# Hue Essentials vs Coway AR

The clearest difference is rating: Hue Essentials at 4.2 against Coway AR's 1.0. Hue Essentials also leads on review sentiment (38% vs 0%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 8 months). Coway AR's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

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

Hue Essentials holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hue Essentials has 144 ratings behind it against 1, 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 0% of Coway AR's.

Hue Essentials ships an update fortnightly, Coway AR every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hue Essentials | Coway AR |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.2 (144 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-essentials/id1462943921/reviews)** | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/coway-ar/id1632795467/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **144** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **37.8% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 8 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 271 MB | 372 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Thomas Vos](https://appshunter.io/developer/1462943920) | [COWAY (MALAYSIA) SDN BHD](https://appshunter.io/developer/943313540) |

## What reviewers say

### Hue Essentials

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-essentials/id1462943921)

Transform your smart home with dynamic scenes and automated lighting. Control multiple bridges, sync lights to music, and create custom schedules for ambiance and security. Unlock advanced features for a personalized smart home experience.

**Highlights:** Create custom scenes and effects, Sync lights with music, Automated schedules and routines, Control multiple Hue bridges, Support for deCONZ and diyHue, Remote 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


### Coway AR

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/coway-ar/id1632795467)

Visualize Coway products in your home using augmented reality. Explore product designs and features in 3D, customize your space, and save favorites for easy access. This app enhances product selection with interactive and accurate visualizations.

**Highlights:** View products in 3D augmented reality, Explore product designs and features in 3D/AR X-ray mode, Incorporate products into home designs, Save frequently used products as favorites, View filter functions, Take and share photos with 3D AR products

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hue Essentials free?

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

### Is Coway AR free?

Coway AR is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Hue Essentials or Coway AR?

Hue Essentials is rated higher. Hue Essentials averages 4.2 out of 5 from 144 ratings, while Coway AR averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Hue Essentials or Coway AR have ads?

Neither Hue Essentials nor Coway AR shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hue Essentials or Coway AR?

Hue Essentials ships an update fortnightly, and Coway AR every 8 months. Most recently, Hue Essentials was updated on November 11, 2026 and Coway AR on November 3, 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.*