Magic Hue Bluetooth vs Hue Essentials
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Magic Hue Bluetooth
Control smart bulbs with your phone via Bluetooth. Adjust color, brightness, and set dynamic lighting scenes like flowing colors or music synchronization. Automate on/off times for personalized ambiance.
- Bluetooth Low Energy control
- Color and brightness adjustment
- Dynamic scene lighting
- Music synchronization
- Scheduled on/off times
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MagicHue Bluetooth is a BLE(Bluetooth Low Energy) based, personal, scene lighting system. A BLE supported smart phone can be used to control the bulbs, for color/brightness setting. Some useful functions can be used to set the scene lighting, e.g., flowing Color, dancing with music, turn on/off, times.
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 in-app purchases: Magic Hue Bluetooth at none against Hue Essentials's 8. Magic Hue Bluetooth also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). Hue Essentials's advantage is rating (4.1 vs 3.7) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads and device support 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. Hue Essentials sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Magic Hue Bluetooth asks for nothing beyond the download.
Hue Essentials holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hue Essentials has 133 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of Magic Hue Bluetooth's written reviews are positive against 37% of Hue Essentials's.
Magic Hue Bluetooth ships an update every 2 months, Hue Essentials every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 10, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Magic Hue Bluetooth | Hue Essentials |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (7 ratings) | 4.1 (133 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 16.7% of reviews | 37.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7 | 133 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 12 MB | 269 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 明长 周 | Thomas Vos |
Customer experience
Magic Hue Bluetooth
Hue Essentials
Bugs and requests
Magic Hue Bluetooth
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
Magic Hue Bluetooth
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 Magic Hue Bluetooth free?
Is Hue Essentials free?
Which has better reviews, Magic Hue Bluetooth or Hue Essentials?
Do Magic Hue Bluetooth or Hue Essentials have ads?
Which is updated more often, Magic Hue Bluetooth or Hue Essentials?
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