Comparison

Helmarr vs Couchside

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

Head to head
About

Helmarr

Manage all your self-hosted services from a single, native iOS interface. Seamlessly integrate and control applications like Sonarr, Radarr, and Unraid with advanced features and customization.

Highlights
  • Unified experience for multiple services
  • Smart multi-network connectivity
  • Deep customization options
  • Home screen widgets
  • Unraid control
  • Push notifications
  • SSH & SFTP access
  • Download management
Features
Read full description

Helmarr provides a unified, native iOS interface for your self-hosted services. Stop relying on responsive web UIs and manage your entire stack in an app where your services actually work hand-in-hand. Currently supported: Sonarr, Radarr, Lidarr, Bazarr, Unraid, SSH (+SFTP), Tautulli, Jellystat, Overseerr, Jellyseerr, Seerr, qBt, SABnzbd, NZBGet, Wizarr, Prowlarr, Transmission, Deluge. Key Features: - A Truly Unified Experience: Your stack shouldn't feel like separate silos. Helmarr brings Sonarr, Radarr, Lidarr, Seerr, and Tautulli together. Browse your library, approve requests, and view active streams in one seamless interface. - Smart Connectivity: Full multi-network support allows you to define primary and fallback hosts. Helmarr automatically switches between your LAN IP and WAN/DNS address depending on where you are. - Make It Your Own: Deep customization options let you tweak the app to your liking. Change accent colors, rearrange your tab bar, and set custom headers to match your personal aesthetic. - Home Screen Widgets: Keep an eye on your download queue, upcoming releases, or server stats at a glance without even opening the app. - Unraid Control: Real-time monitoring of Shares, Parity status, Disks, and Warnings. Start/Stop Docker containers and VMs instantly. - Push Notifications: Stay in the loop with configurable alerts for grabs, successful imports, and critical health checks. - Terminal & Vitals: Full SSH & SFTP access with live resource monitoring (CPU/RAM/Net). Manage processes and containers via command line. - Download Management: Remote control for SABnzbd and NZBGet. Pause, resume, reorder queues, and set speed limits on the fly. - Release Browser: Don't just rely on automation—search, filter, and manually grab specific releases with ease. - Onboarding: Generate and manage user invites via Wizarr. Website: https://helmarr.com/ Terms of Service: https://helmarr.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://helmarr.com/privacy

About

Couchside

Transform your iPhone into a remote console, game launcher, and controller for your Linux gaming PC. Monitor system health, fix issues without a keyboard, and launch games directly from your couch.

Highlights
  • Live system monitoring dashboard
  • One-tap runbook actions for troubleshooting
  • Browse system logs remotely
  • Launch Steam games and custom applications
  • Virtual Xbox 360 game controller
  • Trackpad and swipe control modes
  • Easy QR code pairing
Features
Read full description

Couchside turns your iPhone into a dashboard, remote, game launcher and controller for your living-room Linux gaming PC: SteamOS, Bazzite, a docked Steam Deck, or another supported systemd Linux box. WHAT TO PLAY NEXT Find your next game with suggestions from your box’s game history. See what is running, choose another suggestion, and launch after confirming. The Play tab keeps recent content ready as you move between tabs. Optional demo mode lets you explore sample games away from your box. YOUR STEAM COMPANION Connect Steam on your box for profile and library stats, playtime trends, achievement progress, wishlist discounts and price-drop alerts. Add an optional IsThereAnyDeal integration for historical-low price comparisons. These opt-in features contact Steam and IsThereAnyDeal. Background wishlist notifications are best-effort and need your phone to reach the box. LIVE CONSOLE Check CPU temperature, load, memory, storage, uptime and service health. Supported handhelds also show battery and power information. See what is playing and manage multiple boxes from unified cards with live vitals and connection controls. When the TV is black, inspect the box from your phone. FIX IT FROM THE COUCH Read recent service logs, restart the display session, switch between Desktop and Game Mode, or reboot and shut down with confirmation. Available actions depend on your box’s capabilities and permissions. GAMES, STREAMING AND CONTROLS Browse installed games with cover art, search and filters. Launch a game on the TV or start Steam Remote Play from another PC. Use a virtual gamepad, swipe navigation, trackpad with two-finger gestures, or keyboard input. Landscape controls give you more room when you need it. TV AND LIGHTING Control power, volume and input on supported TVs, including compatible LG and Google TV models. Compatible HDMI-CEC hardware lets the box control the TV. On supported lighting hardware, adjust strip effects, reactive meters and artwork-inspired Game Aura presets. Create custom sequences with frame-by-frame timing and true on/off strobe effects. EASY PAIRING A welcome guide introduces Couchside and optional integrations. Install the free Couchside service on your box, then scan its QR code or enter its pairing PIN. Refined animations can be turned off in Preferences and respect Reduce Motion. Your phone and box must be on the same local network. WAKE FROM THE COUCH Wake supported Ethernet-connected boxes with progress and reconnection confirmation. On iPhone, waking may require another awake Couchside box on the same network to relay the request. Hardware, firmware and network settings must support Wake-on-LAN. PRIVATE LOCAL CONTROL Remote-control traffic stays on your local network, with no cloud relay or Couchside account. Pairing supports an encrypted, pinned connection. Optional online features, store purchases and update checks contact their respective services. No analytics. The Linux service is open source and the app is source-available. TRY FREE FOR 7 DAYS, PAY ONCE Download free and try the full app for 7 days. A one-time purchase unlocks continued use; there is no subscription. Existing unlocks carry forward. REQUIREMENTS • A supported Linux gaming box on your home network • The free Couchside service installed on that box • Your iPhone and box on the same LAN • Optional integrations and hardware for Steam account features, TV control and lighting

Screenshots

Helmarr4 screens
Couchside4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Couchside at free against Helmarr's free with in-app purchases. Couchside also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 76%) and update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly). Helmarr's advantage is ratings volume (172 vs 8). On price, rating, 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. Helmarr sells 19 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Couchside sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Helmarr against 5.0 for Couchside. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Helmarr has 172 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of Helmarr's written reviews are positive against 100% of Couchside's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Helmarr ships an update weekly, Couchside every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Helmarr versus Couchside: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHelmarrCouchside
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (172 ratings)5.0 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings172 — better8
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size170 MB57 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFlorian ErnstTaylor Emery

Customer experience

Helmarr

All ratings172 ratings
Positive95.9%
Neutral1.2%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews145 reviews
Positive75.9%
Neutral7.6%
Negative16.6%

Couchside

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

19 purchases

Helmarr

Subscriptions3
  • Helmarr Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Ultra Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Helmarr Pro Yearly Subscription$17.991 Year
One-time16
  • Bazarr$3.99
  • Deluge$4.99
  • Plex$4.99
Show 13 more
  • Transmission$4.99
  • NZBGet$4.99
  • Lidarr$4.99
  • Unraid$4.99
  • SABnzbd$4.99
  • Tautulli$4.99
  • Sonarr$4.99
  • Radarr$4.99
  • Seerr$4.99
  • qBt$4.99
  • Prowlarr$4.99
  • Helmarr Pro - Lifetime$29.99
  • Lifetime Pro$34.99
1 purchases

Couchside

One-time1
  • Couchside Forever Unlock$4.99

Questions

Is Helmarr free?
Helmarr is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Couchside free?
Couchside is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Helmarr or Couchside?
Couchside is rated higher. Helmarr averages 4.9 out of 5 from 172 ratings, while Couchside averages 5.0 from 8 ratings.
Do Helmarr or Couchside have ads?
Neither Helmarr nor Couchside shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Helmarr or Couchside?
Helmarr ships an update weekly, and Couchside every 2 days. Most recently, Helmarr was updated on October 16, 2026 and Couchside on October 10, 2026.

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