# OnSwitch for Philips Hue vs Exist

The clearest difference is rating: OnSwitch for Philips Hue at 4.7 against Exist's 4.1. OnSwitch for Philips Hue also leads on monetization model (freemium vs subscription) and ratings volume (9.6K vs 46). Exist's advantage is review sentiment (68% vs 57%). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. OnSwitch for Philips Hue sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month and Exist sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $8.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

OnSwitch for Philips Hue holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: OnSwitch for Philips Hue has 9.6K ratings behind it against 46, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 57% of OnSwitch for Philips Hue's written reviews are positive against 68% of Exist's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | OnSwitch for Philips Hue | Exist |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (9.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/onswitch-for-philips-hue/id853520339/reviews)** | [4.1 (46 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/exist/id986201088/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **9.6K** | 46 |
| Positive reviews | 56.9% of reviews | **68.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Subscription |
| Size | 88 MB | 14 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Buzzhaus, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1162934164) | [Hello Code Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/933609066) |

## What reviewers say

### OnSwitch for Philips Hue

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/onswitch-for-philips-hue/id853520339)

Enhance your smart lighting with dynamic scenes and effects. Create immersive experiences for holidays, parties, and relaxation with a user-friendly interface. Features include sunrise alarms, sunset timers, and creative color controls.

**Highlights:** Animated light scenes for holidays and parties, Live game-sync events for sports, Sunrise alarm and sunset sleep timer, Creative color control and discovery, Manage and control light groups, Hero lighting with cinematic flair

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

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| OnSwitch Premium | $12.99 | per month |
| OnSwitch Premium | $35.99 | per year |
| Embers | $0.99 | one-time |
| Fireplace | $1.99 | one-time |
| Lightning | $1.99 | one-time |
| Aurora | $1.99 | one-time |
| Nature Album | $4.99 | one-time |
| Science Fiction Album | $5.99 | one-time |
| Fireworks Album | $7.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐ Simply the best
- 🚀 Fantastic app
- 👍 Great app
- 👍 Awesome app
- 👍 Excellent app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Subscription to control my lights
- 🔒 No One-Time Purchase Option
- 🐛 Doesn't work with LifX
- 🐛 Disconnects from the hue bridge
- 🐛 Unable to open after recent update

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on launch after update
- Connectivity issues
- Lights not responding correctly
- Scenes not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Add support for LIFX bulbs
- Allow customization of light groups
- Add background mode/automation
- Add Siri/HomeKit integration
- Improve interface and organization


### Exist

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/exist/id986201088)

This app helps you understand and optimize your behavior by combining manual tracking with automatic syncing from various services. Track health, productivity, and more, uncover relationships between habits, and run experiments on your behavior. Gain daily insights and weekly summaries to improve your life.

**Highlights:** Track any data point manually, Automatic syncing from health and productivity services, Daily insights and weekly summaries, Discover correlations between habits, Run behavioral experiments, Integrates with Apple Health and other services

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Exist monthly subscription | $8.49 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is OnSwitch for Philips Hue free?

OnSwitch for Philips Hue is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Exist free?

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

### Which has better reviews, OnSwitch for Philips Hue or Exist?

OnSwitch for Philips Hue is rated higher. OnSwitch for Philips Hue averages 4.7 out of 5 from 9.6K ratings, while Exist averages 4.1 from 46 ratings.

### Do OnSwitch for Philips Hue or Exist have ads?

Neither OnSwitch for Philips Hue nor Exist shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, OnSwitch for Philips Hue or Exist?

OnSwitch for Philips Hue ships an update every 3 weeks, and Exist every 3 weeks. Most recently, OnSwitch for Philips Hue was updated on October 14, 2026 and Exist on October 8, 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.*