Comparison

Thunderstorm for Hue vs Bardley

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

Bardley

An audiobook player designed for privacy, allowing users to own their books and enjoy them without tracking or subscriptions. It offers powerful tools for organization, metadata enrichment, and a distraction-free listening experience.

Highlights
  • Privacy-first design with zero data collection
  • Instant metadata search from multiple sources
  • Built-in PDF companion viewer
  • Advanced series organization and tracking
  • Enhanced listening experience with variable speed and smart timer
  • Professional library management with various import and sorting options
  • Accessibility features including VoiceOver support
Features
Read full description

Bardley keeps your listening habits completely private while giving you the power to organize, enrich, and enjoy your audiobook library — no account required. NO SUBSCRIPTION. Start with up to 5 audiobooks. Upgrade to Bardley Pro once to unlock an unlimited library, iCloud sync, JellyFin, LibriVox access, and every future premium feature — forever. No monthly fees, no tricks. COMPLETE PRIVACY PROTECTION Zero data collection. No tracking. No accounts. Your audiobooks and listening history stay with you where they belong. While other apps harvest your data for profit, Bardley respects your privacy by default — every network feature is opt-in, never forced. INSTANT METADATA SEARCH Search Open Library, PodcastIndex, and Audnexus simultaneously to find the right cover art, author, narrator, series info, and chapter names. One tap to apply everything. Your sideloaded books deserve proper metadata. BUILT-IN PDF COMPANION VIEWER Attach study guides, liner notes, or companion PDFs directly to any audiobook. Full PDF viewer with page navigation, table of contents, and thumbnails — all without leaving the app. It remembers your last page, too. SERIES ORGANIZATION THAT ACTUALLY WORKS Tired of scrolling through random book lists trying to find Book 3? Bardley groups series books together and lets you set custom reading order. Filter by series, track progress across entire collections, and never lose your place in multi-book stories again. ENHANCED LISTENING EXPERIENCE Variable playback speed from 0.5x to 2.0x. Smart sleep timer that pauses at chapter endings — not mid-sentence. Configurable skip controls. Detailed bookmarks with notes. Chapter navigation with progress tracking. Seamless resume every time you reopen the app. PROFESSIONAL LIBRARY MANAGEMENT Import through Files, AirDrop, or sharing. Supports MP3, M4A, M4B, AIFF, and WAV. Automatic chapter detection. Add custom artwork while keeping originals safe. Switch between grid and list views. Filter by progress, group by author or series, sort seven different ways. BUILT FOR ACCESSIBILITY Bardley adapts to your settings. Five levels of adaptive layout sizing, full VoiceOver support with rich playback announcements, and haptic feedback for every control — so the app works the way you do. CLEAN, DISTRACTION-FREE DESIGN Choose from multiple UI styles to match your taste. Powerful search and filtering. Progress indicators on every book. No ads, no clutter, no distractions — just your audiobooks. Your audiobooks. Your privacy. Your way.

Screenshots

Thunderstorm for Hue4 screens
Bardley4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Bardley at Free against Thunderstorm for Hue's $2.99. Bardley also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 3 months). Thunderstorm for Hue's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0.0 vs 26.0). On ads and device support 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

Bardley is free to download; Thunderstorm for Hue costs $2.99 up front. Bardley sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Thunderstorm for Hue asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Thunderstorm for Hue ships an update every 3 months, Bardley every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Thunderstorm for Hue versus Bardley: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThunderstorm for HueBardley
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating—5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews54.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings—4 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS13.0.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size74 MB24 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperScott DodsonJoseph Poirier

Customer experience

Thunderstorm for Hue

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

Bardley

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Thunderstorm for Hue

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Bardley

One-time1
  • Lifetime Pro$5.99

Questions

Is Thunderstorm for Hue free?
Thunderstorm for Hue costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bardley free?
Bardley is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Thunderstorm for Hue or Bardley have ads?
Neither Thunderstorm for Hue nor Bardley shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Thunderstorm for Hue or Bardley?
Thunderstorm for Hue ships an update every 3 months, and Bardley every 8 days. Most recently, Thunderstorm for Hue was updated on September 23, 2026 and Bardley on September 18, 2026.

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