Mark Levinson Control vs Roon ARC
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Mark Levinson Control
This app provides comprehensive control for a specific audio player, allowing users to manage source selection, volume, and detailed audio settings. Stream music from various sources, tune into internet radio, and access podcasts wirelessly from your iOS device.
- Source selection control
- Volume adjustment
- Audio parameter configuration
- Network settings
- Music streaming
- Internet radio access
- Podcast listening
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The Mark Levinson № 519 app is the universal remote control for the № 519 audio player. Control source selection, volume, configure all of the settings including network and detailed audio parameters. Access, stream, and listen to any song, from anywhere – streaming music services, shared music library, or anywhere else your music is stored. Tune in to Internet radio stations and podcasts aired from anywhere in the world. And do it all wirelessly, right from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch.
Roon ARC
Access your entire Roon music library and streaming services on the go. Enjoy personalized recommendations, offline listening, and advanced audio controls with a familiar interface.
- Access Roon library anywhere
- Stream TIDAL, Qobuz, KKBOX
- Offline music downloads
- Personalized recommendations
- Advanced audio controls (MUSE)
- Car integration
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*** Roon ARC requires a valid Roon subscription *** ARC puts the best possible on-the-go music experience in your pocket and lets you enjoy your Roon library and all of Roon's immersive features wherever you are in the world. ARC is a custom-built streaming service powered by your Roon system at home. Explore your complete collection of artists, albums, playlists, and personal music files, plus TIDAL, Qobuz, and KKBOX streams. Discover added content from Roon's music experts and smart features, such as staff-curated playlists, Daily Mixes, New Releases for You, personalized recommendations, and Roon Radio. You can add albums to your collection, build playlists, set favorites, create tags, and more, just as you can in Roon. Offline listening lets you download your personal music files to keep the music playing wherever your adventures take you – even if you're off the grid entirely. ARC offers remote access to Roon's captivating library of in-depth artist bios and album articles, revealing the stories that take us deep into the heart of our favorite music. And there's more… Ready to hit the road? Your Roon library is too! Roon's browsing and discovery features fully integrate into your car's controls for safe and convenient playback. With ARC within easy reach of the wheel, every road you take is a journey in sound. ARC makes the driver's seat feel like your listening chair at home. ARC is designed to look and feel just like Roon. You get the same intuitive, aesthetically rich Roon interface you know and love, fully optimized for your phone. No more switching between streaming apps; ARC compiles all your music in one place for easy access and maximum enjoyment. And now, Roon's audio shaping suite and pristine sound quality have arrived in ARC - with bold styling never before seen in a mobile app! MUSE delivers the precision audio control of Roon when you're on the go or running a streamlined mobile setup with ARC. It places radically unique EQ handling, optimized balance control, precision volume leveling, FLAC, DSD & MQA support, crossfeed, headroom management, and sample rate conversion in the palm of your hand. You can customize sonic qualities to your specific tastes with MUSE, then save or apply them with a few clicks. To top it all off, MUSE even remembers your presets and reapplies them when you reconnect to a known device. The MUSE Signal Path display provides complete audio signal transparency as the music flows through your device - from source media all the way to your speakers. ARC offers artful design, sound quality, and a music listening experience unmatched by any other music app. Best of all, it's included free with your Roon subscription.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Roon ARC at 3.3 against Mark Levinson Control's 2.8. Roon ARC also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 21 months) and ratings volume (199 vs 6). Mark Levinson Control's advantage is review sentiment (67% vs 36%) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.0). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Roon ARC holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Roon ARC has 199 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 67% of Mark Levinson Control's written reviews are positive against 36% of Roon ARC's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Mark Levinson Control ships an update every 21 months, Roon ARC monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mark Levinson Control | Roon ARC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.8 (6 ratings) | 3.3 (199 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better | 35.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6 | 199 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 21 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 124 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | HARMAN INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIES LIMITED | Roon Labs |
Customer experience
Mark Levinson Control
Roon ARC
Bugs and requests
Mark Levinson Control
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Roon ARC
Reported bugs
4 issues- Corrupted media files
- Disappearing playlists
- Inability to select external storage for downloads
- Inconsistent connectivity to Roon server
Requested features
5 requests- Native iPad app
- Siri integration for voice control
- Improved browsing and search capabilities
- Automatic offline downloads
- MQA decoding support
In-app purchases
Mark Levinson Control
No in-app purchases
Roon ARC
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Mark Levinson Control free?
Is Roon ARC free?
Which has better reviews, Mark Levinson Control or Roon ARC?
Do Mark Levinson Control or Roon ARC have ads?
Which is updated more often, Mark Levinson Control or Roon ARC?
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