# Belvédère vs Hue Essentials

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Belvédère at none against Hue Essentials's 8. Belvédère also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Hue Essentials's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 8 months) and device support (5 vs 3). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

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

Belvédère ships an update every 8 months, Hue Essentials every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Belvédère | Hue Essentials |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[4.2 (138 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-essentials/id1462943921/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **138** |
| Positive reviews | — | 37.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Size | 35 MB | 271 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [bonacasa AG](https://appshunter.io/developer/567389838) | [Thomas Vos](https://appshunter.io/developer/1462943920) |

## What reviewers say

### Belvédère

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/belvedere/id1201173049)

**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 Belvédère free?

Belvédère is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Hue Essentials free?

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

### Do Belvédère or Hue Essentials have ads?

Neither Belvédère nor Hue Essentials shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Belvédère or Hue Essentials?

Belvédère ships an update every 8 months, and Hue Essentials every 2 weeks. Most recently, Belvédère was updated on September 29, 2026 and Hue Essentials on October 17, 2026.

---

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