# Hue Essentials vs Cellink Neo Plus

The clearest difference is rating: Hue Essentials at 4.2 against Cellink Neo Plus's 2.5. Hue Essentials also leads on review sentiment (38% vs 14%) and ratings volume (141 vs 11). Cellink Neo Plus's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

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

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 141 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of Hue Essentials's written reviews are positive against 14% of Cellink Neo Plus's.

Hue Essentials ships an update every 2 weeks, Cellink Neo Plus monthly. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hue Essentials | Cellink Neo Plus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.2 (141 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-essentials/id1462943921/reviews)** | [2.5 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cellink-neo-plus/id1481030695/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **141** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | **37.8% of reviews** | 14.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 271 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Thomas Vos](https://appshunter.io/developer/1462943920) | [이젠](https://appshunter.io/developer/1308188805) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Cellink Neo Plus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cellink-neo-plus/id1481030695)

This application allows users to control and monitor their dashcam backup battery. It displays battery status, capacity, temperature, and voltage, offering remote control features via Bluetooth.

**Highlights:** Bluetooth control system, Display battery capacity (%), Show battery status (charging/discharging), Indicate charging/discharging time, Monitor battery temperature (°C), View input/output voltage and current

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hue Essentials free?

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

### Is Cellink Neo Plus free?

Cellink Neo Plus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Hue Essentials or Cellink Neo Plus?

Hue Essentials is rated higher. Hue Essentials averages 4.2 out of 5 from 141 ratings, while Cellink Neo Plus averages 2.5 from 11 ratings.

### Do Hue Essentials or Cellink Neo Plus have ads?

Neither Hue Essentials nor Cellink Neo Plus shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hue Essentials or Cellink Neo Plus?

Hue Essentials ships an update every 2 weeks, and Cellink Neo Plus monthly. Most recently, Hue Essentials was updated on October 26, 2026 and Cellink Neo Plus on October 26, 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.*