# Roon Essentials Remote vs HQPDcontrol v4

The clearest difference is rating: HQPDcontrol v4 at 3.9 against Roon Essentials Remote's 2.6. HQPDcontrol v4 also leads on review sentiment (83% vs 43%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months). Roon Essentials Remote's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.6). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. HQPDcontrol v4 sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Roon Essentials Remote asks for nothing beyond the download.

HQPDcontrol v4 holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 2.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 10 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of Roon Essentials Remote's written reviews are positive against 83% of HQPDcontrol v4's.

Roon Essentials Remote ships an update every 4 months, HQPDcontrol v4 every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 15, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Roon Essentials Remote | HQPDcontrol v4 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.6 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roon-essentials-remote/id1105955403/reviews) | **[3.9 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hqpdcontrol-v4/id1518963245/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 9 | **10** |
| Positive reviews | 42.9% of reviews | **83.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 278 MB | 53 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 16.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Roon Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/1014764082) | [Ales Prochazka](https://appshunter.io/developer/1518963457) |

## What reviewers say

### Roon Essentials Remote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roon-essentials-remote/id1105955403)

Control your Roon Essentials audio system to browse music, play tracks, and adjust settings. This app is specifically designed for Roon Essentials hardware like the ELAC Discovery and is not compatible with standard Roon.

**Highlights:** Browse music library, Play favorite tracks, Configure Roon Essentials system, Control audio playback, Designed for Roon Essentials hardware

**In-app purchases:** none


### HQPDcontrol v4

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hqpdcontrol-v4/id1518963245)

Control your high-quality audio playback and upsampling from your mobile device. Browse your music library, manage playback queues, and adjust audio processing settings remotely. Seamlessly connect to your HQPlayer setup for an intuitive audiophile experience.

**Highlights:** Library browsing by artist, album, genre, and directory, Full playback transport controls, Real-time audio format and processing display, Queue management with drag-and-drop reordering, Remote adjustment of HQPlayer audio settings, HRA catalog browsing and streaming, Automatic HQPlayer instance discovery

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| HQPDcontrol v4 (M) | $1.99 | per month |
| HQPDcontrol v4 (A) | $12.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Roon Essentials Remote free?

Roon Essentials Remote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is HQPDcontrol v4 free?

HQPDcontrol v4 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Roon Essentials Remote or HQPDcontrol v4?

HQPDcontrol v4 is rated higher. Roon Essentials Remote averages 2.6 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while HQPDcontrol v4 averages 3.9 from 10 ratings.

### Do Roon Essentials Remote or HQPDcontrol v4 have ads?

Neither Roon Essentials Remote nor HQPDcontrol v4 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Roon Essentials Remote or HQPDcontrol v4?

Roon Essentials Remote ships an update every 4 months, and HQPDcontrol v4 every 2 weeks. Most recently, Roon Essentials Remote was updated on September 15, 2026 and HQPDcontrol v4 on September 22, 2026.

---

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