Hue Lights vs Custos
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hue Lights
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.
- 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
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Hue Lights offers full feature support for all of your smart lighting needs: Precise control, multi-room scenes, schedules, sequences, dynamic lighting, and special effects. Create advanced configurations for your Hue motion sensor, Hue dimmer switch or Hue Tap. Check out our sample videos and FAQ at https://huelights.com. Teach your lights new tricks with Hue Lights! Completely customize each button on your Hue dimmer switch or Hue Tap. Control 8 scenes from a single Hue dimmer switch, change brightness speeds, or select groups based on duration of button press. Hue Lights leverages the latest firmware to store scene details directly on the bridge. You can view and edit shared scenes from any device on your network. The UI offers improved visual feedback and easier on/off/brightness controls directly from the home screen. Try the sequences feature to see amazing possibilities at your fingertips. Use your Apple Watch to activate scenes, adjust group brightness and trigger alerts. Escape to the beach with soothing ocean, lake, or creek sounds while your lights gently change and dim (Water In-App purchase). Experience amazing thunderstorms (In-App purchase) with customized controls for lightning strikes, rain density, bird songs, wind speed, sleep timer, brightness and sky color! Simulate realistic fires (In-App purchase) with dedicated controls for fire type, fire size, flare-ups and brightness. If you have any problems with previous In-App purchases, tap "Restore." Please see the comprehensive FAQ and documentation at https://huelights.com for App help. The free version allows control of lights 1 and 2. In-App purchases can unlock all lights and special effects. Hue Lights brings you shared scenes and groups, comprehensive scheduling, sequences and powerful light controls. Create multiple "On" and "Off" schedules per scene. Tap a row to select a light, group, or scene. Use quick controls at the bottom of the screen. Long press a row for quick actions (on, choose color, edit, off). Save scenes from any third-party app and use Hue Lights to activate these on your Apple Watch. Dynamically animate or schedule any scene from third-party apps. All screens are optimized for your favorite iOS devices in portrait and landscape mode. Hue Lights works well with any third-party app that saves scenes or schedules on the bridge. Do you have a favorite scene from another app that you use frequently? With Hue Lights you can turn this scene on or off with one tap! Hue Lights will show every schedule saved on your bridge from any app and give you the option to disable or remove unwanted schedules. Features: • Interactive widgets • Fire and candle effects • Light and group timers • Remote control • Hue motion sensor support • Hue dimmer switch/Hue Tap support • Sunrise/sunset actions • View/edit scenes and schedules on bridge • View/delete rules and sensors • See exact watts used on supported lights • 3D Touch on app icon • TouchLink for finding lost bulbs • Sequences • Apple Watch support • Dynamic animations • Scene themes • Supports multiple third-party ZigBee lights • Light, group and scene schedules • Tap bulb image to apply a favorite color • Localized VoiceOver support • Heuristics for working around common errors • Create transition times up to 90 minutes • Designed to work well with 50+ light deployments Experience multi-track, synchronized and visually appealing light animations and sequences. Requires "Hue Personal Wireless Lighting Starter Set" to operate. "Hue Personal Wireless Lighting" is a trademark owned by Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V., see www.meethue.com for more information. LapApps, LLC is in no way affiliated with the Philips organization. Follow @HueLights on X and like our Facebook page for the latest news and updates. See https://huelights.com for more documentation and supported hardware.
Custos
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One forgotten subscription at $12 a month is $144 a year that nobody decided to spend. It is almost never the price that catches you out — it is the date. Contracts renew on their own, and the notice period expires weeks before the charge. By the time the line shows up on your statement, it is already too late. Custos watches that date. Not the payment date — the one before it, the only one you can still act on. Free, no account, no ads. YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE NOBODY ELSE'S BUSINESS Custos has no server. Your data stays on your devices and, if you turn syncing on, in your private iCloud space — which we cannot access. The app's only network traffic goes to Apple's own services. WHAT CUSTOS DOES • Warns you on the right day — The cancellation deadline, worked out from the notice period and the next payment. A notification on the exact day, plus calendar reminders at 1 month, 15 days, 7 days, 1 day and the day itself. • Tells you what it all costs — Adjusted monthly and yearly cost, whatever the billing cycle, and a breakdown by category. • Spots free trials — "Free until…" while the first payment is still ahead. A trial never inflates your monthly cost, but it does trigger the alert: that is where it has to stop you. • Writes the letter for you — Email or registered letter, ready to copy, with your details already filled in. • Keeps the proof — Date sent, channel, reference, acknowledgement. Something to point to if you get charged anyway. • Catches silent price rises — Three dollars more goes unnoticed; Custos works out what it costs over a year. • Reads your bank statement — Drop in a CSV or OFX file: Custos spots the recurring debits and suggests the subscriptions behind them. The file is read on your device, with no connection to your bank, and nothing is saved until you confirm. • Shows what is about to leave your account — This month's outgoings, split by account, and a day-by-day schedule. • Knows who pays for what — Bank accounts and subscribers, for a household or a small team. • Explains it all — Twelve illustrated chapters inside the app, on Custos and on cancellation notice periods. • Lets you leave — CSV export and a full backup, whenever you want. ON IPHONE, IPAD AND APPLE WATCH • Home Screen widgets in three sizes, and Lock Screen widgets. • Live Activity — The countdown to your next deadline on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. • Apple Watch — The watch app and its "Cancellation deadline" complication. • Siri and Shortcuts — Ask out loud for your deadlines over the next 30 days. • On iPad — The list and the details side by side, with the handbook in the left column. • Full Dark Mode, Dynamic Type and VoiceOver. • Optional iCloud sync with the Mac. Install Custos, enter your subscriptions once, and let it watch the dates for you.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Custos at none against Hue Lights's 9. Custos also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months). Hue Lights's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Hue Lights sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Custos asks for nothing beyond the download.
Hue Lights ships an update every 5 months, Custos every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hue Lights | Custos |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (393 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 45.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 393 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 53 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | LapApps, LLC | Henri Dominique Rapin |
Bugs and requests
Hue Lights
Reported bugs
4 issues- 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
4 requests- 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
Custos
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Hue Lights
- Unlock 100 ScenesFree
- Thunderstorm$1.99
- Fire$1.99
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- Water$1.99
- Perfect Sunrise$1.99
- Richer Colors and Scenes$1.99
- Premium Actions$1.99
- Premium Sequences$1.99
- Unlock 48 Lights$4.99
Custos
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Hue Lights free?
Is Custos free?
Do Hue Lights or Custos have ads?
Which is updated more often, Hue Lights or Custos?
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