Sunrise Simulator vs Hue Essentials
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sunrise Simulator
Wake up gently with a simulated sunrise using your smart lights. Customize duration, brightness, and color temperature. Includes audible alarms with various sounds and a night clock mode.
- Simulated sunrise with smart lights
- Customizable wake-up time and duration
- Gradual light brightening and color temperature change
- Audible alarm with custom sounds
- Night clock mode
- Multi-location support
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Sunrise Simulator allows you to control LIFX and Hue lights as a sunrise alarm clock. You can choose the duration of the sunrise and your desired wakeup time. During the sunrise the app will gradually brighten the lights and increase the color temperature from warm to cool. If you haven't woken up by your set time, the app will play a sound you have chosen. You can control multiple lights from different manufacturers at the same time. You must have a smart lightbulb for the sunrise simulator to be fully functional. If you are in a location without a smart bulb, you can use the phone torch to simulate the sunrise. To do this, you MUST NOT lock your phone. If you do not any smart bulbs you can use the app as an audible alarm. The audible alarm can be any sound from your playlist, or you can choose from a variety of natural sounds such as waves, rain or bird calls. If you are a heavy sleeper you can also choose a siren. The siren setting will also strobe the light after the sunrise if you haven't cancelled the alarm. You can also use the app as a night clock as long as you do not lock your phone. You can adjust the brightness of the display by dragging your finger up or down on the screen. Version 3 supports multiple locations, so you can have different setups for different houses. The app will attempt to determine the location automatically, but you can also set the location manually.
Hue Essentials
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.
- 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
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Imagine unlimited possibilities in your smart home. Set scenes and fast effects to your mood. Experience Dance Sensation in your entertainment area with Philips Hue Entertainment. Feel more in control with schedules and automation from sunrise to sunset. Control multiple bridges simultaneously without switching between them. Supported devices • Philips Hue bridge • Philips Hue Bluetooth lights • deCONZ (ConBee) • diyHue • LIFX Scenes & effects Create the perfect ambiance from your photos or the included photo library. Experience special animations like lava, fireplace, fireworks, or lightning. Wake up at sunrise and go to sleep at sunset with fading lights. Get into the party on the beats of your music. Sync your lights for a night of disco with strobe effects (updates 25 times/sec). Quick access Create rooms and groups to organize your lights. You can even put a light in several groups. Smart lights & controls The unique ‘Touchlink’ search allows you to find new (3rd party, Zigbee) lights. Use included wizards for easy setup of your devices. You can set scenes, actions, or even multiple scenes on a button to make your switch a real investment. Experience the right ambiance during different times of your day with your motion sensor. All of your creations are stored on the bridge. Easy for you and your family. Advanced Automation allows you to have greater control of your smart home. Turn on your lights when the door opens. Adjust your ventilation when the humidity gets too high. Open or close blinds and curtains based on temperature or sunshine. Make it look like you are at home using 'Away from Home' (out of home control). Communicate directly with your Hue bridge using the API debugger. View technical details of your Hue bridge and update its resources like lights and sensors. You want it all? Fast performance with ad-free experience. Purchase the premium version to unlock full content.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Hue Essentials at Free against Sunrise Simulator's $4.99. Hue Essentials also leads on rating (4.1 vs 1.0) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 10 months). Sunrise Simulator's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8). On ads 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
Hue Essentials is free to download; Sunrise Simulator costs $4.99 up front. Hue Essentials sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Sunrise Simulator asks for nothing beyond the download.
Hue Essentials holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hue Essentials has 133 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of Sunrise Simulator's written reviews are positive against 37% of Hue Essentials's.
Sunrise Simulator ships an update every 10 months, Hue Essentials every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on August 9, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sunrise Simulator | Hue Essentials |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 1.0 (4 ratings) | 4.1 (133 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 16.7% of reviews | 37.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 133 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Freemium — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 104 MB | 269 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | James Derrick | Thomas Vos |
Customer experience
Sunrise Simulator
Hue Essentials
Bugs and requests
Sunrise Simulator
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Hue Essentials
Reported bugs
4 issues- Fade feature not working
- Saving automations not working
- Crashes when checking 'About' section
- Widgets and Apple Watch app issues
Requested features
4 requests- Repeat/loop function for automations
- Strobing/flashing effects
- Dark mode
- Alexa integration
In-app purchases
Sunrise Simulator
No in-app purchases
Hue Essentials
- Effects: Christmas$0.99
- Effects: Universe$0.99
- Effects: Wonders of nature$0.99
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- Effects: Romantic$0.99
- Effects: Floral fantasy$0.99
- Effects: Spooky$0.99
- Multiple bridges$4.99
- Premium$7.99
Questions
Is Sunrise Simulator free?
Is Hue Essentials free?
Which has better reviews, Sunrise Simulator or Hue Essentials?
Do Sunrise Simulator or Hue Essentials have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sunrise Simulator or Hue Essentials?
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