# Home Assistant vs Hue Essentials

The clearest difference is rating: Home Assistant at 4.7 against Hue Essentials's 4.2. Home Assistant also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 8) and ratings volume (4K vs 138). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hue Essentials sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Home Assistant asks for nothing beyond the download.

Home Assistant holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Home Assistant has 4K ratings behind it against 138, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of Home Assistant's written reviews are positive against 38% of Hue Essentials's.

Home Assistant ships an update every 10 days, Hue Essentials every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Home Assistant | Hue Essentials |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/home-assistant/id1099568401/reviews)** | [4.2 (138 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-essentials/id1462943921/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4K** | 138 |
| Positive reviews | **54.2% of reviews** | 37.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 261 MB | 271 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nabu Casa, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1525301324) | [Thomas Vos](https://appshunter.io/developer/1462943920) |

## What reviewers say

### Home Assistant

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/home-assistant/id1099568401)

Control your entire smart home from one app, locally and privately. Automate devices, receive notifications, and manage your home's data securely. Integrates with thousands of smart devices and open standards.

**Highlights:** Control entire home from one app, Discover and configure new devices, Automate device actions, Local data privacy, Connect to open standards (Z-Wave, Zigbee, Matter), Remote access via Home Assistant Cloud, Location-based automation

**Features:** Siri integration, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Hue Essentials

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-essentials/id1462943921)

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:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Effects: Christmas | $0.99 | one-time |
| Effects: Universe | $0.99 | one-time |
| Effects: Wonders of nature | $0.99 | one-time |
| Effects: Romantic | $0.99 | one-time |
| Effects: Floral fantasy | $0.99 | one-time |
| Effects: Spooky | $0.99 | one-time |
| Multiple bridges | $4.99 | one-time |
| Premium | $7.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent Hue lighting control
- 👍 Works well with multiple bridges
- 💡 Customizable remote controls
- 🚀 Faster than official Hue app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
- 🔒 In-app purchases required for key features
- 👎 Poor execution and user experience
- 🔋 Widgets and Apple Watch app not working

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- Repeat/loop function for automations
- Strobing/flashing effects
- Dark mode
- Alexa integration


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Home Assistant free?

Home Assistant 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, Home Assistant or Hue Essentials?

Home Assistant is rated higher. Home Assistant averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4K ratings, while Hue Essentials averages 4.2 from 138 ratings.

### Do Home Assistant or Hue Essentials have ads?

Neither Home Assistant nor Hue Essentials shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Home Assistant or Hue Essentials?

Home Assistant ships an update every 10 days, and Hue Essentials every 2 weeks. Most recently, Home Assistant was updated on October 12, 2026 and Hue Essentials on October 14, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*