# Hue Lights vs Chickadee Bandit

The clearest difference is rating: Chickadee Bandit at 5.0 against Hue Lights's 4.1. Chickadee Bandit also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 5 months). Hue Lights's advantage is ratings volume (472 vs 2) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hue Lights sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and Chickadee Bandit sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $7.00 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Chickadee Bandit holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hue Lights has 472 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Hue Lights ships an update every 5 months, Chickadee Bandit weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hue Lights | Chickadee Bandit |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (472 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-lights/id762009425/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chickadee-bandit/id6776813707/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **472** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 45.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 53 MB | 59 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [LapApps, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/762009431) | [Firebird Systems LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896525758) |

## 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


### Chickadee Bandit

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chickadee-bandit/id6776813707)

A private, ad-free app designed to help families and organizations stay organized. It offers customizable features like shared calendars, location sharing, messaging, meal planning, and chore management, all within a secure, user-controlled environment.

**Highlights:** Shared calendar with flyer scanning, Private location sharing with safe zones, Group messaging, Meal planning and grocery lists, Chore assignment and rewards, Customizable feature library, Shared spaces for groups and teams

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Family | $7.00 | per month |
| Group | $12.00 | per month |
| Organization | $35.00 | per month |
| Famly Annual | $70.00 | per year |
| Group Annual | $119.99 | per year |
| Organization Yearly | $350.00 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hue Lights free?

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

### Is Chickadee Bandit free?

Chickadee Bandit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Hue Lights or Chickadee Bandit?

Chickadee Bandit is rated higher. Hue Lights averages 4.1 out of 5 from 472 ratings, while Chickadee Bandit averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Hue Lights or Chickadee Bandit have ads?

Neither Hue Lights nor Chickadee Bandit shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hue Lights or Chickadee Bandit?

Hue Lights ships an update every 5 months, and Chickadee Bandit weekly. Most recently, Hue Lights was updated on November 11, 2026 and Chickadee Bandit on November 5, 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.*