Thunderstorm for Hue vs SVS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Thunderstorm for Hue
Create immersive thunderstorm experiences with your Philips Hue lights. Customize rain and lightning effects, sounds, and background ambiance for a personalized storm show. Perfect for relaxation or adding atmosphere.
- Simulate various thunderstorm intensities
- Customize rain and lightning effects
- Adjust rain and thunder sounds
- Control light colors and brightness
- Set background ambient sounds
- Manual lightning control
- Sleep timer with recurring cycles
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Summon a thunderstorm light show using your Philips Hue lights. Watch your lights pulse and flash to the sounds of a storm.* *Hue Bridge or Hue Bridge Pro required THUNDERSTORMS • Strong Thunderstorm — Heavy rain with frequent lightning and thunder nearby Lights pulse quickly to the sound of heavy rain. Booming sounds of thunder accompany bright flashes of light. • Normal Thunderstorm — Steady rain with a full range of lightning and thunder Lights pulse to the sound of rain. The sound of thunder can be heard from various distances. The closer the lightning, the louder the sound, and the brighter the flashes of light! • Weak Thunderstorm — Light rain with occasional lightning and thunder far off Lights pulse slowly to the sound of light rain. Dim flashes of light are followed by soft sounds of thunder. • Passing Thunderstorms — Rain and lightning intensity changes as the storms pass Lights pulse and flash at different rates to correspond with the current strength of the storm. SETTINGS Sky • Change the base color and brightness of your lights Rain • Toggle rain sound effects • Change rain audio: Default, Heavy, Steady, Light, On Tin Roof • Change rain volume • Toggle rain light effects • Change rain pulse rate: Default, Slow, Medium, Fast • Target lights for rain light effects • Change rain transition effects: Pulse, Fade Quickly, Fade Slowly • Change color and brightness of rain light effects Lightning/Thunder • Toggle thunder sound effects • Change thunder volume • Change delay lightning (Wireless audio delay offset) • Toggle delay thunder • Toggle lightning light effects • Target lights for lightning light effects • Change lightning transition effects: Random, Flicker, Flash, Pulse, Fade Quickly, Fade Slowly • Change lightning/thunder occurrence: Default, Never, Occasional, Normal, Frequent, Unreal • Change color and max brightness of lightning light effects Passing Thunderstorms • Change starting storm for Passing Thunderstorms: Weak, Normal, Strong • Change cycle time for Passing Thunderstorms: 15m, 30m, 60m Background Sounds • Toggle background sounds: Birds, Cicadas, Crickets, Frogs • Change background sounds volume General • Change default end state: On, Off, Revert • Change sleep end state: On, Off, Revert • Select mode to automatically start when app opens • Choose time to automatically stop selected mode • Choose time to automatically restart selected mode when sleep timer ends, enabling recurring cycle LIGHTS / GROUPS Select one or more lights for your thunderstorm light show on the Lights/Groups tab. Choose a group that you set up using the Philips Hue app, or create a new zone in the Thunderstorm for Hue app. To edit a zone in the list, swipe the item to the left and tap the pencil icon. When you add, remove, or change lights, pull down the list to refresh. ADDITIONAL FEATURES • Lightning on Demand — Start a storm and utilize the lightning buttons at the bottom of the screen for manual control. • Sleep Timer — Set a timer complemented with an audio fade-out feature. Choose the state of your lights after the timer ends with the Sleep End State setting. • Bluetooth and AirPlay Support — Connect to Bluetooth speakers directly, or connect to speakers with AirPlay using the Control Center. Adjust the Delay Light FX setting to offset any wireless audio delay. Please contact me at support@thunderstorm.scottdodson.dev if you experience any issues. I'd love to hear your thoughts and appreciate you taking the time to rate and review the app. I want to continue to improve Thunderstorm for Hue and create a great experience for you and future users. Thank you! —Scott
SVS
Control and optimize your SVS subwoofer's performance with advanced DSP features. Adjust volume, fine-tune audio for music and movies, and correct room anomalies for the deepest, tightest bass.
- Advanced DSP functionality
- Room anomaly correction
- Customizable presets
- Volume control
- Low pass filter adjustment
- Parametric EQ
- Port tuning
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The SVS app is the easiest way to unleash the full potential of your SVS 17-Ultra RIEvolution, 5000 Series R|Evolution, 3000 R|Evolution, 16-Ultra, 4000 Series, 3000 Series, 3000 Micro, 3000 In-Wall, 2000 Pro Series, and 1000 Pro Series subwoofers by allowing advanced DSP functionality and optimization based on your room, speakers and personal listening preferences. The SVS app lets you do simple things like control volume and create custom presets that enable easy, one-touch tuning for music, movies, and other content. More advanced functionality of the SVS subwoofer app includes the ability to correct room anomalies and fine-tune low frequency output so you can enjoy the full depth, force, and nuance from the world’s finest subwoofers. When used with your SVS subwoofer, the app takes the mystery out of subwoofer digital signal processing (DSP) by clearly explaining each feature and providing easy control from your mobile device. If you’re new to subwoofer DSP, the SVS app has a helpful tutorial that guides you through the different settings. With a few simple adjustments, you can eliminate boomy spots, set crossover frequencies, and make other adjustments to get the deepest, tightest, and most accurate in-room response possible from your SVS subwoofer. You can make adjustments from the comfort of your favorite seat or even when the subwoofer is not in site. With SVS, you can easily optimize settings for: • Volume Control • Low Pass Filter • Phase • Polarity • Parametric EQ • Room Gain Compensation • Port Tuning (Ported models only) • Custom Presets • System Settings And More The SVS app works with Apple iOS 13.0 or newer. The app is also available for SVS 13-Ultra Amplifier Upgrade Kits for existing owners of the SVS SB13, PB13, PC13-Ultra, PB12-PLUS, and PC12-PLUS Subwoofers. Have questions, problems or feedback? Contact us at custservice@svsound.com or 877.626.5623.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: SVS at Free against Thunderstorm for Hue's $2.99. SVS also leads on review sentiment (68% vs 55%). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
SVS is free to download; Thunderstorm for Hue costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Thunderstorm for Hue ships an update every 3 months, SVS every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Thunderstorm for Hue | SVS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | — | 4.2 (95 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 54.5% of reviews | 68.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 95 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0.0 | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 74 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Scott Dodson | Specialty Technologies, LLC. |
Customer experience
Thunderstorm for Hue
SVS
Bugs and requests
Thunderstorm for Hue
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
SVS
Reported bugs
15 issues- App crashes frequently
- Never reconnects to sub, requires reinstallation
- Preset saving is unreliable or doesn't work
- Bluetooth connection issues (out of range, drops)
- Phantom BLE connection locks out other devices
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- iPhone gestures interfere with app navigation (swipe up)
- Save Preset button is not visible/executable on iPhone 14 Pro
- Options button not showing up after selecting home screen options
- Preset selection not properly shown on screen when swapping
- App maintains a phantom BLE connection
- Auto On not working
- Amplifier plate issues
- App resets itself on opening
- Subwoofer not in range reported
- Preset is set to none in the app periodically
Requested features
20 requests- Group subs for simultaneous adjustments
- Mute function
- Auto room correction
- Widget for quick preset changes
- Apple Watch app for adjustments
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- Desktop/Mac app support
- Language options (e.g., French)
- Standby/Active mode indicator
- API for home automation integration
- Native Windows/Mac/Linux control
- Expanded explanations for settings
- iPad support
- Group control for gain adjustments
- Dropdown menu for switching between subs
- Always-on display option
- Automatic recognition of sealed mode
- Support for multiple devices simultaneously
- Net frequency response display with EQs
- Option to go back in menus
- Dark mode
In-app purchases
Thunderstorm for Hue
No in-app purchases
SVS
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Thunderstorm for Hue free?
Is SVS free?
Do Thunderstorm for Hue or SVS have ads?
Which is updated more often, Thunderstorm for Hue or SVS?
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