Comparison

Thunderstorm for Hue vs IMAX

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Read full description

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

About

IMAX

Discover upcoming films, documentaries, and live events. Save your favorite theaters to stay updated on showtimes and release dates. Access exclusive content like cast messages and digital art.

Highlights
  • Save favorite theaters
  • View showtimes and release dates
  • Browse film and event listings
  • Access exclusive cast messages
  • Download exclusive IMAX Art
  • Explore capsule collections
Read full description

From Hollywood blockbuster releases to exclusive one-night-only artist performances, IMAX is personalizing your theatre experience with the help of our app: - Save your home theatre and stay updated on what’s playing on our screens - Learn release dates for films, documentaries, and amazing, one-night-only IMAX Live experiences - Browse our limited-edition capsule collections celebrating the history of our cameras and our filmmaking heritage - Receive exclusive downloadable messages from cast and crew, and save our exclusive IMAX Art on your phone Download today to be in the best seat tomorrow. Terms of Use: https://www.imax.com/content/terms-service Privacy Policy: https://www.imax.com/content/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Thunderstorm for Hue4 screens
IMAX4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: IMAX at Free against Thunderstorm for Hue's $2.99. IMAX also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). Thunderstorm for Hue's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 19) and ads (none vs shown). On 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

IMAX is free to download; Thunderstorm for Hue costs $2.99 up front. IMAX sells 19 one-off in-app purchases. Thunderstorm for Hue asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Thunderstorm for Hue ships an update every 3 months, IMAX monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Thunderstorm for Hue versus IMAX: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThunderstorm for HueIMAX
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating—2.2 (34 ratings) — better
Positive reviews54.5% of reviews — better34.6% of reviews
Number of ratings—34 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#183 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPod, Vision Pro
Requires iOS15.0.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size74 MB124 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperScott DodsonIMAX Corporation

Customer experience

Thunderstorm for Hue

Written reviews44 reviews
Positive54.5%
Neutral15.9%
Negative29.5%

IMAX

All ratings32 ratings
Positive31.3%
Neutral3.1%
Negative65.6%
Written reviews104 reviews
Positive34.6%
Neutral10.6%
Negative54.8%

Bugs and requests

Thunderstorm for Hue

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

IMAX

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App freezes on splash screen or black screen
  • Content loading error: 'There was an error loading the content'
  • Unable to retrieve content in certain regions
  • Login failures and authentication issues
  • App crashes after initial use
Show 5 more
  • Control center down arrow continuously flashing
  • Error messages appear without actual issues
  • Theater location search returns no results for existing locations
  • Password validation rejects secure keychain-generated passwords
  • Movie not displaying in expected 3D format despite listing

Requested features

18 requests
  • Add option to purchase movies instead of renting
  • Expand content library with major films (Dune, Oppenheimer, Interstellar, TRON, Lord of the Rings)
  • Subscription model for unlimited access
  • Update location database with new theaters
  • Add support for multiple favorite theaters
Show 13 more
  • Include full-length IMAX movies in 1.43 aspect ratio
  • Add 3D content for all available titles
  • Implement search functionality
  • Show rental duration and movie length information
  • Add trailers for all paid content
  • Download feature for offline viewing
  • Monthly or yearly subscription option
  • Shared viewing experience with other users
  • Hand visibility toggle for low-light viewing
  • Support for more countries and regions
  • Guest login option without account creation
  • Movie recommendations and sorting options
  • Theater kiosk ordering integration

In-app purchases

None

Thunderstorm for Hue

No in-app purchases

19 purchases

IMAX

One-time19
  • Hail Columbia$1.99
  • Fires of Kuwait$1.99
  • Pandas$2.99
Show 16 more
  • Superpower Dogs$3.99
  • A Beautiful Planet$4.99
  • Journey to the South Pacific$4.99
  • Superpower Dogs [3D]$4.99
  • Pandas [3D]$4.99
  • Deep Sky [3D]$4.99
  • Planet Earth 3: Ep7: Human$4.99
  • Planet Earth 3: Ep3: Deserts$4.99
  • Planet Earth 3: Ep4: Freshwate$4.99
  • Planet Earth 3: Ep5: Forrests$4.99
  • Planet Earth 3: Ep6: Extremes$4.99
  • Planet Earth 3: Ep1: Coasts$4.99
  • Planet Earth 3: Ep2: Ocean$4.99
  • A Beautiful Planet [3D]$5.99
  • Journey to the South Pacific$5.99
  • Deep Sky$6.99

Questions

Is Thunderstorm for Hue free?
Thunderstorm for Hue costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is IMAX free?
IMAX is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Thunderstorm for Hue or IMAX have ads?
IMAX shows ads; Thunderstorm for Hue does not.
Which is updated more often, Thunderstorm for Hue or IMAX?
Thunderstorm for Hue ships an update every 3 months, and IMAX monthly. Most recently, Thunderstorm for Hue was updated on October 26, 2026 and IMAX on October 27, 2026.

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