# Palettes vs Hue Essentials

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Palettes | Hue Essentials |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/palettes-hue-light-shows/id983341607/reviews)** | [4.2 (139 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-essentials/id1462943921/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **139** |
| Positive reviews | **52.4% of reviews** | 37.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 237 MB | 271 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Trevor Ahlert](https://appshunter.io/developer/983341606) | [Thomas Vos](https://appshunter.io/developer/1462943920) |

## What reviewers say

### Palettes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/palettes-hue-light-shows/id983341607)

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:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mood Lights Color Palette | $0.99 | one-time |
| Pastel Color Palette | $0.99 | one-time |
| Bold Color Palette | $0.99 | one-time |
| A Dynamic Color Palette | $1.99 | one-time |
| Nature Effects with Sound | $1.99 | one-time |
| Spa Effects with Sound | $1.99 | one-time |
| Landscape Lighting Scenes | $1.99 | one-time |
| Christmas Lights | $2.99 | one-time |
| Halloween Effects with Sound | $3.99 | one-time |
| Pirate Tavern: Hue Light Show | $6.99 | one-time |


### Hue Essentials

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hue-essentials/id1462943921)

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:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Effects: Christmas | $0.99 | one-time |
| Effects: Universe | $0.99 | one-time |
| Effects: Wonders of nature | $0.99 | one-time |
| Effects: Romantic | $0.99 | one-time |
| Effects: Floral fantasy | $0.99 | one-time |
| Effects: Spooky | $0.99 | one-time |
| Multiple bridges | $4.99 | one-time |
| Premium | $7.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent Hue lighting control
- 👍 Works well with multiple bridges
- 💡 Customizable remote controls
- 🚀 Faster than official Hue app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
- 🔒 In-app purchases required for key features
- 👎 Poor execution and user experience
- 🔋 Widgets and Apple Watch app not working

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- Repeat/loop function for automations
- Strobing/flashing effects
- Dark mode
- Alexa integration


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