# Hue Essentials vs Plant with Willow

The clearest difference is ads: Hue Essentials at none against Plant with Willow's shown. Hue Essentials also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly) and ratings volume (141 vs 24). Plant with Willow's advantage is review sentiment (67% vs 38%) and rating (4.5 vs 4.2). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hue Essentials sells 8 one-off in-app purchases and Plant with Willow sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Plant with Willow holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hue Essentials has 141 ratings behind it against 24, 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 67% of Plant with Willow's.

Hue Essentials ships an update every 2 weeks, Plant with Willow monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hue Essentials | Plant with Willow |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (141 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-essentials/id1462943921/reviews) | **[4.5 (24 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plant-with-willow/id1642293839/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **141** | 24 |
| Positive reviews | 37.8% of reviews | **66.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 271 MB | 151 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Thomas Vos](https://appshunter.io/developer/1462943920) | [Plant With Willow](https://appshunter.io/developer/1642293841) |

## 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


### Plant with Willow

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plant-with-willow/id1642293839)

This app simplifies plant care for everyone, from beginners to experienced gardeners. It offers plant identification, personalized care guides, and the ability to track your plant's health and progress. Optional sensors and expert advice are available to further enhance your plant parenting journey.

**Highlights:** Plant identification via photo, Personalized plant care guides, Virtual plant collection and journaling, Plant sensor data monitoring, Expert horticulturist consultations, Disease identification and advice

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| All Access | $2.99 | per month |
| All Access | $7.99 | per 3 months |
| All Access | $24.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hue Essentials free?

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

### Is Plant with Willow free?

Plant with Willow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Hue Essentials or Plant with Willow?

Plant with Willow is rated higher. Hue Essentials averages 4.2 out of 5 from 141 ratings, while Plant with Willow averages 4.5 from 24 ratings.

### Do Hue Essentials or Plant with Willow have ads?

Plant with Willow shows ads; Hue Essentials does not.

### Which is updated more often, Hue Essentials or Plant with Willow?

Hue Essentials ships an update every 2 weeks, and Plant with Willow monthly. Most recently, Hue Essentials was updated on October 26, 2026 and Plant with Willow on October 27, 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.*