Comparison

Hue Essentials vs Creative

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

Head to head
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.

About

Creative

Enhance your product's audio performance and personalize sound settings. Manage audio configurations, change sound modes, and set up speakers. Some features may vary by product.

Highlights
  • Manage Super X-Fi setup
  • Change sound modes
  • Configure custom buttons
  • Speaker setup and calibration
Features
Read full description

Creative app provides you with various configuration options to enhance the performance of your product and personalize your audio settings. With Creative app, you can: - Manage your Super X-Fi setup - Change sound modes - Configure the custom buttons - Perform speaker setup and calibration Note: - Some features may not be available for all products. Please check your manual for details. - To enjoy the complete experience of Super X-Fi, please download the SXFI App.

Screenshots

Hue Essentials4 screens
Creative4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Hue Essentials at 4.1 against Creative's 2.2. Hue Essentials also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (37% vs 12%). Creative's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8). On price, device support 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. Creative asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Hue Essentials holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 133 and 34 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 37% of Hue Essentials's written reviews are positive against 12% of Creative's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hue Essentials ships an update every 2 weeks, Creative every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Hue Essentials versus Creative: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHue EssentialsCreative
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (133 ratings) — better2.2 (34 ratings)
Positive reviews37.2% of reviews — better12.2% of reviews
Number of ratings133 — better34
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size269 MB154 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThomas VosCreative Labs Pte. Ltd.

Customer experience

Hue Essentials

All ratings133 ratings
Positive75.9%
Neutral8.3%
Negative15.8%
Written reviews239 reviews
Positive37.2%
Neutral8.4%
Negative54.4%

Creative

All ratings34 ratings
Positive29.4%
Neutral5.9%
Negative64.7%
Written reviews147 reviews
Positive12.2%
Neutral5.4%
Negative82.3%

User reviews

Hue Essentials

From 133 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent Hue lighting control
  • 👍 Works well with multiple bridges
  • 💡 Customizable remote controls
  • 🚀 Faster than official Hue app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
  • 🔒 In-app purchases required for key features
  • 👎 Poor execution and user experience
  • 🔋 Widgets and Apple Watch app not working

Creative

From 34 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great sound quality
  • 🚀 Smooth app performance
  • 💡 Customizable EQ and settings

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent connection issues
  • 🔍 Poor device compatibility
  • 🤔 Confusing or missing features

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

Creative

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes or freezes
  • Firmware upgrade failures
  • Settings not saving properly

Requested features

3 requests
  • Support for more Creative devices
  • Improved Mac/iOS compatibility
  • Enhanced EQ and sound customization options

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
None

Creative

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hue Essentials free?
Hue Essentials is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Creative free?
Creative is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Hue Essentials or Creative?
Hue Essentials is rated higher. Hue Essentials averages 4.1 out of 5 from 133 ratings, while Creative averages 2.2 from 34 ratings.
Do Hue Essentials or Creative have ads?
Creative shows ads; Hue Essentials does not.
Which is updated more often, Hue Essentials or Creative?
Hue Essentials ships an update every 2 weeks, and Creative every 2 months. Most recently, Hue Essentials was updated on September 24, 2026 and Creative on September 9, 2026.

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