Plex & Kodi (XBMC) remote vs Helmarr
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Plex & Kodi (XBMC) remote
Control your media playback on Kodi and Plex with this intuitive remote app. Manage playback, volume, and navigation directly from your device, including Apple Watch support.
- Automatic installation discovery
- Play/pause control
- Volume control
- Apple Watch control
- Full navigation options
- Works with Kodi and Plex
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Features: • Automatic installation discovering • Easy play pause control access • Volume control • Apple Watch control • Every navigations options controls • Work with Kodi and Plex • and more
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.
- Unified experience for multiple services
- Smart multi-network connectivity
- Deep customization options
- Home screen widgets
- Unraid control
- Push notifications
- SSH & SFTP access
- Download management
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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
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Helmarr at 76% against Plex & Kodi (XBMC) remote's 32%. Helmarr also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.4) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). Plex & Kodi (XBMC) remote's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 19) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ratings volume and ads 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
Both are free to download. Helmarr sells 19 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Plex & Kodi (XBMC) remote asks for nothing beyond the download.
Helmarr holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 133 and 172 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 32% of Plex & Kodi (XBMC) remote's written reviews are positive against 76% of Helmarr's.
Plex & Kodi (XBMC) remote ships an update every 2 months, Helmarr weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Plex & Kodi (XBMC) remote | Helmarr |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (133 ratings) | 4.9 (172 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 32.1% of reviews | 75.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 133 | 172 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 29 MB | 170 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Antoine Barrault | Florian Ernst |
Customer experience
Plex & Kodi (XBMC) remote
Helmarr
Bugs and requests
Plex & Kodi (XBMC) remote
Reported bugs
47 issues- App did not find Kodi or Plex sessions
- App Support link goes to a broken web page
- No way to manually enter settings
- App doesn't work on app installations or web versions of Plex
- App is useless without manual settings
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- App does not find Plex installation
- App Support does not work
- App doesn't find any Plex installations on network
- App doesn't work
- App does not find Kodi
- App gives no option to configure manually
- App can't connect with Plex
- App only controls volume and stops playback
- App crashes as soon as I try to tap IP address or any other info
- Controls won't work unless I purchase apps
- Not possible to test before buy
- App did not work, lacked options & settings
- App doesn't work at all
- App doesn't see Kodi and gives no option to configure manually
- App is useless since I can't get it to connect with my plex
- App doesn't work with plex
- App crashes on tap
- App doesn't work with Plex install
- App doesn't work with plex even with instructions
- App not worth downloading
- Couldn't connect with XBMC
- Can't connect
- App didn't work for plex
- App doesn't work with Plex
- App has different port for remote control
- App doesn't work well enough to get to the point where you would push play
- App has an error when trying to enter IP
- App support won't open
- App has to pay for certain buttons to work
- App does not work with Boxee
- App has no instruction or help menu
- App has no support or instructions on setting up remote for plex
- App has an ad at the bottom
- App has ads
- App has ads that cover up buttons
- App has iAd blocking buttons
- App doesn't type for web surfing
- App only works for 2 secs before crashing
- App requires purchase of play button
- Ads won't go away even after paying
- Ads cover up info and play/pause buttons making them unusable
- Ads cover the bottom buttons
Requested features
6 requests- Needs more buttons
- Keyboard mode for text entry
- Option to configure manually
- Make it free or cost money
- Type for web surfing
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- More comprehensive controls
Helmarr
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Plex & Kodi (XBMC) remote
No in-app purchases
Helmarr
- Helmarr Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
- Ultra Monthly$4.991 Month
- Helmarr Pro Yearly Subscription$17.991 Year
- Bazarr$3.99
- Deluge$4.99
- Plex$4.99
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- 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
Questions
Is Plex & Kodi (XBMC) remote free?
Is Helmarr free?
Which has better reviews, Plex & Kodi (XBMC) remote or Helmarr?
Do Plex & Kodi (XBMC) remote or Helmarr have ads?
Which is updated more often, Plex & Kodi (XBMC) remote or Helmarr?
Other comparisons
