It's silly but I like the Hue Hub/app because you can do like fireplace/candle effects lol. Useful for porch lights over holidays Halloween etc.TBH my entire goal with Home Assistant is to be internet free, so that's an option too. Just use ZigBee instead of the controllers.
It also integrated with HA so yes it's another box but it's easy to forgot about / allows your wife to use the lights even if you're maintaing or playing with HA.