# Hue Lights vs Color Screen

The clearest difference is rating: Hue Lights at 4.1 against Color Screen's 2.0. Hue Lights also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (393 vs 4). Color Screen's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 9). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

Hue Lights holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hue Lights has 393 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 33% of Color Screen's.

Hue Lights ships an update every 5 months, Color Screen every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hue Lights | Color Screen |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.1 (393 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-lights/id762009425/reviews)** | [2.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/color-screenfrom-buttonclock/id6450460753/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **393** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | **45.2% of reviews** | 33.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 months** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 53 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [LapApps, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/762009431) | [MINERVA K.K.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1597905460) |

## 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


### Color Screen

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/color-screenfrom-buttonclock/id6450460753)

Create dynamic visual displays with customizable color sequences. Set colors to appear in a specific order, at timed intervals, or repeat a set number of times. Choose manual button control or automatic timed transitions for your color screens.

**Highlights:** Customizable color sequences, Timed color transitions, Manual button control, Automatic timed transitions, Repeat/loop function, Use for concerts and festivals

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hue Lights free?

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

### Is Color Screen free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Hue Lights or Color Screen?

Hue Lights is rated higher. Hue Lights averages 4.1 out of 5 from 393 ratings, while Color Screen averages 2.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do Hue Lights or Color Screen have ads?

Color Screen shows ads; Hue Lights does not.

### Which is updated more often, Hue Lights or Color Screen?

Hue Lights ships an update every 5 months, and Color Screen every 6 months. Most recently, Hue Lights was updated on September 28, 2026 and Color Screen on September 21, 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.*