Comparison

Soundstorm for Hue vs Explore360

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

Head to head
About

Soundstorm for Hue

Transform your Philips Hue lights into a dynamic visual experience. Sync your lights with music, create custom color themes, and set party effects. Requires a Hue Bridge.

Highlights
  • Music visualizer with microphone access
  • Strobe, Color Loop, Color Flow modes
  • Customizable themes and color palettes
  • Adjustable light effect transitions
  • Playlist mode with random durations
  • Sleep timer with customizable end states
  • Light and group selection
Read full description

Get your party started using your Philips Hue lights. Watch your lights pulse and flash to your favorite songs.* *Hue Bridge or Hue Bridge Pro required MODES • Music Visualizer — Lights change colors to the music (Microphone access required) • Strobe — Lights change colors in a flash randomly • Color Loop — Lights change colors simultaneously • Color Flow — Lights change colors sequentially • Playlist — Each mode plays for a random duration THEMES Choose from one of the predefined themes or create your own on the Themes tab. Each mode uses the colors in the selected theme. To edit a user theme in the list, swipe the item to the left and tap the pencil icon. You can reorder colors for the Color Loop mode. SETTINGS Music Visualizer • Change volume trigger for light effects • Change minimum brightness of lights when inactive • Change maximum brightness of light effects • Change transition effects: Random, Pulse, Fade Quickly, Fade Slowly • Change theme • Toggle detect frequencies (Bass, Mid, Treble) Bass, Mid, Treble (Music Visualizer) • Toggle light effects • Target lights for effects • Change transition effects: Random, Pulse, Fade Quickly, Fade Slowly • Change theme • Change frequency range trigger Strobe • Change minimum brightness of lights when inactive • Change maximum brightness of light effects • Change theme Color Loop, Color Flow • Change brightness of lights • Change color or light sequence: In Order, Reverse Order, Random Order • Change transition effects: Random, Pulse, Fade Quickly, Fade Slowly • Change transition timeout • Change theme Playlist • Change sequence: In Order, Reverse Order, Random Order • Change order • Toggle modes • Change duration range for each mode General • Change default end state: Revert, Off • Change sleep end state: Revert, Off • Select mode to automatically start when app opens • Choose time to automatically stop selected mode LIGHTS / GROUPS Select one or more lights for your light show on the Lights tab. Choose a group that you set up using the Philips Hue app, or create a new zone in the Soundstorm for Hue app. To edit a room or zone in the list, swipe the item to the left and tap the pencil icon. You can reorder lights for the Color Flow mode. When you add, remove, or change lights, pull down the list to refresh. ADDITIONAL FEATURES • Sleep Timer — Choose the state of your lights after the timer ends with the Sleep End State setting. Please contact me at support@soundstorm.scottdodson.dev if you experience any issues. I'd love to hear your thoughts and appreciate you taking the time to rate and review the app. I want to continue to improve Soundstorm for Hue and create a great experience for you and future users. Thank you! —Scott

About

Explore360

Features
Read full description

Explore360 turns your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro into a window onto the world — a curated collection of stunning 360° panoramas from Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository, shared under open licences by photographers around the globe. Step inside each scene and look around in every direction, from mountain summits and historic town squares to sweeping coastlines, grand interiors, and city streets at night. Browse beautifully • A fast, edge-to-edge grid of tiny-planet previews you can scroll endlessly. • Filter and sort to surface exactly the views you want. • Tap the heart to keep your favorites close. Explore on a map • See where every panorama was taken on an interactive world map. • Pin a spot with several shots and pick the one you like best. Explore the streets • Drop a pin on the map and step into the 360° view at street level — optionally in full resolution for razor-sharp detail. • Now including user-contributed 360° photos from places no camera car ever reached — mountain tops, trails, indoor spots. • Heart your favorite spots and find them again in the List and on the Map. Step inside • Open any photo to a true 360° view and drag to look around — no roll, no distortion. • Zoom in to inspect the details, then jump to the next, previous, or a random panorama. • On Apple Vision Pro the scene wraps completely around you in full immersion, with a comfort vignette as you turn. Watch together • Share a panorama over FaceTime with SharePlay so everyone explores the same view. • Or create a Room and let others join by name — no FaceTime required (optional password). • Point things out with a laser pointer: everyone gets their own color, labelled with their name. • GeoGame: start a multiplayer guessing game — everyone lands on the same random street-level spot and guesses the place on the map; closest wins. With a 3-2-1 start, timer, scoreboard and a winner podium. Contribute your own • Sign in and upload your own 360° panoramas — with a title, description and map location, for everyone to see. • Set the front so others see the best part first. • You decide whether others may save each one. Make it your own • Import your own equirectangular (2:1) panoramas from Photos or Files. • Organize them into saved lists that sync across your devices via iCloud. • See your geotagged panoramas right on the world map. • Frame any region of a panorama and export it as its own flat image to share or save. Understand every place • Titles and descriptions are translated into your language and shown instantly — with one tap to see the original. • An optional info panel shows the location, capture date, camera, and a map of where the shot was taken. Designed to feel effortless • Native SwiftUI and RealityKit throughout, tuned for each device. • A clean, quiet interface that gets out of the way of the view. Sit back, look up, and travel the planet — one 360° panorama at a time.

Screenshots

Soundstorm for Hue4 screens
Explore3604 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Explore360 at every 6 days against Soundstorm for Hue's every 5 weeks. Explore360 also leads on price ($1.99 vs $2.99). Soundstorm for Hue's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0.0 vs 26.0). On ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Soundstorm for Hue costs $2.99 and Explore360 $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Soundstorm for Hue ships an update every 5 weeks, Explore360 every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Soundstorm for Hue versus Explore360: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSoundstorm for HueExplore360
Price$2.99$1.99 — better
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS15.0.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperScott DodsonMarcel Wlotzka

In-app purchases

None

Soundstorm for Hue

No in-app purchases

None

Explore360

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Soundstorm for Hue free?
Soundstorm for Hue costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Explore360 free?
Explore360 costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Soundstorm for Hue or Explore360 have ads?
Neither Soundstorm for Hue nor Explore360 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Soundstorm for Hue or Explore360?
Soundstorm for Hue ships an update every 5 weeks, and Explore360 every 6 days. Most recently, Soundstorm for Hue was updated on November 2, 2026 and Explore360 on October 25, 2026.

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