Comparison

iTunes Remote vs Apple TV

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

Head to head
About

iTunes Remote

Control your Apple Music, iTunes, or Apple TV app library from your iPhone or iPad. Browse content, manage playlists, and stream audio to AirPlay speakers throughout your home.

Highlights
  • Control Apple Music, iTunes, Apple TV
  • Browse music, movies, TV shows, podcasts
  • Create and edit playlists
  • View upcoming songs (Up Next)
  • Search entire libraries
  • Stream to AirPlay speakers
  • Group speakers for multi-room audio
Read full description

iTunes Remote is the best way to control Apple Music, iTunes, or the Apple TV app from anywhere in your home. Simply download the app to your iPhone or iPad, and connect directly to Apple Music, iTunes, or the Apple TV app on your Mac or PC. With iTunes Remote you can: • Access your Apple Music, Apple TV, or iTunes libraries • Browse music by artist, albums, and songs • Browse movies, TV shows, and podcasts • Create and edit playlists • See upcoming songs with Up Next • Search your entire Apple Music, Apple TV, or iTunes libraries • Explore shared Apple Music, Apple TV, or iTunes libraries • Listen with AirPlay • Send music to AirPlay speakers • Group speakers together to play music in multiple rooms at the same time • Set the volume on each speaker independently Requirements: • iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 11.4 or later • Wi-Fi connection to Apple TV, Apple Music, or iTunes on a Mac or PC • macOS 10.15.2 or higher for Apple Music and the Apple TV app • iTunes 12.8 or later is recommended for use with iTunes Remote

About

Apple TV

This app is a central hub for exclusive original series, movies, and live sports like Formula 1 and MLB. It also aggregates content from your favorite streaming services, allowing you to buy or rent titles and discover new shows.

Highlights
  • Exclusive Apple Originals
  • Live Formula 1 & MLB
  • Buy or rent movies
  • Aggregate streaming services
  • Personalized recommendations
  • Continue Watching feature
Features
Read full description

Apple TV is the home of exclusive Apple Original shows and movies, Formula 1®, MLS, Friday Night Baseball, thousands of movies to buy or rent, and all the best programming from your favorite streaming services — all in one place. With an Apple TV subscription: • Stream thousands of hours of Apple Originals—thrilling dramas, epic sci-fi, and feel-good comedies, all with no ads—including Ted Lasso, Severance, The Morning Show, Silo, Shrinking, Slow Horses, and F1 The Movie. • Enjoy new releases weekly, with no ads. • Watch every Formula 1 Grand Prix™ live—with all-access coverage for every practice, qualifying, Sprint, and race. • Watch Friday Night Baseball, with live MLB matchups every Friday of the regular season. • Watch every Major League Soccer match live throughout the regular season, the entire playoffs, and Leagues Cup, all with no blackouts. Discover more to watch: • Buy or rent newly released movies, and browse the Apple TV Store with over 100,000 movies and shows—including the largest selection of 4K HDR titles. • Add Apple TV Channels subscriptions and stream seamlessly in the Apple TV app — no additional apps, accounts, or passwords needed. • Connect over 100 video streaming apps to access all your favorite shows and movies in one place. Apple TV app makes all your TV watching easier: • Get personalized recommendations across everything you watch. • With Continue Watching, pick up where you left off across all your subscriptions and devices. • Add to Watchlist to keep track of what you want to watch later. • Browse sports to see live and upcoming matchups, and choose your favorite teams to automatically add games to Continue Watching and receive notifications for close games and more. • Easily find all of your purchased movies and shows in the Library. • Enjoy the best picture and sound quality in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos when available. • Stream over a Wi-Fi or cellular connection, or download to watch offline. • Find the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac, as well as smart TVs and streaming devices. Requirements: • iOS devices using iOS 12.3 or later • Some features require internet access over a Wi-Fi or cellular data connection • HDR video playback may not be available for all content or on all devices Apple TV subscription does not include third party-branded subscription services or content available for rental or purchase in the Apple TV app. In select regions, an Apple TV subscription may only be available as part of an iCloud+ subscription. If you subscribe to any Apple TV channels, payment will be charged to your Apple Account at the confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless they are canceled at least 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Simultaneous streams may be limited on a per-subscription basis. The availability of Apple TV features, channels, and related content may vary depending on the country or region from which you attempt to access them. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your Settings on the Apple TV app after purchase. See https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/en-ww for the Privacy Policy. Apple TV app Terms and Conditions can be found at https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/us/terms.html

Screenshots

iTunes Remote3 screens
Apple TV4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: iTunes Remote at none against Apple TV's shown. iTunes Remote also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and review sentiment (57% vs 43%). Apple TV's advantage is ratings volume (1.9M vs 40K) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). On price, rating, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Apple TV holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Apple TV has 1.9M ratings behind it against 40K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 57% of iTunes Remote's written reviews are positive against 43% of Apple TV's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iTunes Remote ships an update every 5 months, Apple TV every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 20, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
iTunes Remote versus Apple TV: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriTunes RemoteApple TV
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (40K ratings)4.8 (1.9M ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.0% of reviews — better43.1% of reviews
Number of ratings40K1.9M — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS11.410.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB8 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperApple Inc.Apple Inc.

Customer experience

iTunes Remote

All ratings39,497 ratings
Positive90.6%
Neutral3.6%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews2,189 reviews
Positive57.0%
Neutral11.0%
Negative32.0%

Apple TV

All ratings1,880,713 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral2.2%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews5,762 reviews
Positive43.1%
Neutral8.8%
Negative48.1%

User reviews

iTunes Remote

From 40K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent for controlling music on Mac and AirPlay devices
  • 👍 Convenient remote control for Apple TV
  • 💡 Allows remote access to iTunes library

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent disconnects and stability issues
  • 🔍 Lacks integration with Apple Music
  • 📺 No longer supports Apple Watch
  • 🔍 Limited functionality compared to previous versions

Apple TV

From 1.9M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Decent quality viewing experience
  • 👍 Impressive 4K and audio quality
  • 🤩 Fantastic original content

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and unreliable app
  • 🤯 Confusing and unintuitive interface
  • 💰 Misleading pricing and pay-to-watch content
  • 🤔 Lack of user-friendly features
  • 😡 Terrible customer support

Bugs and requests

iTunes Remote

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Arrows and navigation buttons disappearing
  • Inability to control Apple TV
  • Frequent need to reconnect to iTunes library

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for HomePod and stereo HomePods
  • Integrate with Apple Music for searching and adding to library
  • Improve user interface and add more customization options
  • Restore Apple Watch support

Apple TV

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes frequently
  • Playback issues and random freezes
  • Incorrect episode/content display
  • Syncing problems across devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to save/bookmark content for later
  • Improved content organization and navigation
  • Sync playback progress across devices
  • Chromecast/casting support
  • User profiles and personalized recommendations

In-app purchases

None

iTunes Remote

No in-app purchases

None

Apple TV

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iTunes Remote free?
iTunes Remote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Apple TV free?
Apple TV is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iTunes Remote or Apple TV?
Apple TV is rated higher. iTunes Remote averages 4.6 out of 5 from 40K ratings, while Apple TV averages 4.8 from 1.9M ratings.
Do iTunes Remote or Apple TV have ads?
Apple TV shows ads; iTunes Remote does not.
Which is updated more often, iTunes Remote or Apple TV?
iTunes Remote ships an update every 5 months, and Apple TV every 2 months. Most recently, iTunes Remote was updated on October 20, 2026 and Apple TV on October 20, 2026.

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