# Hue Lights vs Hue Essentials

The clearest difference is update cadence: Hue Essentials at every 2 weeks against Hue Lights's every 5 months. Hue Lights's advantage is review sentiment (46% vs 37%) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hue Lights sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and Hue Essentials sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.1 for Hue Lights against 4.1 for Hue Essentials. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 393 and 133 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 46% of Hue Lights's written reviews are positive against 37% of Hue Essentials's.

Hue Lights ships an update every 5 months, Hue Essentials every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hue Lights | Hue Essentials |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (393 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-lights/id762009425/reviews) | **[4.1 (133 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-essentials/id1462943921/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **393** | 133 |
| Positive reviews | **45.7% of reviews** | 37.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 53 MB | 269 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [LapApps, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/762009431) | [Thomas Vos](https://appshunter.io/developer/1462943920) |

## 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


### Hue Essentials

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-essentials/id1462943921)

Unlock the full potential of your smart lighting system. Create custom scenes, dynamic effects, and automate your lights with schedules and triggers. Control multiple smart home bridges and devices seamlessly for a personalized ambiance.

**Highlights:** Custom scenes and effects, Music and entertainment sync, Sunrise/sunset automation, Multi-bridge control, Device discovery and setup, Button and sensor automation, Away from home control

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Effects: Christmas | $0.99 | one-time |
| Effects: Universe | $0.99 | one-time |
| Effects: Wonders of nature | $0.99 | one-time |
| Effects: Romantic | $0.99 | one-time |
| Effects: Floral fantasy | $0.99 | one-time |
| Effects: Spooky | $0.99 | one-time |
| Multiple bridges | $4.99 | one-time |
| Premium | $7.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent Hue lighting control
- 👍 Works well with multiple bridges
- 💡 Customizable remote controls
- 🚀 Faster than official Hue app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
- 🔒 In-app purchases required for key features
- 👎 Poor execution and user experience
- 🔋 Widgets and Apple Watch app not working

**Reported bugs**

- Fade feature not working
- Saving automations not working
- Crashes when checking 'About' section
- Widgets and Apple Watch app issues

**Requested features**

- Repeat/loop function for automations
- Strobing/flashing effects
- Dark mode
- Alexa integration


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hue Lights free?

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

### Is Hue Essentials free?

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

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

Hue Essentials is rated higher. Hue Lights averages 4.1 out of 5 from 393 ratings, while Hue Essentials averages 4.1 from 133 ratings.

### Do Hue Lights or Hue Essentials have ads?

Neither Hue Lights nor Hue Essentials shows ads.

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

Hue Lights ships an update every 5 months, and Hue Essentials every 2 weeks. Most recently, Hue Lights was updated on September 24, 2026 and Hue Essentials on September 24, 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.*