Hue Essentials vs VIVE Manager
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.
VIVE Manager
This app allows you to remotely manage your VR devices, including setup, firmware updates, and Wi-Fi configuration. You can also explore and discover premium VR applications and events directly through the integrated app store.
- Remote device setup
- Firmware updates
- Wi-Fi configuration
- VR AppStore browsing
- VR event discovery
- Device monitoring
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Manage your VIVE XR Elite, VIVE Focus3 VR device, explore premium VR apps in the VIVE AppStore, discover VR events and so much more. With the VIVE Manager app you can: Remotely setup your VIVE VR device, as account / wifi / firmware update / language Browse and get more known on VR apps and experiences from the VIVE AppStore Manage and monitor your VIVE VR devices
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Hue Essentials at 4.1 against VIVE Manager's 1.9. Hue Essentials also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). VIVE Manager's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price 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. VIVE Manager asks for nothing beyond the download.
Hue Essentials holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 1.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hue Essentials has 133 ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 37% of Hue Essentials's written reviews are positive against 29% of VIVE Manager's.
Hue Essentials ships an update every 2 weeks, VIVE Manager every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and July 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hue Essentials | VIVE Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (133 ratings) — better | 1.9 (14 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 37.2% of reviews — better | 28.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 133 — better | 14 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 269 MB | 128 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Thomas Vos | HTC Corporation |
Customer experience
Hue Essentials
VIVE Manager
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
VIVE Manager
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
VIVE Manager
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Hue Essentials free?
Is VIVE Manager free?
Which has better reviews, Hue Essentials or VIVE Manager?
Do Hue Essentials or VIVE Manager have ads?
Which is updated more often, Hue Essentials or VIVE Manager?
Other comparisons
