# Hue Essentials vs Friendsaver

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Friendsaver at 100% against Hue Essentials's 38%. Friendsaver also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 8) and iOS requirement (13.4 vs 15.0). Hue Essentials's advantage is price (Free vs $3.99) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months). On ads there is nothing between them.

Hue Essentials is free to download; Friendsaver costs $3.99 up front. Hue Essentials sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Friendsaver asks for nothing beyond the download.

Hue Essentials ships an update every 2 weeks, Friendsaver every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hue Essentials | Friendsaver |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $3.99 |
| Rating | **[4.2 (141 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-essentials/id1462943921/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **141** | — |
| Positive reviews | 37.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Paid |
| Size | 271 MB | 46 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Thomas Vos](https://appshunter.io/developer/1462943920) | [Ma Dev GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1292255773) |

## 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


### Friendsaver

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/friendsaver/id6499578814)

This app helps you nurture and strengthen your friendships by remembering important dates and providing insights into your friends' lives. It offers features like birthday reminders and personalized conversation starters to deepen existing connections.

**Highlights:** Birthday reminders, Customizable notifications, Interaction analysis, Personalized conversation starters, Data backup (upcoming), Gamification (upcoming)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hue Essentials free?

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

### Is Friendsaver free?

Friendsaver costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Hue Essentials or Friendsaver have ads?

Neither Hue Essentials nor Friendsaver shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hue Essentials or Friendsaver?

Hue Essentials ships an update every 2 weeks, and Friendsaver every 4 months. Most recently, Hue Essentials was updated on October 26, 2026 and Friendsaver on October 19, 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.*