Comparison

Palettes vs Hue Essentials

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Palettes

Transform your room into immersive themed environments with dynamic light shows and accompanying audio. Experience adventures like a pirate tavern or a spooky Halloween scene, with interactive elements and customizable intensity.

Highlights
  • Themed room transformations
  • Dynamic light shows
  • Synchronized audio effects
  • Interactive elements
  • Customizable intensity
Features
Read full description

THE HAUNTED MANOR (NEW, Adventure Pack) A candlelit Victorian parlor at midnight, with a moonlit graveyard outside the window. The clock ticks, then stops. Footsteps cross the floor upstairs. Then the room turns cold and something passes through, bulb by bulb, or three slow knocks sound at the door. Slide from Eerie to Terrifying, and press Boo! to send a ghost lunging at the screen. THE MAD SCIENTIST'S LAB (NEW, Adventure Pack) A stone laboratory on a stormy night. Rain lashes the window, the coils hum, the beakers bubble, and something lies under a sheet on the table. Pull the lever with Zap! and lightning crackles across your lights. It Lives! surges every bulb, then plunges the room into darkness with a heartbeat. A Mishap! fills the room with green smoke before a flask explodes. Slide from Tinkering to Mad.

About

Hue Essentials

Unlock the full potential of your smart lighting system. Create custom scenes, dynamic effects, and automate your lights with schedules and triggers. Control multiple smart home bridges and devices seamlessly for a personalized ambiance.

Highlights
  • Custom scenes and effects
  • Music and entertainment sync
  • Sunrise/sunset automation
  • Multi-bridge control
  • Device discovery and setup
  • Button and sensor automation
  • Away from home control
Features
Read full description

Imagine unlimited possibilities in your smart home. Set scenes and fast effects to your mood. Experience Dance Sensation in your entertainment area with Philips Hue Entertainment. Feel more in control with schedules and automation from sunrise to sunset. Control multiple bridges simultaneously without switching between them. Supported devices • Philips Hue bridge • Philips Hue Bluetooth lights • deCONZ (ConBee) • diyHue • LIFX Scenes & effects Create the perfect ambiance from your photos or the included photo library. Experience special animations like lava, fireplace, fireworks, or lightning. Wake up at sunrise and go to sleep at sunset with fading lights. Get into the party on the beats of your music. Sync your lights for a night of disco with strobe effects (updates 25 times/sec). Quick access Create rooms and groups to organize your lights. You can even put a light in several groups. Smart lights & controls The unique ‘Touchlink’ search allows you to find new (3rd party, Zigbee) lights. Use included wizards for easy setup of your devices. You can set scenes, actions, or even multiple scenes on a button to make your switch a real investment. Experience the right ambiance during different times of your day with your motion sensor. All of your creations are stored on the bridge. Easy for you and your family. Advanced Automation allows you to have greater control of your smart home. Turn on your lights when the door opens. Adjust your ventilation when the humidity gets too high. Open or close blinds and curtains based on temperature or sunshine. Make it look like you are at home using 'Away from Home' (out of home control). Communicate directly with your Hue bridge using the API debugger. View technical details of your Hue bridge and update its resources like lights and sensors. You want it all? Fast performance with ad-free experience. Purchase the premium version to unlock full content.

Screenshots

Palettes4 screens
Hue Essentials4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Palettes at 5.0 against Hue Essentials's 4.2. Palettes also leads on review sentiment (52% vs 38%). Hue Essentials's advantage is ratings volume (139 vs 2) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Palettes sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Hue Essentials sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Palettes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hue Essentials has 139 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of Palettes's written reviews are positive against 38% of Hue Essentials's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Palettes ships an update monthly, Hue Essentials every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Palettes versus Hue Essentials: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPalettesHue Essentials
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better4.2 (139 ratings)
Positive reviews52.4% of reviews — better37.8% of reviews
Number of ratings2139 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TViPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size237 MB271 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTrevor AhlertThomas Vos

Customer experience

Palettes

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive52.4%
Neutral23.8%
Negative23.8%

Hue Essentials

All ratings138 ratings
Positive77.5%
Neutral7.2%
Negative15.2%
Written reviews241 reviews
Positive37.8%
Neutral8.3%
Negative53.9%

Bugs and requests

Palettes

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Hue Essentials

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Fade feature not working
  • Saving automations not working
  • Crashes when checking 'About' section
  • Widgets and Apple Watch app issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Repeat/loop function for automations
  • Strobing/flashing effects
  • Dark mode
  • Alexa integration

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Palettes

One-time10
  • Mood Lights Color Palette$0.99
  • Pastel Color Palette$0.99
  • Bold Color Palette$0.99
Show 7 more
  • A Dynamic Color Palette$1.99
  • Nature Effects with Sound$1.99
  • Spa Effects with Sound$1.99
  • Landscape Lighting Scenes$1.99
  • Christmas Lights$2.99
  • Halloween Effects with Sound$3.99
  • Pirate Tavern: Hue Light Show$6.99
8 purchases

Hue Essentials

One-time8
  • Effects: Christmas$0.99
  • Effects: Universe$0.99
  • Effects: Wonders of nature$0.99
Show 5 more
  • Effects: Romantic$0.99
  • Effects: Floral fantasy$0.99
  • Effects: Spooky$0.99
  • Multiple bridges$4.99
  • Premium$7.99

Questions

Is Palettes free?
Palettes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hue Essentials free?
Hue Essentials is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Palettes or Hue Essentials?
Palettes is rated higher. Palettes averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Hue Essentials averages 4.2 from 139 ratings.
Do Palettes or Hue Essentials have ads?
Neither Palettes nor Hue Essentials shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Palettes or Hue Essentials?
Palettes ships an update monthly, and Hue Essentials every 2 weeks. Most recently, Palettes was updated on October 17, 2026 and Hue Essentials on October 22, 2026.

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