Hue Essentials vs Fliteboard
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Fliteboard
Enhance your assisted foiling experience with performance analytics, wave riding data, and video guides. Connect with a global community to share riding spots, view sessions, and compete on leaderboards. Keep your equipment updated with the latest software for an improved on and off-water experience.
- Performance analytics
- Wave riding data
- Video guides
- Community sharing
- Global leaderboards
- Warranty registration
- Software updates
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Find Freedom. Take Flite. Fliteboard & FLITELab* Take your assisted foiling to the next level with new rider features and performance analytics including wave riding data, video guides and warranty registration. Connect with the global Flite community, share your favourite spots to ride, see where others are riding and compete in online leaderboards. Relax, you’ve got this. FEATURES & BENEFITS * Customisable ride data (km/h, mph, knots, ºC, ºF, Kelvin) * Unlock new rider features such as Wave Mode * Track and share rides with the global community * View community sessions * Compete in global leaderboards * Register warranty - Secure user profiles & privacy settings * Help & support * Video guides Use Flite App to keep your Fliteboard, AMP_Board, Flite Controller and LAUNCHPad updated with the latest software to enhance your experience on and off the water.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Hue Essentials at 4.2 against Fliteboard's 3.1. Hue Essentials also leads on ratings volume (138 vs 21) and device support (5 vs 3). Fliteboard's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and review sentiment (58% vs 38%). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. Hue Essentials sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Fliteboard asks for nothing beyond the download.
Hue Essentials holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hue Essentials has 138 ratings behind it against 21, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 38% of Hue Essentials's written reviews are positive against 58% of Fliteboard's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Hue Essentials ships an update every 2 weeks, Fliteboard every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hue Essentials | Fliteboard |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (138 ratings) — better | 3.1 (21 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 37.8% of reviews | 58.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 138 — better | 21 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 4 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 271 MB | 102 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Thomas Vos | Fliteboard Pty Ltd |
Customer experience
Hue Essentials
Fliteboard
Bugs and 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
Fliteboard
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Hue Essentials
- Effects: Christmas$0.99
- Effects: Universe$0.99
- Effects: Wonders of nature$0.99
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- Effects: Romantic$0.99
- Effects: Floral fantasy$0.99
- Effects: Spooky$0.99
- Multiple bridges$4.99
- Premium$7.99
Fliteboard
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Hue Essentials free?
Is Fliteboard free?
Which has better reviews, Hue Essentials or Fliteboard?
Do Hue Essentials or Fliteboard have ads?
Which is updated more often, Hue Essentials or Fliteboard?
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