Comparison

Pioneer ARC vs DSP MASTER

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

Head to head

Pioneer ARC

Free

🔧 Utilities

★ 3.0165 ratingsView app →

About

Pioneer ARC

Transform your iPhone into a powerful touchscreen remote for compatible Pioneer car stereos. Browse music, switch sources, launch third-party apps, and customize audio and illumination settings.

Highlights

Touchscreen remote control
Music browsing
Source switching
3rd party app launching
Illumination customization
Audio settings adjustment

Features

Read full description

Pioneer’s Advanced Remote Control (Pioneer ARC) app converts your iPhone* into a powerful touchscreen remote control, which allows you to control and customize your compatible Pioneer car stereo. Pioneer ARC lets you browse your favorite music, switch sources (FM tuner, Bluetooth Audio, etc), launch 3rd party apps, customize the illumination colors and audio settings of your Pioneer system. Compatible features vary by model. *The Pioneer ARC app is compatible with iPhone 5/5c/5s/6/6 Plus/6s/6s Plus/SE/7/7 Plus/8/8 Plus/X, running iOS 8.0 and above. Compatible Pioneer products: -Source Control / Audio Settings / Illumination settings / Bluetooth management DEH-S60*0BS DEH-S50*0BT/DEH-X50BT/DEH-X50BR MVH-S501BS MVH-X30BT/MVH-X30BR MVH-S600BS/MVH-S605BT /MVH-S61*BT FH-S70*BS/FH-S70*BT -Source Control / Audio Settings / Bluetooth management DEH-S40*0BT/DEH-S040BT MVH-S30*BT/MVH-S030BT MVH-S40*BT FH-S500BT/FH-S501BT/FH-S509BT FH-S505BT(Mexico)/FH-S51BT -Source Control / Audio Settings MVH-S220DAB MVH-S12UI / MVH-S120UI / MVH-S125UI DEH-S400DAB / DEH-S410DAB DEH-S20*0UI / DEH-S21*0UI/DEH-S210UI DEH-X10/DEH-X10BR MVH-S200DAB / MVH-S210DAB MVH-S10*UI / MVH-S11*UI/G, /MVH-S11UI DEH-X49**BT/DEH-4900DAB DEH-X39**BT/DEH-3900BT DEH-X29**UI MVH-X39*BT/MVH-390BT MVH-290DAB MVH-X19*UI/MVH-190UI -Source Control / Audio Settings / Illumination settings DEH-S220UI / MVH-S2250UI FH-X830BHS / FH-X840DAB FH-X73* BT/FH-X730BS FH-X78*BT DEH-X8800BHS DEH-X7800BHS/DEH-X7800DAB/DEH-X7850BT DEH-X6800BS, DEH-X6850BT /DEH-X6900BT/DEH-X5900BT MVH-X690BS MVH-X580BS/MVH-X58*BT/MVH-X580DAB -Source Control DEH-X68**BT/DEH-X6800DAB DEH-X5800BT/DEH-X5800HD DEH-X48**BT/DEH-4800BT/DEH-4800DAB DEH-X38**UI DEH-X28**UI/DEH-2800UI/DEH-2800DAB MVH-X38*BT MVH-280DAB MVH-X18*UI/MVH-180UI

About

DSP MASTER

Features

Read full description

DSP Master is suited for controlling DSP devices from Audio Design. You can connect the compatible devices via Bluetooth to perform EQ settings, Filter settings and other DSP functions. Compatible DSP devices: Crunch CRE400.4DSP ESX SE800.6DSP HiFonics ZXR800/8DSP

Screenshots

Pioneer ARC3 screens

DSP MASTER4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: DSP MASTER at 9.0 against Pioneer ARC's 11.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pioneer ARC ships an update every 3 months, DSP MASTER every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level

Pioneer ARC versus DSP MASTER: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter	Pioneer ARC	DSP MASTER
Price	Free	Free
Rating	3.0 (165 ratings) — better	—
Positive reviews	21.6% of reviews	—
Number of ratings	165 — better	—
Update frequency	Every 3 months — better	Every 4 months
Ads	No	No
In-app purchases	No	No
Monetization	Free	—
Devices	iPhone, iPod	iPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS	11.0	9.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size	60 MB	6 MB
Age rating	4+	4+
Developer	Pioneer Corporation	Audio Design

Bugs and requests

Pioneer ARC

Reported bugs

13 issues

App fails to connect via Bluetooth despite phone pairing
Connection status shows 'Not Connected' while music plays
Crashes on iOS 13 and newer versions
USB connection not recognized by head unit
App crashes immediately upon opening

Show 8 more

Bluetooth connection drops after firmware updates
Audio settings display incorrect values vs actual head unit settings
Music playback pauses after a few seconds
App crashes on iPhone X with iOS 12
Portrait mode dialog cannot be dismissed on iPad
App becomes unresponsive after iOS updates
EQ and audio settings become inaccessible
Incompatibility with specific head unit models after updates

Requested features

13 requests

iPad app optimization and full support
Wireless/Bluetooth-only control without USB
Volume level display in app
On-screen clock display
Call pickup and dial pad controls

Show 8 more

Amazon Music and Google Play Music support
Support for TuneIn Radio, Stingray, YouTube
Pandora station switching capability
Modern UI/UX redesign
Mixtrax compatibility with Apple Music
iPad Pro screen fill optimization
Third-party music app support expansion
Physical remote control alternative

DSP MASTER

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Pioneer ARC

No in-app purchases

None

DSP MASTER

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pioneer ARC free?

Pioneer ARC is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

Is DSP MASTER free?

DSP MASTER is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

Do Pioneer ARC or DSP MASTER have ads?

Neither Pioneer ARC nor DSP MASTER shows ads.

Which is updated more often, Pioneer ARC or DSP MASTER?

Pioneer ARC ships an update every 3 months, and DSP MASTER every 4 months. Most recently, Pioneer ARC was updated on October 22, 2026 and DSP MASTER on October 25, 2026.