# Hue Essentials vs IKEA Home smart

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: IKEA Home smart at none against Hue Essentials's 8. IKEA Home smart also leads on rating (4.4 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (1.4K vs 143). Hue Essentials's advantage is device support (5 vs 3) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

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

IKEA Home smart holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: IKEA Home smart has 1.4K ratings behind it against 143, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 38% of Hue Essentials's written reviews are positive against 34% of IKEA Home smart'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, IKEA Home smart fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hue Essentials | IKEA Home smart |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (143 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-essentials/id1462943921/reviews) | **[4.4 (1.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ikea-home-smart/id1633226273/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 143 | **1.4K** |
| Positive reviews | **37.8% of reviews** | 33.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 271 MB | 208 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Thomas Vos](https://appshunter.io/developer/1462943920) | [Inter IKEA Systems B.V.](https://appshunter.io/developer/339722471) |

## 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


### IKEA Home smart

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ikea-home-smart/id1633226273)

Automate your home with smart lighting, speakers, blinds, and air purifiers. Create custom scenes for everyday moments like waking up or leaving home, and control devices individually or in groups. Integrates with popular voice assistants for seamless control.

**Highlights:** Create custom scenes, Control devices individually or in groups, Schedule scenes, Voice assistant integration, Personalize rooms and products, Remote control options

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy setup
- 👍 Intuitive app
- 🔒 Privacy-focused
- 🚀 Reliable connectivity
- 👍 Good HomeKit integration

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy app
- 🔌 Unreliable connectivity
- 🔌 Frequent disconnections
- 🐛 Unstable firmware updates
- 🔌 Alexa integration issues

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to remove devices
- Scenes not working as expected
- Inconsistent device discovery
- Shortcut buttons not functioning
- HomeKit integration problems

**Requested features**

- Gradual lighting transitions
- Sunrise/sunset automation
- Remote access functionality
- More customization options
- Improved energy monitoring


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hue Essentials free?

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

### Is IKEA Home smart free?

IKEA Home smart is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Hue Essentials or IKEA Home smart?

IKEA Home smart is rated higher. Hue Essentials averages 4.2 out of 5 from 143 ratings, while IKEA Home smart averages 4.4 from 1.4K ratings.

### Do Hue Essentials or IKEA Home smart have ads?

Neither Hue Essentials nor IKEA Home smart shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hue Essentials or IKEA Home smart?

Hue Essentials ships an update every 2 weeks, and IKEA Home smart fortnightly. Most recently, Hue Essentials was updated on October 29, 2026 and IKEA Home smart on October 30, 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.*