# Hue Lights vs BSW

The clearest difference is rating: Hue Lights at 4.1 against BSW's 2.1. Hue Lights also leads on ratings volume (471 vs 42). BSW's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 9) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 5 months). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hue Lights sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. BSW asks for nothing beyond the download.

Hue Lights holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hue Lights has 471 ratings behind it against 42, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of Hue Lights's written reviews are positive against 39% of BSW's.

Hue Lights ships an update every 5 months, BSW every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hue Lights | BSW |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.1 (471 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-lights/id762009425/reviews)** | [2.1 (42 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bsw-a19/id1122854942/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **471** | 42 |
| Positive reviews | **45.2% of reviews** | 38.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 53 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 | **8.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [LapApps, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/762009431) | [桂标 曾](https://appshunter.io/developer/985954900) |

## What reviewers say

### Hue Lights

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-lights/id762009425)

Unlock advanced control for your smart lights. Create custom scenes, schedules, and dynamic lighting effects. Enhance your home ambiance with unique features like simulated weather and fire.

**Highlights:** Precise lighting control, Multi-room scenes, Customizable schedules, Dynamic lighting effects, Hue sensor and switch configuration, Apple Watch integration, In-app purchase for special effects

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock 100 Scenes | Free | one-time |
| Thunderstorm | $1.99 | one-time |
| Fire | $1.99 | one-time |
| Water | $1.99 | one-time |
| Perfect Sunrise | $1.99 | one-time |
| Richer Colors and Scenes | $1.99 | one-time |
| Premium Actions | $1.99 | one-time |
| Premium Sequences | $1.99 | one-time |
| Unlock 48 Lights | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app for controlling Hue lights
- 👍 Excellent functionality and customization
- 💡 Helpful for connecting older Hue bulbs
- 🚀 Touchlink feature works well
- 👍 Responsive and helpful developer support

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable after updates
- 👎 Complicated and unintuitive user interface
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases required
- 🐛 Compatibility issues with newer Hue bridges
- 👎 Scenes and schedules not working as expected

**Reported bugs**

- Lights not responding to commands
- Scenes not loading or activating properly
- Frequent crashes and connection issues
- Unexpected changes to light groups and settings

**Requested features**

- Alexa/Siri integration and voice control
- Ability to run effects/animations in the background
- More customization options for sunrise/sunset scenes
- Better widget and Apple Watch support


### BSW

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bsw-a19/id1122854942)

Control your smart lights with this app. Easily switch bulbs on/off, change colors, adjust brightness, and manage lights by group for a customized ambiance.

**Highlights:** Switch lights on/off, Change bulb colors, Adjust brightness, Control lights by group

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hue Lights free?

Hue Lights is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is BSW free?

BSW is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Hue Lights or BSW?

Hue Lights is rated higher. Hue Lights averages 4.1 out of 5 from 471 ratings, while BSW averages 2.1 from 42 ratings.

### Do Hue Lights or BSW have ads?

Neither Hue Lights nor BSW shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hue Lights or BSW?

Hue Lights ships an update every 5 months, and BSW every 5 weeks. Most recently, Hue Lights was updated on November 6, 2026 and BSW on November 2, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*