# Philips Illuminate vs LightShow®SmartLights

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Philips Illuminate at 142 against LightShow®SmartLights's 4. LightShow®SmartLights's advantage is review sentiment (23% vs 9%). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 1.9 for Philips Illuminate against 2.0 for LightShow®SmartLights. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Philips Illuminate has 142 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 9% of Philips Illuminate's written reviews are positive against 23% of LightShow®SmartLights's.

Philips Illuminate ships an update every 3 months, LightShow®SmartLights every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Philips Illuminate | LightShow®SmartLights |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [1.9 (142 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/philips-illuminate/id892864130/reviews) | **[2.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightshowsmartlights/id1115496422/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **142** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 9.4% of reviews | **23.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 20 MB | 14 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 9.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Seasonal Specialties LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/892864133) | [Gemmy Industries Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/889851671) |

## What reviewers say

### Philips Illuminate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/philips-illuminate/id892864130)

Control and customize your smart lighting system from your phone or tablet. Adjust colors, brightness, and functions, or synchronize lights to music. Network multiple kits for a larger, coordinated light display.

**Highlights:** Customizable lighting control, Color and brightness adjustment, Music synchronization, Create custom light functions, Network multiple light kits, Continuous Motion technology

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### LightShow®SmartLights

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightshowsmartlights/id1115496422)

Control your holiday light displays directly from your smartphone. This app allows you to customize effects, colors, and themes for your lighting products, making holiday decorating easy and personalized.

**Highlights:** Smartphone control, Dozens of effects and colors, Multiple holiday themes, Customizable lighting options, Easy setup and management

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Philips Illuminate free?

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

### Is LightShow®SmartLights free?

LightShow®SmartLights is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Philips Illuminate or LightShow®SmartLights?

LightShow®SmartLights is rated higher. Philips Illuminate averages 1.9 out of 5 from 142 ratings, while LightShow®SmartLights averages 2.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do Philips Illuminate or LightShow®SmartLights have ads?

Neither Philips Illuminate nor LightShow®SmartLights shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Philips Illuminate or LightShow®SmartLights?

Philips Illuminate ships an update every 3 months, and LightShow®SmartLights every 2 months. Most recently, Philips Illuminate was updated on November 1, 2026 and LightShow®SmartLights on November 9, 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.*