# Sunrise Simulator vs Hue Essentials

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sunrise Simulator | Hue Essentials |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [1.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sunrise-simulator/id1133864698/reviews) | **[4.1 (133 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-essentials/id1462943921/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 4 | **133** |
| Positive reviews | 16.7% of reviews | **37.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Size | 104 MB | 269 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [James Derrick](https://appshunter.io/developer/582907514) | [Thomas Vos](https://appshunter.io/developer/1462943920) |

## What reviewers say

### Sunrise Simulator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sunrise-simulator/id1133864698)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Hue Essentials

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-essentials/id1462943921)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Effects: Christmas | $0.99 | one-time |
| Effects: Universe | $0.99 | one-time |
| Effects: Wonders of nature | $0.99 | one-time |
| Effects: Romantic | $0.99 | one-time |
| Effects: Floral fantasy | $0.99 | one-time |
| Effects: Spooky | $0.99 | one-time |
| Multiple bridges | $4.99 | one-time |
| Premium | $7.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent Hue lighting control
- 👍 Works well with multiple bridges
- 💡 Customizable remote controls
- 🚀 Faster than official Hue app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
- 🔒 In-app purchases required for key features
- 👎 Poor execution and user experience
- 🔋 Widgets and Apple Watch app not working

**Reported bugs**

- Fade feature not working
- Saving automations not working
- Crashes when checking 'About' section
- Widgets and Apple Watch app issues

**Requested features**

- Repeat/loop function for automations
- Strobing/flashing effects
- Dark mode
- Alexa integration


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sunrise Simulator free?

Sunrise Simulator costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Hue Essentials free?

Hue Essentials is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Sunrise Simulator or Hue Essentials?

Hue Essentials is rated higher. Sunrise Simulator averages 1.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Hue Essentials averages 4.1 from 133 ratings.

### Do Sunrise Simulator or Hue Essentials have ads?

Neither Sunrise Simulator nor Hue Essentials shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Sunrise Simulator or Hue Essentials?

Sunrise Simulator ships an update every 10 months, and Hue Essentials every 2 weeks. Most recently, Sunrise Simulator was updated on August 9, 2026 and Hue Essentials on September 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*