# Hue Lights vs Smart Hue Remote

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Hue Lights at 45% against Smart Hue Remote's 0%. Hue Lights also leads on rating (4.1 vs 3.3) and ratings volume (464 vs 4). Smart Hue Remote's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 11.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hue Lights sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and Smart Hue Remote sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Hue Lights holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hue Lights has 464 ratings behind it against 4, 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 0% of Smart Hue Remote's.

Hue Lights ships an update every 5 months, Smart Hue Remote every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hue Lights | Smart Hue Remote |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.1 (464 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-lights/id762009425/reviews)** | [3.3 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-hue-remote/id1389086564/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **464** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | **45.2% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 months** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 53 MB | 140 MB |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 | **9.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [LapApps, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/762009431) | [TINAC Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/539875795) |

## 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


### Smart Hue Remote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-hue-remote/id1389086564)

Control your Philips Hue lights with dynamic and animated colors. Choose from over 50 pre-set lighting scenes or create your own. Requires a Philips Hue bridge and lights, and your phone and bridge must be on the same network.

**Highlights:** Dynamic and animated colors, Over 50 lighting scenes, Scene categories: Fruits, Lamps, Sky, Baby Night Lights, Northern Lights, Fire, Club, Paris, New York, Philips Hue bridge and lights integration, iOS 9.0+ compatibility

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimit Light Selection | $0.99 | one-time |
| Northern Lights Scene | $0.99 | one-time |
| Fire Scene | $0.99 | one-time |
| Club Scene | $0.99 | one-time |
| Weather Scene | $0.99 | one-time |
| Paris Scene | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hue Lights free?

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

### Is Smart Hue Remote free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Hue Lights or Smart Hue Remote?

Hue Lights is rated higher. Hue Lights averages 4.1 out of 5 from 464 ratings, while Smart Hue Remote averages 3.3 from 4 ratings.

### Do Hue Lights or Smart Hue Remote have ads?

Neither Hue Lights nor Smart Hue Remote shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hue Lights or Smart Hue Remote?

Hue Lights ships an update every 5 months, and Smart Hue Remote every 6 months. Most recently, Hue Lights was updated on October 26, 2026 and Smart Hue Remote on October 22, 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.*