Comparison

n vs Roon ARC

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

Head to head
About

n

Control your Naim music server and player from your device. Browse your entire music collection, build playlists, edit metadata, and explore your library with ease. Enjoy a liberated listening experience with comprehensive control.

Highlights
  • Build and edit playlists
  • Explore library by metadata
  • Edit metadata
  • Browse internet radio
  • Fast browsing with cached data
Features
Read full description

Put your entire music collection at your fingertips with the n-Serve remote control app. For use with Naim’s hard disk player/servers, HDX and UnitiServe, and NaimNet music servers NS01, NS02 and NS03, n-Serve liberates your listening experience, allowing you to browse and listen in comfort. GET THE MOST FROM YOUR MUSIC The n-Serve app has been designed from the ground up by Naim’s team of software engineers to be convenient and easy to use whilst offering comprehensive control of Naim server products. Explore and fully appreciate your music with the following controls: •Build and edit playlists •Explore library by following extended metadata links (e.g. tapping on a performer for a given album shows all the music that performer was involved with) •Edit metadata •Browse internet radio stations and save presets •Super fast browsing experience thanks to locally cached music library data Additional Requirements: A Naim HDX, UnitiServe, NS01, NS02 or NS03 running Version 1.5 software or above connected to your home network.

About

Roon ARC

Access your entire Roon music library and streaming services on the go. Enjoy personalized recommendations, offline listening, and advanced audio controls with a familiar interface.

Highlights
  • Access Roon library anywhere
  • Stream TIDAL, Qobuz, KKBOX
  • Offline music downloads
  • Personalized recommendations
  • Advanced audio controls (MUSE)
  • Car integration
Features
Read full description

*** Roon ARC requires a valid Roon subscription *** ARC puts the best possible on-the-go music experience in your pocket and lets you enjoy your Roon library and all of Roon's immersive features wherever you are in the world. ARC is a custom-built streaming service powered by your Roon system at home. Explore your complete collection of artists, albums, playlists, and personal music files, plus TIDAL, Qobuz, and KKBOX streams. Discover added content from Roon's music experts and smart features, such as staff-curated playlists, Daily Mixes, New Releases for You, personalized recommendations, and Roon Radio. You can add albums to your collection, build playlists, set favorites, create tags, and more, just as you can in Roon. Offline listening lets you download your personal music files to keep the music playing wherever your adventures take you – even if you're off the grid entirely. ARC offers remote access to Roon's captivating library of in-depth artist bios and album articles, revealing the stories that take us deep into the heart of our favorite music. And there's more… Ready to hit the road? Your Roon library is too! Roon's browsing and discovery features fully integrate into your car's controls for safe and convenient playback. With ARC within easy reach of the wheel, every road you take is a journey in sound. ARC makes the driver's seat feel like your listening chair at home. ARC is designed to look and feel just like Roon. You get the same intuitive, aesthetically rich Roon interface you know and love, fully optimized for your phone. No more switching between streaming apps; ARC compiles all your music in one place for easy access and maximum enjoyment. And now, Roon's audio shaping suite and pristine sound quality have arrived in ARC - with bold styling never before seen in a mobile app! MUSE delivers the precision audio control of Roon when you're on the go or running a streamlined mobile setup with ARC. It places radically unique EQ handling, optimized balance control, precision volume leveling, FLAC, DSD & MQA support, crossfeed, headroom management, and sample rate conversion in the palm of your hand. You can customize sonic qualities to your specific tastes with MUSE, then save or apply them with a few clicks. To top it all off, MUSE even remembers your presets and reapplies them when you reconnect to a known device. The MUSE Signal Path display provides complete audio signal transparency as the music flows through your device - from source media all the way to your speakers. ARC offers artful design, sound quality, and a music listening experience unmatched by any other music app. Best of all, it's included free with your Roon subscription.

Screenshots

n4 screens
Roon ARC4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Roon ARC at 199 against n's 5. Roon ARC also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). n's advantage is review sentiment (48% vs 36%) and iOS requirement (7.1 vs 15.0). 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.4 for n against 3.3 for Roon ARC. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Roon ARC has 199 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 48% of n's written reviews are positive against 36% of Roon ARC's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

n ships an update every 3 months, Roon ARC monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
n versus Roon ARC: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameternRoon ARC
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (5 ratings) — better3.3 (199 ratings)
Positive reviews47.6% of reviews — better35.7% of reviews
Number of ratings5199 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS7.1 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB124 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperNaim Audio LtdRoon Labs

Customer experience

n

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive47.6%
Neutral21.4%
Negative31.0%

Roon ARC

All ratings199 ratings
Positive54.8%
Neutral8.5%
Negative36.7%
Written reviews224 reviews
Positive35.7%
Neutral11.2%
Negative53.1%

Bugs and requests

n

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Roon ARC

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

In-app purchases

None

n

No in-app purchases

None

Roon ARC

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is n free?
n is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Roon ARC free?
Roon ARC is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, n or Roon ARC?
n is rated higher. n averages 3.4 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Roon ARC averages 3.3 from 199 ratings.
Do n or Roon ARC have ads?
Neither n nor Roon ARC shows ads.
Which is updated more often, n or Roon ARC?
n ships an update every 3 months, and Roon ARC monthly. Most recently, n was updated on October 20, 2026 and Roon ARC on October 27, 2026.

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