Comparison

Hue Essentials vs Happy K

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

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
Read full description

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.

About

Happy K

Features
Read full description

You've been alive for thousands of days. Someone you love is about to hit a perfectly round number of them. That's a k-day — and it deserves cake. KDay reads birthdays from your contacts and counts down to everyone's next 1000-day milestone. A newborn hits 1,000 days at about age three. You'll pass 10,000 around your 27th birthday. Your mother might be days away from 25,000 right now — and nobody knows. WHO'S NEXT The very next k-day in your life, front and center, with a progress ring filling as the day approaches. Everyone else lines up behind it. NEVER MISS ONE A notification on the day itself, plus a heads-up in advance (you pick how far ahead — enough time to plan something). MAKE IT A MOMENT Share a beautiful milestone card ("25,000 days on Earth") to WhatsApp or Instagram. Full-screen confetti when a k-day is today. Fun facts with every milestone — 20,000 days is about 2.8 billion heartbeats. YOUR OWN COUNTER See exactly how many days you've been alive, live, and when your next round thousand lands. A WIDGET WORTH THE SPOT The next k-day on your home screen, updating itself daily. EVERY WAY TO ADD PEOPLE Contacts, manual entries, calendar import, or ask someone directly with a ready-made message. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Everything is computed on your phone. No account, no server, no analytics, no ads. Your contacts never leave your device — the app makes no network requests at all. In 40 languages. Some birthdays are worth waiting 1,000 days for.

Screenshots

Hue Essentials4 screens
Happy K3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Happy K at none against Hue Essentials's 8. Happy K also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 2 weeks). Hue Essentials's advantage is device support (5 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price and ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hue Essentials ships an update every 2 weeks, Happy K daily. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Hue Essentials versus Happy K: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHue EssentialsHappy K
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (144 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews37.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings144 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size271 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThomas VosPieter Van der Cruys

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

Happy K

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Hue Essentials

One-time8
  • Effects: Christmas$0.99
  • Effects: Universe$0.99
  • Effects: Wonders of nature$0.99
Show 5 more
  • Effects: Romantic$0.99
  • Effects: Floral fantasy$0.99
  • Effects: Spooky$0.99
  • Multiple bridges$4.99
  • Premium$7.99
None

Happy K

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hue Essentials free?
Hue Essentials is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Happy K free?
Happy K is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Hue Essentials or Happy K have ads?
Neither Hue Essentials nor Happy K shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hue Essentials or Happy K?
Hue Essentials ships an update every 2 weeks, and Happy K daily. Most recently, Hue Essentials was updated on November 6, 2026 and Happy K on October 7, 2026.

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