Comparison

SpectraShow vs Hue Essentials

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

Head to head
About

SpectraShow

Control commercial-grade RGB-LED light strings with custom animations and colors. Arrange LEDs in 2D or 3D, draw your own effects, and save favorites. Ideal for various decorative and stage lighting applications.

Highlights
  • 2D Pixel Mapping LED configuration
  • Wireless controller grouping
  • Custom effect drawing and animation
  • Real-time gradient color selector
  • Save multiple favorite effects
  • Speed and brightness controls
Features
Read full description

Control the animations and colors of this new, pre-addressed, 24 Vdc line of commercial-grade, Minleon RGB-LED light strings, powered by LED Works. This is Easy R-G-B! Mini-Pixel Lights are ideal for more than your outdoor wire frames, wreathes & trees. Outline Building Perimeters with our G40 and C9 large lens options, build Pixel Panels out of a 5mm pegboard, swag a Smart Festoon on the patio or drop a Curtain Grid on stage. At Minleon, we’re more than Christmas: - 2-dimentional Pixel Mapping LED configuration – arrange LED’s in any fashion you desire, snap a photo with your smart device, and let the App calibrate your effects! - Group controllers wirelessly on multiple elements within range - Network Mode, for a Wi-Fi boost - Draw, Animate & Color your own unique custom effects​! - Over 10 pre-set quick-color combinations - 18 pre-set effects/animations - Gradient color selector for that elusive hue—LED’s respond in Real Time! - Create your own Loop Effect animation - 3-D Tree Layout - Save multiple Favorites - Speed & Brightness controls - Individually, pre-addressed LED’s – no complex configurations!

About

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.

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
Read full description

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

SpectraShow1 screens
Hue Essentials4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Hue Essentials at 4.1 against SpectraShow's 3.0. Hue Essentials also leads on review sentiment (37% vs 0%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months). SpectraShow's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price and ads 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

Both are free to download. Hue Essentials sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. SpectraShow asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Hue Essentials holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hue Essentials has 133 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of SpectraShow's written reviews are positive against 37% of Hue Essentials's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SpectraShow ships an update every 4 months, Hue Essentials every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
SpectraShow versus Hue Essentials: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpectraShowHue Essentials
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (11 ratings)4.1 (133 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews37.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings11133 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size125 MB269 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTwinkly srlThomas Vos

Customer experience

SpectraShow

All ratings11 ratings
Positive36.4%
Neutral27.3%
Negative36.4%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral33.3%
Negative66.7%

Hue Essentials

All ratings133 ratings
Positive75.9%
Neutral8.3%
Negative15.8%
Written reviews239 reviews
Positive37.2%
Neutral8.4%
Negative54.4%

Bugs and requests

SpectraShow

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

None

SpectraShow

No in-app purchases

8 purchases

Hue Essentials

One-time8
  • Effects: Christmas$0.99
  • Effects: Universe$0.99
  • Effects: Wonders of nature$0.99
Show 5 more
  • Effects: Romantic$0.99
  • Effects: Floral fantasy$0.99
  • Effects: Spooky$0.99
  • Multiple bridges$4.99
  • Premium$7.99

Questions

Is SpectraShow free?
SpectraShow is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hue Essentials free?
Hue Essentials is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SpectraShow or Hue Essentials?
Hue Essentials is rated higher. SpectraShow averages 3.0 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Hue Essentials averages 4.1 from 133 ratings.
Do SpectraShow or Hue Essentials have ads?
Neither SpectraShow nor Hue Essentials shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SpectraShow or Hue Essentials?
SpectraShow ships an update every 4 months, and Hue Essentials every 2 weeks. Most recently, SpectraShow was updated on June 1, 2026 and Hue Essentials on September 30, 2026.

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