# Hue Lights vs Custos

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.

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 18, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hue Lights | Custos |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.1 (393 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-lights/id762009425/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **393** | — |
| Positive reviews | 45.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 53 MB | 25 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [LapApps, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/762009431) | [Henri Dominique Rapin](https://appshunter.io/developer/6796402184) |

## 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


### Custos

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/custos-subscription-tracker/id6798195955)

**Features:** Apple Watch app, 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 Custos free?

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

### Do Hue Lights or Custos have ads?

Neither Hue Lights nor Custos shows ads.

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

Hue Lights ships an update every 5 months, and Custos every 3 weeks. Most recently, Hue Lights was updated on October 18, 2026 and Custos on October 6, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*