Rigelian vs HQPDcontrol v4
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Rigelian
Control your music library on MPD, OpenHome, or Kodi-based players with a modern interface on your iPhone or iPad. Effortlessly browse, search, and manage your music, playlists, and radio stations.
- Browse music by Artist, Album, Genre, Folder
- Qobuz integration for select players
- Thousands of radio stations
- Playlist creation and editing
- Cue file support
- Powerful search and queue management
- Automatic player detection
Read full descriptionHide full description
Rigelian turns your iPhone and iPad into a refined, powerful controller for music players based on OpenHome (BubbleUPnP & upmpcli) and MPD (MPD, moOde, Volumio, Bryston, Chord Poly). Built specifically for iOS, it combines speed, clarity, and precision in a clean, modern interface designed for serious music lovers. Browse your collection effortlessly by artist, album, genre, folder, composer, or performer (MPD), and find anything instantly with fast, responsive search across your entire library. Create and manage playlists, control your play queue exactly the way you want, jump directly from the queue to related albums or artists, and quickly access recently added music or rediscover your collection with random playback. Rigelian integrates seamlessly with Qobuz on BubbleUPnP and upmpdcli players, gives you access to thousands of radio stations via radio-browser.info for MPD and displays track quality during playback and browsing. It automatically discovers compatible players on your network — including Bryston, Volumio, Rune, moOde, and standard MPD — and makes switching between them effortless. Enjoy high-quality album artwork, artist biographies and related artists. Subscription information The free version of Rigelian for iOS lets you add items to your playlist up-to 10 times per month. For unlimited access monthly and annual options are available, both including a 2-week free trial. A single subscription will work on all your devices, for all your family members. Cancel anytime during the trial period and you will not be charged. Payment is charged to your App Store account after the trial ends. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings. Terms of Service https://www.rigelian.net/terms-of-service/ Privacy Policy https://www.rigelian.net/privacy/
HQPDcontrol v4
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide full description
HQPDcontrol is the remote control for HQPlayer — the renowned high-quality audio player and upsampler. Turn your iPhone or iPad into a powerful, intuitive control surface for your audiophile setup. LIBRARY BROWSING Browse your music collection by artists, albums, genres, directories, or playlists. Search across your entire library instantly. View album artwork, track details, and digital booklets. Choose between grid and list views with configurable column layouts optimized for both phones and tablets. PLAYBACK CONTROL Full transport controls with real-time track information, album art, and a detailed audio format display showing sample rate, format (PCM/DSD), and the processing pipeline. Scrub through tracks, adjust volume, and monitor audio levels with a multi-channel meter view featuring peak indicators. QUEUE MANAGEMENT View and edit your playing queue with drag-and-drop reordering. Add tracks, albums, or entire playlists. Clear the queue or save it as a playlist for later. Jump to the currently playing track with a single tap. HQPLAYER SETTINGS Adjust HQPlayer's audio processing parameters directly from your device. Change filters, modulators, and other settings in real time without interrupting playback. HRA CATALOG ACCESS Browse and search the HRA (HIGHRESAUDIO.com) streaming catalog directly from the app. Manage your HRA playlists and send streaming URLs to HQPlayer for playback — HQPDcontrol acts purely as a remote control, with all audio processing and playback handled by HQPlayer. AUTOMATIC DISCOVERY HQPDcontrol automatically detects HQPlayer instances on your network. Just launch the app and connect — or configure the connection manually if preferred. DESIGNED FOR AUDIOPHILES • Real-time audio level meters with multi-channel support • Detailed format and conversion information display • Support for PCM and DSD formats • Album booklet/liner notes viewer (PDF) • Library statistics and storage overview • Dark and light themes • Left-handed mode • Responsive layout for all screen sizes HQPDcontrol requires a running instance of HQPlayer on your network. No audio is streamed through the app — all playback is handled entirely by HQPlayer. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: HQPDcontrol v4 at free with in-app purchases against Rigelian's subscription. HQPDcontrol v4 also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 weeks) and iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.0). Rigelian's advantage is rating (4.2 vs 3.9) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, review sentiment, 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
Both are free to download. Rigelian sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.69 per month and HQPDcontrol v4 sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Rigelian holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 33 and 10 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 76% of Rigelian's written reviews are positive against 83% of HQPDcontrol v4's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Rigelian ships an update every 6 weeks, HQPDcontrol v4 every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Rigelian | HQPDcontrol v4 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (33 ratings) — better | 3.9 (10 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 75.8% of reviews | 83.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 33 — better | 10 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 16.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 61 MB | 53 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Lcw Kremers | Ales Prochazka |
Customer experience
Rigelian
HQPDcontrol v4
In-app purchases
Rigelian
- 1 Month Access - Auto Renew14 Days trial$0.691 Month
- 1 Year Access - Auto Renew14 Days trial$4.291 Year
HQPDcontrol v4
- HQPDcontrol v4 (M)7 Days trial$1.991 Month
- HQPDcontrol v4 (A)7 Days trial$12.991 Year
Questions
Is Rigelian free?
Is HQPDcontrol v4 free?
Which has better reviews, Rigelian or HQPDcontrol v4?
Do Rigelian or HQPDcontrol v4 have ads?
Which is updated more often, Rigelian or HQPDcontrol v4?
Other comparisons















