Hue Essentials vs CadetCatch
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.
CadetCatch
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CadetCatch helps Coast Guard Academy families keep up with cadet photos without digging through every gallery by hand. Create a private roster on your iPhone, add approved photo pages, check those pages for possible face matches, review match details, view selected results, save likely finds, and keep simple notes for family follow-up. CadetCatch checks only photo pages you add or enable. Private albums stay private unless you choose to share an accessible link. Privacy Policy: https://eb28.co/cc/privacy/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Hue Essentials at every 2 weeks against CadetCatch's every 6 weeks. Hue Essentials also leads on device support (5 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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 and CadetCatch sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Hue Essentials ships an update every 2 weeks, CadetCatch every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hue Essentials | CadetCatch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (133 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 37.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 133 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 269 MB | 27 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Thomas Vos | DIGITAL SYNC, LLC, THE |
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
CadetCatch
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
CadetCatch
- Family Monthly$12.991 Month
- One-Time Photo Check$1.99
- Unlock One Photo$1.99
Questions
Is Hue Essentials free?
Is CadetCatch free?
Do Hue Essentials or CadetCatch have ads?
Which is updated more often, Hue Essentials or CadetCatch?
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