VLC Remote Pro! vs Smart Kodi Remote
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
VLC Remote Pro!
Control your VLC Media Player on your Mac or PC from your mobile device. Easily manage playback, volume, subtitles, and more, all from your couch. Offers a polished and professional user experience for enhanced media enjoyment.
- Remote control for VLC Media Player
- Full playback and DVD controls
- Volume, track, and subtitle management
- Graphical equalizer and cover art display
- Playlist viewing and playback
- Today widget for quick access
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VLC Remote® lets you remotely control your VLC Media Player on your Mac or PC. Awarded Gizmodo's “Essential iPhone App” three years running. Awarded T3's “Best iPhone Apps”. “The new VLC Remote app is simply stunning! It works a treat and it feels professional and powerful. Love it.” - Adam, London “The update for the iPhone version is *amazing* - it looks so polished - not that I had any complaints before.” - Rich • Features • — Easily control VLC from your sofa! — Today widget for even faster access to controls — Works with VLC on your Mac, PC or Linux machine — Automatically scans your local network for VLC players — Universal app fully supported for iPhone and iPad — Stop, Play and Pause — Full DVD controls — Control volume, position, next track and previous track — Turn fullscreen on and off — Use the graphical equaliser — See your cover art — Control subtitles, aspect ratio, audio track and delays — Use the picker control for fine control of volume and position — View the playlist and play files from it — Free setup helper quickly configures VLC for use with the remote VLC is a great, free and popular media player that can handle almost any file format. VLC Remote® lets you sit back enjoy your movies and music while you control things from your easy chair. It is a joy to use - no more reaching for the mouse when you want to pause your show, select the next episode, or play some different music. • Reviews • “Needless to say, we loved this app for everything it’s got.” -AppsTouch.com “Basically, if you use VLC and have an iPhone you will soon find that this is an essential app to enhance your home movie experience.” - T3.com “5/5 Simply put if you have an iPhone or iPod touch and use VLC on your computer then you need this app.” -AppCrunch “As far as I'm concerned, this is a necessary download! ... Works great, setup was super easy and I use this every day. MUST HAVE!!!” -US Reviewer • System Requirements • - Supports VLC on Windows, Mac and Linux - Free setup helper quickly configures VLC for use with the remote - Supports VLC 2.0 and above - Supports Windows, Vista, Windows 7 and Window 8 - Supports Mac OS 10.7 and above. • Response to feedback • -If you do have any problems connecting to VLC, then please just check the help instructions in the app. Feel free to drop me an email (my personal mail is in the app) if you need help. Enjoy! • Languages • VLC Remote is currently translated to 22 languages. If you are willing to translate it to your language, or would like to improve the translations, please head over to http://translate.HobbyistSoftware.com
Smart Kodi Remote
Control your Kodi media center with intuitive touch gestures and smart buttons. Browse and play movies and TV shows easily, and navigate through videos with a large time slider. Automatic device discovery simplifies setup.
- Touch gesture navigation
- Smart buttons
- Movie and TV show browser
- Easy video seeking
- Automatic Kodi device discovery
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Best remote for Kodi where you can navigate by TOUCH GESTURES. There are ONLY three big smart buttons which are very easy to press without looking on the screen device. Smart buttons behave differently on different Kodi screens. Movie and TV Show browser gives you possibility to search and play media very easy. Big time slider makes it very easy to seek through the video. No manual configuration needed, (no IP, no port number). App can discover your all Kodi devices automatically (via Bonjour/Zeroconf) in WiFi network.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: VLC Remote Pro! at 85% against Smart Kodi Remote's 40%. VLC Remote Pro! also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.1) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). Smart Kodi Remote's advantage is price (Free vs $19.99). On device support and iOS requirement 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
Smart Kodi Remote is free to download; VLC Remote Pro! costs $19.99 up front. Smart Kodi Remote sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. VLC Remote Pro! asks for nothing beyond the download.
VLC Remote Pro! holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 778 and 228 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of VLC Remote Pro!'s written reviews are positive against 40% of Smart Kodi Remote's.
VLC Remote Pro! ships an update every 2 months, Smart Kodi Remote every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and August 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | VLC Remote Pro! | Smart Kodi Remote |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (778 ratings) — better | 4.1 (228 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 85.2% of reviews — better | 39.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 778 — better | 228 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.1 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 39 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hobbyist Software Limited | Bernard Bijoch |
Customer experience
VLC Remote Pro!
Smart Kodi Remote
User reviews
VLC Remote Pro!
From 778 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Convenient remote control
- 🚀 Seamless integration with VLC
- 💡 Ability to browse and play media files
- 👍 Customizable interface
- 👍 Reliable performance
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional connection issues
- 🐛 Crashes on some devices
- 🐛 Difficulty navigating file structure
- 🐛 Inconsistent behavior with different VLC versions
Smart Kodi Remote
From 228 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great app
- 🚀 Works flawlessly
- 🚀 Simple and effective interface
- 👍 Useful remote control functionality
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional connection issues
- 🔧 Lack of keyboard support
- 🔧 Missing power/off button
- 🐛 Gestures and slider not working
Bugs and requests
VLC Remote Pro!
Reported bugs
3 issues- Fails to detect VLC on some computers
- Loses saved remotes after updates
- Slow response times when browsing large media libraries
Requested features
4 requests- Add support for more media player features
- Improve file browsing and playlist management
- Implement wireless audio streaming
- Add Apple Watch support
Smart Kodi Remote
Reported bugs
3 issues- App not responding after device lock/unlock
- Slider and gestures not working in video playback
- App not detecting Kodi system
Requested features
3 requests- Add forward and rewind buttons
- Implement keyboard support
- Add power/off button
In-app purchases
VLC Remote Pro!
No in-app purchases
Smart Kodi Remote
- No Ads$2.99
Questions
Is VLC Remote Pro! free?
Is Smart Kodi Remote free?
Which has better reviews, VLC Remote Pro! or Smart Kodi Remote?
Do VLC Remote Pro! or Smart Kodi Remote have ads?
Which is updated more often, VLC Remote Pro! or Smart Kodi Remote?
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