# Roon ARC vs McIntosh Connect

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Roon ARC at 201 against McIntosh Connect's 14. Roon ARC also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (36% vs 25%). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.3 for Roon ARC against 3.3 for McIntosh Connect. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Roon ARC has 201 ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 36% of Roon ARC's written reviews are positive against 25% of McIntosh Connect's.

Roon ARC ships an update monthly, McIntosh Connect every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Roon ARC | McIntosh Connect |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.3 (201 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roon-arc/id1555549544/reviews)** | [3.3 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mcintosh-connect/id6451832793/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **201** | 14 |
| Positive reviews | **35.7% of reviews** | 25.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 124 MB | 47 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Roon Labs LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1014764082) | [McIntosh Laboratory, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/411263898) |

## What reviewers say

### Roon ARC

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roon-arc/id1555549544)

Access your entire Roon music library, including personal files and streaming services, from anywhere. Enjoy high-quality audio playback, offline listening, and in-depth music discovery features optimized for mobile and car use.

**Highlights:** Access Roon library anywhere, Offline music downloads, High-quality audio playback, Advanced EQ and audio shaping, In-depth music discovery, Car integration

**Features:** Siri integration, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Seamless integration with Roon
- 🌍 Access music library anywhere
- 🔊 High-quality audio playback
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly
- 💡 Useful feature additions like EQ presets

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and connection issues
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
- 🤖 Unreliable performance, especially on mobile networks
- 📱 Lack of iPad-optimized interface
- 🔌 Requires complex network setup for remote access

**Reported bugs**

- Corrupted media files
- Disappearing playlists
- Inability to select external storage for downloads
- Inconsistent connectivity to Roon server

**Requested features**

- Native iPad app
- Siri integration for voice control
- Improved browsing and search capabilities
- Automatic offline downloads
- MQA decoding support


### McIntosh Connect

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mcintosh-connect/id6451832793)

Control compatible McIntosh audio equipment with a streamlined interface. Manage volume, inputs, tone, and more for select preamplifiers. Easily update firmware and configure network settings for an optimized listening experience.

**Highlights:** Volume Control, Input Selection & Renaming, Tone Adjustment, Firmware Update Management, Multi-Zone Audio Control, Network Setup

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Roon ARC free?

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

### Is McIntosh Connect free?

McIntosh Connect is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Roon ARC or McIntosh Connect?

Roon ARC is rated higher. Roon ARC averages 3.3 out of 5 from 201 ratings, while McIntosh Connect averages 3.3 from 14 ratings.

### Do Roon ARC or McIntosh Connect have ads?

Neither Roon ARC nor McIntosh Connect shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Roon ARC or McIntosh Connect?

Roon ARC ships an update monthly, and McIntosh Connect every 3 months. Most recently, Roon ARC was updated on November 3, 2026 and McIntosh Connect on November 4, 2026.

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