# Lamptier for Philips Hue vs Hue Essentials

The clearest difference is monetization model: Hue Essentials at freemium against Lamptier for Philips Hue's subscription. Hue Essentials also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 weeks). Lamptier for Philips Hue's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 4.2) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Lamptier for Philips Hue sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Hue Essentials sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Lamptier for Philips Hue holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 398 and 139 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of Lamptier for Philips Hue's written reviews are positive against 38% of Hue Essentials's.

Lamptier for Philips Hue ships an update every 5 weeks, Hue Essentials every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Lamptier for Philips Hue | Hue Essentials |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (398 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lamptier-for-philips-hue/id1312926257/reviews)** | [4.2 (139 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-essentials/id1462943921/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **398** | 139 |
| Positive reviews | **45.1% of reviews** | 37.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Freemium** |
| Size | 134 MB | 271 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Infoality Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1226687359) | [Thomas Vos](https://appshunter.io/developer/1462943920) |

## What reviewers say

### Lamptier for Philips Hue

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lamptier-for-philips-hue/id1312926257)

Create immersive lighting experiences and beautiful designs for your smart home. This app analyzes your room layout to generate personalized scenes, syncs with music, and offers convenient control over your Philips Hue lights.

**Highlights:** Dynamic lighting scenes, Background sound integration, Smart group control, Space Planner for room analysis, Lights Off functionality with timers, Custom scene creation

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Starter Plan, up to 15 lamps | $2.99 | per month |
| Starter Plan, up to 15 lamps | $2.99 | per month |
| Monthly Plan, up to 50 lamps | $4.99 | per month |
| Monthly Plan, up to 50 lamps | $4.99 | per month |
| Quarterly Plan, up to 50 lamps | $14.99 | per 3 months |
| Quarterly Plan, up to 50 lamps | $14.99 | per 3 months |
| Yearly Plan, up to 50 lamps | $29.99 | per year |
| Starter Plan, up to 15 lamps | $29.99 | per year |
| Starter Plan, up to 15 lamps | $29.99 | per year |
| Yearly Plan, up to 50 lamps | $34.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ Beautiful and impressive lighting scenes
- 🎨 Unique 3D spatial positioning of lights
- 🎵 Integration with Spotify and Apple Music
- 💡 Innovative mood and ambiance creation
- 🎭 Wide variety of themed scenes

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and connection failures
- ⏱️ Slow and unresponsive performance
- 🔋 Excessive battery drain in background
- 🎵 Random/inconsistent Spotify track selection

**Reported bugs**

- Effects fail to download
- Cannot find lights or bridge
- App crashes during bridge setup
- Long startup times and unresponsiveness
- Scenes take several minutes to load

**Requested features**

- Siri Shortcuts integration
- Alexa and Google Home compatibility
- Apple Watch app
- IFTTT support
- Multiple bridge support


### 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 Lamptier for Philips Hue free?

Lamptier for Philips Hue is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Hue Essentials free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Lamptier for Philips Hue or Hue Essentials?

Lamptier for Philips Hue is rated higher. Lamptier for Philips Hue averages 4.6 out of 5 from 398 ratings, while Hue Essentials averages 4.2 from 139 ratings.

### Do Lamptier for Philips Hue or Hue Essentials have ads?

Lamptier for Philips Hue shows ads; Hue Essentials does not.

### Which is updated more often, Lamptier for Philips Hue or Hue Essentials?

Lamptier for Philips Hue ships an update every 5 weeks, and Hue Essentials every 2 weeks. Most recently, Lamptier for Philips Hue was updated on October 14, 2026 and Hue Essentials on October 22, 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.*