Comparison

Gemstone Lights HUB vs Glow Bug

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

Head to head
About

Gemstone Lights HUB

Control your smart outdoor lighting system from anywhere. Create custom color scenes for any occasion, set schedules, and choose from a library of animations. Enjoy warm white LEDs and dimmable brightness for versatile ambiance.

Highlights
  • Cloud-enabled remote control
  • Customizable color scenes
  • Warm white LED option
  • Dimmable lighting
  • Downloadable patterns and animations
  • Multiple timer scheduling
  • Architectural lighting control
Features
Read full description

The Gemstone Lights™ app is designed to be used with our newest cloud-based "HUB" controller. Customers can now control and program the Gemstone Lights™ Track system and Deck system. Cloud-based secure sign in. Control your lights from anywhere there is a network or cellular connection. FULLY CUSTOMIZABLE COLORS Create Multiple Colors to showcase your favorite Sports Teams, National Holidays, Charity Events, Birthdays and More! (Including Christmas) WARM WHITE LED Our Lights include a 4th Warm White LED. Mix and match RGB with W to get a full array of colors. Use the warm white for soft ambient lighting, all year round. DIMMABLE LIGHTS Gemstone Lights are BRIGHT and you can easily dim them to a light glow with the slide of a button. DOWNLOADABLE PATTERNS & ANIMATIONS Enjoy hundreds of pre-built colors, patterns, themes, and animations. MESMERIZING ANIMATIONS With our preset animations, you can create flowing patterns, fades, jumps, shifts and other fun or elegant movements. SET MULTIPLE TIMERS No need to buy external timers, Gemstone Lights App allows the user to program multiple timers. Repeat yearly for birthdays or change every hour of the day, you are in control of what colors and patterns turn on. ARCHITECTURAL LIGHTING Enjoy complete control and versatility. Turn on a couple of lights for beautiful architectural lighting, light up a sidewalk or the entrance to your home. Options are endless!

About

Glow Bug

Control smart lighting with a wide range of customizable effects, animations, and music synchronization. Manage your lights remotely and set schedules for any occasion. Share access with family for a unified lighting experience.

Highlights
  • Bluetooth & Wi-Fi connectivity
  • Remote access via cloud
  • 24 downloadable animations
  • Music synchronization
  • Voice control (Alexa, Google Home)
  • Customizable timer settings
  • Device sharing
Read full description

Elevate your lighting experience with Glow Bug™! Connect seamlessly via Bluetooth or Wi-fi! Take it to the next level with remote access through the Cloud-based secure sign in, ensuring you can manage your lighting from anywhere in the world. PRESETS AND ANIMATION Explore a variety of captivating patterns and animations in our downloadable collections. Choose from a diverse range of 24 mesmerizing animations to craft captivating scenes. Take charge of the vibe with fingertip control, adjusting both brightness and speed for scenes that match your style effortlessly. MUSIC SYNC & VOICE CONTROL Sync your lights to your favorite tunes and control with ease using voice commands through Alexa and Google home. TIMER SETTINGS Set the mood with timed lighting—daily, yearly, sunrise, sunset—it's your world, your schedule. FAMILY-FRIENDLY Share the Glow with your family through device sharing and let everyone be part of the lighting experience. Sync multiple controllers in your home effortlessly. THEME FOR EVERY OCCASION From architectural lighting, holidays to game days, our app offers a plethora of themes to match every occasion. EDITABLE EFFECTS Personalize your holiday lighting effects. Each bulb is a canvas for your creativity, fully customizable to suit your unique style. Download now for a dazzling experience!

Screenshots

Gemstone Lights HUB4 screens
Glow Bug4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Gemstone Lights HUB at 4.4K against Glow Bug's 1. Glow Bug's advantage is iOS requirement (11.2 vs 15.0). On price, rating, update cadence 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Gemstone Lights HUB against 5.0 for Glow Bug. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Gemstone Lights HUB has 4.4K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Gemstone Lights HUB ships an update monthly, Glow Bug every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Gemstone Lights HUB versus Glow Bug: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGemstone Lights HUBGlow Bug
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (4.4K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews59.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings4.4K — better1
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.011.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size109 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGemstone LightsGlow Bug LLC

Customer experience

Gemstone Lights HUB

All ratings4,372 ratings
Positive98.1%
Neutral1.1%
Negative0.8%
Written reviews120 reviews
Positive59.2%
Neutral15.8%
Negative25.0%

Glow Bug

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Gemstone Lights HUB

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Timers not working as expected
  • App crashes after recent updates
  • Difficulty connecting to Bluetooth
  • Inconsistent light behavior across devices
  • Inability to change passwords in the app

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add Apple HomeKit integration
  • Improve timer and scheduling functionality
  • Implement a 'now playing' feature
  • Allow more than 10 custom light configurations
  • Provide a preview mode for testing light patterns

Glow Bug

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Gemstone Lights HUB

No in-app purchases

None

Glow Bug

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Gemstone Lights HUB free?
Gemstone Lights HUB is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Glow Bug free?
Glow Bug is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Gemstone Lights HUB or Glow Bug?
Glow Bug is rated higher. Gemstone Lights HUB averages 4.9 out of 5 from 4.4K ratings, while Glow Bug averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Gemstone Lights HUB or Glow Bug have ads?
Neither Gemstone Lights HUB nor Glow Bug shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Gemstone Lights HUB or Glow Bug?
Gemstone Lights HUB ships an update monthly, and Glow Bug every 3 weeks. Most recently, Gemstone Lights HUB was updated on October 15, 2026 and Glow Bug on October 8, 2026.

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