • Alerts for perfect temperature
  • Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity
  • Backlight LCD display
  • Three operational modes
Features
Read full description

It has been never easy to take your meat from grill. Now you can use this Smart Thermo® to make grill easier. Just simple insert the SmartThermo® probe into the meat you'd like to track, let the free app know what you're tracking and leave your SmartThermo® by the side of the grill (or smoker). This SmartThermo® alerts you when your meal has reached the perfect temperature. Program your choice of eight entrees and choose the desired doneness - and you're good to grill! - Bluetooth® v4.0 -100-hour battery life -Backlight LCD display -High-strength Magnetic on back for vertical mounting -Modern Touch Key Display -3 Modes: Meat Profiles / Countdown Timer / Target Temperature -Preset temperatures for and doneness for BEEF, LAMB, VEAL, HAMBURGER, PORK, TURKEY, CHICKEN & FISH. App requires a Bluetooth® Smart Ready device.

About

Hue Essentials

Unlock the full potential of your smart lighting system. Create custom scenes, dynamic effects, and automate your lights with schedules and triggers. Control multiple smart home bridges and devices seamlessly for a personalized ambiance.

Highlights
  • Custom scenes and effects
  • Music and entertainment sync
  • Sunrise/sunset automation
  • Multi-bridge control
  • Device discovery and setup
  • Button and sensor automation
  • Away from home control
Features
Read full description

Imagine unlimited possibilities in your smart home. Set scenes and fast effects to your mood. Experience Dance Sensation in your entertainment area with Philips Hue Entertainment. Feel more in control with schedules and automation from sunrise to sunset. Control multiple bridges simultaneously without switching between them. Supported devices • Philips Hue bridge • Philips Hue Bluetooth lights • deCONZ (ConBee) • diyHue • LIFX Scenes & effects Create the perfect ambiance from your photos or the included photo library. Experience special animations like lava, fireplace, fireworks, or lightning. Wake up at sunrise and go to sleep at sunset with fading lights. Get into the party on the beats of your music. Sync your lights for a night of disco with strobe effects (updates 25 times/sec). Quick access Create rooms and groups to organize your lights. You can even put a light in several groups. Smart lights & controls The unique ‘Touchlink’ search allows you to find new (3rd party, Zigbee) lights. Use included wizards for easy setup of your devices. You can set scenes, actions, or even multiple scenes on a button to make your switch a real investment. Experience the right ambiance during different times of your day with your motion sensor. All of your creations are stored on the bridge. Easy for you and your family. Advanced Automation allows you to have greater control of your smart home. Turn on your lights when the door opens. Adjust your ventilation when the humidity gets too high. Open or close blinds and curtains based on temperature or sunshine. Make it look like you are at home using 'Away from Home' (out of home control). Communicate directly with your Hue bridge using the API debugger. View technical details of your Hue bridge and update its resources like lights and sensors. You want it all? Fast performance with ad-free experience. Purchase the premium version to unlock full content.

Screenshots

SmartThermo23 screens
Hue Essentials4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Hue Essentials at 4.2 against SmartThermo2's 2.4. Hue Essentials also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (138 vs 8). SmartThermo2's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment 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. Hue Essentials sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. SmartThermo2 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Hue Essentials holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 2.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hue Essentials has 138 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of SmartThermo2's written reviews are positive against 38% of Hue Essentials's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SmartThermo2 ships an update every 4 months, Hue Essentials every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
SmartThermo2 versus Hue Essentials: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSmartThermo2Hue Essentials
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.4 (8 ratings)4.2 (138 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews37.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings8138 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB271 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFuzhou Emax Electronic Co.,LtdThomas Vos

Customer experience

SmartThermo2

All ratings8 ratings
Positive25.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative62.5%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral6.7%
Negative60.0%

Hue Essentials

All ratings138 ratings
Positive77.5%
Neutral7.2%
Negative15.2%
Written reviews241 reviews
Positive37.8%
Neutral8.3%
Negative53.9%

Bugs and requests

SmartThermo2

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Hue Essentials

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Fade feature not working
  • Saving automations not working
  • Crashes when checking 'About' section
  • Widgets and Apple Watch app issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Repeat/loop function for automations
  • Strobing/flashing effects
  • Dark mode
  • Alexa integration

In-app purchases

None

SmartThermo2

No in-app purchases

8 purchases

Hue Essentials

One-time8
  • Effects: Christmas$0.99
  • Effects: Universe$0.99
  • Effects: Wonders of nature$0.99
Show 5 more
  • Effects: Romantic$0.99
  • Effects: Floral fantasy$0.99
  • Effects: Spooky$0.99
  • Multiple bridges$4.99
  • Premium$7.99

Questions

Is SmartThermo2 free?
SmartThermo2 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hue Essentials free?
Hue Essentials is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SmartThermo2 or Hue Essentials?
Hue Essentials is rated higher. SmartThermo2 averages 2.4 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Hue Essentials averages 4.2 from 138 ratings.
Do SmartThermo2 or Hue Essentials have ads?
Neither SmartThermo2 nor Hue Essentials shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SmartThermo2 or Hue Essentials?
SmartThermo2 ships an update every 4 months, and Hue Essentials every 2 weeks. Most recently, SmartThermo2 was updated on September 29, 2026 and Hue Essentials on October 14, 2026.

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