Hue Essentials vs Pawnotes
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.
Pawnotes
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Pawnotes is the digital health journal designed for dog and cat owners. Log everything that matters day to day and arrive at your vet's office with a complete file, ready to share. Observation journal Log what is happening in a few taps from a quick menu available anywhere: meals (spontaneous or prompted, amount, food item), drinking, stool with consistency, urine, medications, symptoms (vomiting, tremors, lethargy…), behavior (playful, isolated, prostrate…). A day-by-day timeline shows the evolution with counters and filters. Voice dictation No time to type? Tap the mic and speak. Transcription happens locally on your device using Apple Speech Recognition. No data is sent to the internet. The app automatically detects keywords to suggest which observation type to record. Vet visit PDF report Generate a complete A4 document in 1 tap for your appointment: photo and your pet's profile, 30-day weight chart with labeled axes, synthesis of indicators (meals, stool, urine, medications, symptoms) compared to the previous period, day-by-day detailed chronology, current treatments, transcribed voice observations, history of recent visits. Share by email, AirDrop, or print it. Treatment tracking Create custom reminders (time, frequency, duration). For multi-dose treatments, a per-slot button (morning, noon, evening) marks each dose individually. Clear status for each dose: an empty circle waiting to be checked when due, a green background with a white check once done. The medical log keeps a trace of every dose down to the second. Today: cross-pet view All your reminders for the day, across all pets, sorted from most urgent to furthest out. A single tap marks a dose as done. If the list is long, a "Skip" button lets you dismiss a missed reminder without polluting the medical history. Weight tracking Log weight entries, visualize the evolution curve, get an alert if an unusual variation is detected. The vertical axis adapts automatically to the precision of your measurements, even for small variations in small pets. Vet documents Vaccination booklet, invoices, prescriptions, ID or adoption certificates, insurance papers. Supports PDF, JPEG, PNG, HEIC, and WebP. Private encrypted storage within your household. Shared household Several family members can track the same pets in real time, each with their own Apple account. Invitations go through a simple link sent by email. Designed for daily use - 100% private: your data stays on your device by default, optional household sync mode. - Offline: everything works without a connection, syncs back when reconnected. - Multiple pets supported, no limit. - Sign in with Apple available. - French and English interface, clean, no ads. Pawnotes is useful for all pet owners but becomes essential for those whose pet has a chronic condition, follows a complex treatment, or needs to be monitored after surgery. You log what you see. Your vet will thank you.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pawnotes at none against Hue Essentials's 8. Pawnotes also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 weeks). Hue Essentials's advantage is device support (5 vs 3). On price, ads and iOS requirement 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. Pawnotes asks for nothing beyond the download.
Hue Essentials ships an update every 2 weeks, Pawnotes every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hue Essentials | Pawnotes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (143 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 37.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 143 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 271 MB | 67 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Thomas Vos | Alexis PREVOT |
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
Pawnotes
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
Pawnotes
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Hue Essentials free?
Is Pawnotes free?
Do Hue Essentials or Pawnotes have ads?
Which is updated more often, Hue Essentials or Pawnotes?
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