Twinkly vs Hape Engine
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Twinkly
Control and personalize smart light decorations for an enhanced festive experience. Easily connect via Wi-Fi to create custom lighting effects for your tree and home.
- Personalize lighting effects
- Smart design
- Intuitive use
- Wi-Fi connectivity
- Customizable Christmas lights
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The companion app for Twinkly, the smart light decoration system to make your Christmas unforgettable. It is the evolution of the classic Christmas lights and a true innovation in how you light up your tree. It features a smart design that gives you the ability to personalize your lighting effects for an even greater experience. Designed for intuitive use, just connect over Wi-Fi and you will be playing with your lights in a matter of seconds.
Hape Engine
Control Hape's toy engines remotely via Bluetooth. Simulate an authentic driving experience with sound and light effects, and operate the engine's headlight and horn.
- Remote engine control
- Bluetooth connectivity
- Forward and reverse movement
- Acceleration control
- Sound effects
- Light effects
- Headlight and horn operation
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This APP is a remote function controller for the Hape engine. Please buy the engine before downloading and operating the APP. The product and APP are suitable for children over three years old. Download the APP on your compatible smartphone, and connect the APP to the engine via Bluetooth following the enclosed instructions. When you are done, you can launch your engine. Use the APP’s operation interface as panels in the engine’s driving cab. Press buttons to make the engine move forward, accelerate forward, reverse or accelerate backwards. While the engine is working, different sound and light effects simulate an authentic driving experience; the engine's headlight and horn can also be operated via the APP. This APP does not contain any contextual advertising. If you need any support, please contact customer services.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Twinkly at 4.6 against Hape Engine's 3.3. Twinkly also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 19 months) and ratings volume (48K vs 7). Hape Engine's advantage is review sentiment (50% vs 38%) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 16.0). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Twinkly holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Twinkly has 48K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 38% of Twinkly's written reviews are positive against 50% of Hape Engine's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Twinkly ships an update fortnightly, Hape Engine every 19 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Twinkly | Hape Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (48K ratings) — better | 3.3 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 38.5% of reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 48K — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 19 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 8.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 177 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ledworks srl | Hape |
Customer experience
Twinkly
Hape Engine
Bugs and requests
Twinkly
Reported bugs
6 issues- App crashes and freezes frequently
- Lights disconnecting from WiFi
- Mapping and setup process unreliable
- Preset effects not working as expected
- Playlist and custom effects not saving
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- Firmware update process failing
Requested features
6 requests- Multiple timers for on/off schedules
- Ability to edit and save custom effects
- Sync effects across multiple light sets
- Homekit and Alexa integration
- More preset effects and animations
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- Improved app layout and usability
Hape Engine
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Twinkly
No in-app purchases
Hape Engine
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Twinkly free?
Is Hape Engine free?
Which has better reviews, Twinkly or Hape Engine?
Do Twinkly or Hape Engine have ads?
Which is updated more often, Twinkly or Hape Engine?
Other comparisons
