# HOS Smart Home BACnet BMS vs Hue Essentials

The clearest difference is price: Hue Essentials at Free against HOS Smart Home BACnet BMS's $9.99. Hue Essentials also leads on rating (4.2 vs 1.0) and review sentiment (38% vs 0%). HOS Smart Home BACnet BMS's advantage is iOS requirement (13.6 vs 15.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Hue Essentials is free to download; HOS Smart Home BACnet BMS costs $9.99 up front. HOS Smart Home BACnet BMS sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Hue Essentials sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Hue Essentials holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hue Essentials has 144 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of HOS Smart Home BACnet BMS's written reviews are positive against 38% of Hue Essentials's.

HOS Smart Home BACnet BMS ships an update every 5 weeks, Hue Essentials every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | HOS Smart Home BACnet BMS | Hue Essentials |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hos-smart-home-bacnet-bms/id1263725622/reviews) | **[4.2 (144 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-essentials/id1462943921/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **144** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **37.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Size | 151 MB | 271 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.6** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ahmed El-Bermawy](https://appshunter.io/developer/1079918297) | [Thomas Vos](https://appshunter.io/developer/1462943920) |

## What reviewers say

### HOS Smart Home BACnet BMS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hos-smart-home-bacnet-bms/id1263725622)

Control and monitor your smart home devices with live 3D animations and AI-powered visual detection. Create custom scenes, manage multiple properties, and enjoy a user-friendly interface with voice tutorials. Backup and restore your configurations easily.

**Highlights:** BACnet Control Protocols, Live 3D Animated Device Values, AI Visual Device Detection, Live Alarm & Status Views, Dynamic 3D Animations, Scene Recorder, Multi-Site Control

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Live Animation & Sound Effects | $9.99 | one-time |
| HOS for HomeKit Plugin | $9.99 | one-time |
| HOS for KNX Plugin | $9.99 | one-time |
| IP Controllers Plugin | $9.99 | one-time |
| digitalSTROM Plugin | $9.99 | one-time |


### 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 HOS Smart Home BACnet BMS free?

HOS Smart Home BACnet BMS costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Hue Essentials free?

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

### Which has better reviews, HOS Smart Home BACnet BMS or Hue Essentials?

Hue Essentials is rated higher. HOS Smart Home BACnet BMS averages 1.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Hue Essentials averages 4.2 from 144 ratings.

### Do HOS Smart Home BACnet BMS or Hue Essentials have ads?

Neither HOS Smart Home BACnet BMS nor Hue Essentials shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, HOS Smart Home BACnet BMS or Hue Essentials?

HOS Smart Home BACnet BMS ships an update every 5 weeks, and Hue Essentials every 2 weeks. Most recently, HOS Smart Home BACnet BMS was updated on November 6, 2026 and Hue Essentials on November 6, 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.*