Comparison

Glow Bug vs Apollo lights

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

Head to head
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!

About

Apollo lights

Control your smart lighting system with customizable scenes, millions of colors, and dynamic effects. Schedule lighting, sync with music, and manage multiple homes and users remotely. Integrates with Matter for a seamless smart home experience.

Highlights
  • Matter compatible smart home integration
  • AI-powered lighting scene recommendations
  • Millions of color options and adjustable whites
  • Dynamic effects and individual pixel control
  • Music synchronization for lighting
  • Multi-zone and multi-controller management
  • Remote access and family sharing
Features
Read full description

Apollo Lights is an intelligent smart lighting platform that brings your home to life with beautiful, customizable lighting experiences. Designed for Apollo smart controllers and powered by Matter, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, the app delivers fast, reliable, and effortless control for permanent outdoor lighting, landscape lighting, and future Apollo smart lighting products. Whether you’re celebrating holidays, supporting your favorite sports team, entertaining guests, or creating the perfect everyday ambiance, Apollo Lights gives you complete control anytime, anywhere. Smart Features Matter Compatible Enjoy seamless integration with Matter-supported smart home ecosystems for a secure, reliable, and future-ready smart home experience. Fast Wi-Fi & Bluetooth Setup Quickly connect new devices with Bluetooth provisioning and enjoy stable Wi-Fi control from anywhere. AI Lighting Assistant Create beautiful lighting scenes with AI-powered recommendations and personalized lighting ideas for every occasion. Millions of Colors Choose from millions of vibrant colors and adjustable white tones to create the perfect atmosphere. Dynamic Effects & Custom Scenes Explore a rich library of professionally designed effects or create your own custom lighting scenes with individual pixel control. Individual Pixel Control Customize every light independently to build unique animations, gradients, patterns, and personalized displays. Sports, Holiday & Seasonal Themes Instantly transform your home with lighting designed for holidays, sporting events, birthdays, parties, and seasonal celebrations. Scheduling & Automation Set schedules, timers, sunrise and sunset automations, and recurring routines that fit your lifestyle. Music Sync Bring your lights to life by synchronizing lighting effects with music for immersive entertainment. Multi-Zone Control Create multiple lighting zones and control different areas independently or simultaneously. Multi-Controller Management Manage multiple Apollo controllers from a single app and synchronize lighting across your entire property. Multi-Home Management Easily switch between and manage multiple homes, making Apollo Lights perfect for families, vacation homes, and professional installers. Family Sharing Securely share access with family members so everyone can enjoy and control the lighting system. Remote Access Monitor and control your lighting from anywhere with an internet connection. Cloud Backup Back up your device settings and lighting configurations for easy restoration when replacing or adding controllers. OTA Firmware Updates Receive new features, performance improvements, and security updates through wireless firmware upgrades. Built for Reliability Apollo Lights is engineered for fast response, dependable connectivity, and a smooth user experience, ensuring your lighting system performs beautifully every day of the year. Apollo Lights is more than a lighting app—it’s a complete smart lighting platform designed to make every home brighter, smarter, and more enjoyable. Terms of Service (EULA):https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Glow Bug4 screens
Apollo lights4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Glow Bug at none against Apollo lights's 2. Glow Bug also leads on iOS requirement (11.2 vs 15.0). Apollo lights's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, ratings volume 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. Apollo lights sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Glow Bug asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Glow Bug against 5.0 for Apollo lights. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Glow Bug ships an update every 3 weeks, Apollo lights every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Glow Bug versus Apollo lights: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGlow BugApollo lights
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS11.2 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB46 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperGlow Bug LLCPaul Little

Customer experience

Glow Bug

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

Apollo lights

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

In-app purchases

None

Glow Bug

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Apollo lights

Subscriptions2
  • VIP$19.991 Month
  • SVIP$24.991 Month

Questions

Is Glow Bug free?
Glow Bug is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Apollo lights free?
Apollo lights is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Glow Bug or Apollo lights?
Glow Bug and Apollo lights are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Glow Bug or Apollo lights have ads?
Neither Glow Bug nor Apollo lights shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Glow Bug or Apollo lights?
Glow Bug ships an update every 3 weeks, and Apollo lights every 3 days. Most recently, Glow Bug was updated on October 8, 2026 and Apollo lights on October 3, 2026.

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