Comparison

Desana vs Hue Essentials

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

Head to head
About

Desana

Access a global network of coworking spaces with a single subscription. Empower your employees with the flexibility to work from diverse and inspiring locations worldwide, fostering productivity and well-being.

Highlights
  • Access to a global coworking network
  • Seamless transitions between spaces
  • Flexible work locations
  • Employee freedom and choice
  • Work from new and interesting places
Features
Read full description

Desana gives you and your employees access to an ever expanding network of places to work from. With just one subscription, your employees can move seamlessly between any coworking space on our platform. Give them the freedom to explore a network of quality work spaces across the world, and grant them the ability to work from new and interesting places throughout their week. Allow your employees to flourish by giving them the freedom to work anywhere.

About

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.

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
Read full description

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

Desana4 screens
Hue Essentials4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Hue Essentials at 4.2 against Desana's 2.5. Hue Essentials also leads on ratings volume (138 vs 2) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). Desana's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8). On price, review sentiment, ads and iOS requirement 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

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Hue Essentials holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hue Essentials has 138 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 40% of Desana's written reviews are positive against 37% of Hue Essentials's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Desana ships an update monthly, Hue Essentials every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Desana versus Hue Essentials: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDesanaHue Essentials
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.5 (2 ratings)4.2 (138 ratings) — better
Positive reviews40.0% of reviews — better37.2% of reviews
Number of ratings2138 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size72 MB271 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDesana Network LimitedThomas Vos

Customer experience

Desana

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%

Hue Essentials

All ratings138 ratings
Positive77.5%
Neutral7.2%
Negative15.2%
Written reviews239 reviews
Positive37.2%
Neutral8.4%
Negative54.4%

Bugs and requests

Desana

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

None

Desana

No in-app purchases

8 purchases

Hue Essentials

One-time8
  • Effects: Christmas$0.99
  • Effects: Universe$0.99
  • Effects: Wonders of nature$0.99
Show 5 more
  • Effects: Romantic$0.99
  • Effects: Floral fantasy$0.99
  • Effects: Spooky$0.99
  • Multiple bridges$4.99
  • Premium$7.99

Questions

Is Desana free?
Desana is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hue Essentials free?
Hue Essentials is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Desana or Hue Essentials?
Hue Essentials is rated higher. Desana averages 2.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Hue Essentials averages 4.2 from 138 ratings.
Do Desana or Hue Essentials have ads?
Neither Desana nor Hue Essentials shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Desana or Hue Essentials?
Desana ships an update monthly, and Hue Essentials every 2 weeks. Most recently, Desana was updated on September 27, 2026 and Hue Essentials on October 3, 2026.

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