Comparison

LIFX vs SmartlightBulb

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

Head to head
About

LIFX

Control your smart lights with this app. Easily adjust brightness, color, and temperature. Automate schedules, create custom scenes, and explore fun lighting effects. Integrates with voice assistants and HomeKit for seamless control.

Highlights
  • Basic light control (on/off, dim, color, temperature)
  • Group lights for easy management
  • Automated schedules and scenes
  • Special lighting effects (music visualizer, fire, etc.)
  • Live color painting on compatible lights
  • Custom color palettes
  • HomeKit integration
Features
Read full description

Like you, LIFX wants smarter light. This means we care about the way you control your smart lights, as much as we do about the lights themselves. We make it easy to get started with WiFi-enabled, bright, colorful smart lights that need no hub. Yep, you can start with just one device. LIFX App 4 can not only help give you the best start, but will turn your experience “up to 11”. Automate your wake up Schedule, or set up your movie-watching Scene (then set up voice control so you don’t even have to leave the sofa), or play with Effects next time you’re entertaining. Features. The LIFX app is packed full of features like: - The Basics: on/off, dim, change color, change white temperature. - Groups: control all lights in a group easily, including on/off and dimming with one touch from the Home Dashboard. - Group personalization: choose a LIFX illustration to suit or personalize Group cards with your own pictures. - Schedules: automate your lights to fade, change color, and turn on/off, all visible in an easy calendar-style view. - Effects: play with special effects like the music visualizer, fire, move, candle flicker, strobe, color cycle & more, all in one place. - Scenes: set your lighting just the way you like it and save it for later. - Themes: a library of one click color combinations for a Group, from ‘Proud’ to ‘Soothing’. - Paint: with your finger in the app, paint color live onto your LIFX Z, Beam, Tile and Candle. - Custom color palettes: add your favorite colors to a custom color palette. - Discover Tab: find How To guides, learn about integration partners, or shop for LIFX - and much more. Example uses from our customers: - Ambiance: schedule warmer light in the evening - to calm - and whiter light in the morning - to energize. - “Moccupancy”: set irregular schedules to make it seem like you’re home when you’re not. - Sleep: set your bedroom lights to deep red just before bed to produce more melatonin which helps you get better quality sleep. - Stay put: you’ve settled into the sofa for a streaming binge but left the lights on. No need to jump up to the switch, just ask your voice assistant. - Pet owners: if you're unexpectedly late home from work, turn the lights on for your dog from wherever you are. - Silent notifications: use partner apps to give you a light flash if… your car is arriving, or the forecast says it will rain, or you are mentioned on social media, and much more. HomeKit Best color-changing smart bulb for HomeKit cnet Pairing LIFX with Apple HomeKit is easy using the HomeKit onboarding QR code available in the product packaging. Stay in touch. Need a helping hand, or want to offer us some advice? We would love to hear from you about your LIFX experience. You can reach us at support@lifx.com. LIFX lights are available at lifx.com

About

SmartlightBulb

Control your smart lights with ease. Change colors, sync with music, and set schedules remotely via Bluetooth. Enjoy convenience and ambiance tailored to your lifestyle.

Highlights
  • Customizable RGB color selection
  • Music synchronization for dynamic lighting
  • Remote on/off control within Bluetooth range
  • Scheduled lighting on/off timers
Features
Read full description

SmartlightBulb 是一款智能灯控APP,主要为那些工作忙碌又爱好生活享受的人提供一种便利,SmartlightBulb通过蓝牙和灯进行配对,配对成功后便可以: 1.按自己喜好进行灯的颜色变换,颜色样式采用RGB格式,用户可以随意组合 2.选取自动控制方式,让灯随着音乐进行颜色变幻 3.在蓝牙连接范围内(0-120米)开关灯,天冷就不用起来按开关 4.设置定时开关灯,让灯在指定的时间内进行关灯

Screenshots

LIFX4 screens
SmartlightBulb4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: LIFX at 3.7 against SmartlightBulb's 3.0. LIFX also leads on ratings volume (7.1K vs 1). SmartlightBulb's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (7.1 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, 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

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

LIFX holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LIFX has 7.1K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LIFX ships an update fortnightly, SmartlightBulb every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
LIFX versus SmartlightBulb: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLIFXSmartlightBulb
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (7.1K ratings) — better3.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews18.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings7.1K — better1
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS18.07.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size314 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLIFXShenZhen Lenze Technology Co,.Ltd.

Customer experience

LIFX

All ratings7,103 ratings
Positive65.7%
Neutral4.8%
Negative29.4%
Written reviews719 reviews
Positive18.2%
Neutral11.1%
Negative70.7%

SmartlightBulb

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

LIFX

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Lights randomly disconnecting from app
  • Scenes and effects not working as expected
  • Scheduling issues and lights not responding to timers
  • Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions
  • Frequent app crashes and freezes

Requested features

5 requests
  • More granular control over individual lights
  • Improved scene and effect customization
  • Better scheduling and automation options
  • Seamless integration with smart home platforms
  • Simplified onboarding and setup process

SmartlightBulb

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

LIFX

No in-app purchases

None

SmartlightBulb

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is LIFX free?
LIFX is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SmartlightBulb free?
SmartlightBulb is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, LIFX or SmartlightBulb?
LIFX is rated higher. LIFX averages 3.7 out of 5 from 7.1K ratings, while SmartlightBulb averages 3.0 from 1 ratings.
Do LIFX or SmartlightBulb have ads?
Neither LIFX nor SmartlightBulb shows ads.
Which is updated more often, LIFX or SmartlightBulb?
LIFX ships an update fortnightly, and SmartlightBulb every 3 weeks. Most recently, LIFX was updated on October 17, 2026 and SmartlightBulb on October 15, 2026.

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