Comparison

hi 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

hi

Explore the world of high-end audio with Europe's leading English-language magazine. Discover the finest audio components, from classic amplifiers to state-of-the-art music servers, and find the latest music to enrich your listening experience.

Highlights
  • High-end audio reviews
  • Latest digital audio technology
  • Turntable and amplifier features
  • Music server insights
  • Music discovery
  • Expert audiophile writers
Features
Read full description

Hi-Fi+ is Europe’s premier English-language high-end audio magazine. Whether it’s the latest in digital audio technology or the best turntable you’ve ever heard, Hi-Fi+ magazine is the ultimate audiophile authority. Our goal is clear; to seek out the finest audio components money can buy. Music is the soundtrack to all our lives and we think that the better that soundtrack, sounds the more enriched our lives can be. A good audio system can open up new avenues of music that might surprise you. We don’t differentiate; it could be a classic valve amplifier or a state-of-the-art music server – if it sounds good, we want to know and we want to tell you about it. The difference between good sound and great sound lies in the details… and we are obsessive about detail. We aren’t constrained by measurement or bogged down in stuffy old paradigms. We are relevant and a little bit irreverent. Hi-Fi+ features some of the best writers in the business, all passionate about making music sound as good as it possibly can. We seek out the finest audio components – and the latest and greatest music – and aren’t afraid of finding the best, whatever the cost. ---------------------------------------------- This is a free app download. Within the app users can purchase the current issue and back issues. Subscriptions are also available within the application. A subscription will start from the latest regular issue at the time of purchase. -The subscription will renew automatically unless cancelled more than 24 hours before the end of the current period. You will be charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of the current period, for the same duration and at the current subscription rate for the product. -You may turn off the auto-renewal of subscriptions through your Account Settings, however you are not able to cancel the current subscription during its active period. -Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when a subscription to that publication is purchased. -If a subscription offers a free trial, at the end of the trial period, you will be charged the full price of the subscription. You may cancel a subscription during its free trial period via the subscription settings on your iTunes account. This must be done 24 hours before the end of the subscription period to avoid being charged. Users can register for/ login to a pocketmags account in-app. This will protect their issues in the case of a lost device and allow browsing of purchases on multiple platforms. Existing pocketmags users can retrieve their purchases by logging into their account. We recommend loading the app for the first time in a wi-fi area so that all issue data is retrieved. If your app will not load past the splash page after a first install or an update, please delete and reinstall the app from the App Store Help and frequently asked questions can be accessed in-app and on pocketmags. If you have any problems at all please do not hesitate to contact us: help@pocketmags.com -------------------- You can find our privacy policy here: http://www.pocketmags.com/privacy.aspx You can find our terms and conditions here: http://www.pocketmags.com/terms.aspx

About

Roon ARC

Access your entire Roon music library, including personal files and streaming services, from anywhere. Enjoy high-quality audio playback, offline listening, and in-depth music discovery features optimized for mobile and car use.

Highlights
  • Access Roon library anywhere
  • Offline music downloads
  • High-quality audio playback
  • Advanced EQ and audio shaping
  • In-depth music discovery
  • 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

hi4 screens
Roon ARC4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: hi at 4.8 against Roon ARC's 3.3. hi also leads on review sentiment (51% vs 36%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Roon ARC's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 14) and update cadence (monthly vs every 6 months). On price, ads 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. hi sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per 6 months. Roon ARC asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

hi holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 56 and 201 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 51% of hi's written reviews are positive against 36% of Roon ARC's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

hi ships an update every 6 months, Roon ARC monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
hi versus Roon ARC: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterhiRoon ARC
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (56 ratings) — better3.3 (201 ratings)
Positive reviews51.1% of reviews — better35.7% of reviews
Number of ratings56201 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB124 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAbsolute Multimedia UK LtdRoon Labs

Customer experience

hi

All ratings56 ratings
Positive98.2%
Neutral1.8%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews47 reviews
Positive51.1%
Neutral8.5%
Negative40.4%

Roon ARC

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

Bugs and requests

hi

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

14 purchases

hi

Subscriptions2
  • Hi-Fi Plus$14.996 Months
  • Hi-Fi Plus1 Month trial$24.991 Year
One-time12
  • Hi-Fi+ Issue 78 (id:353221)$2.99
  • Hi-Fi+ Issue 81 (id:353215)$2.99
  • Hi-Fi+ Issue 131 (id:410644)$2.99
Show 9 more
  • issue134$2.99
  • Hi-Fi+ & TAS Ul... (id:446013)$3.99
  • hi-fi+ Issue 245 (pp:1114081)$3.99
  • hi-fi+ Issue 235 (pp:1009611)$3.99
  • hi-fi+ Issue 234 (pp:1009617)$3.99
  • hi-fi+ Issue 233 (pp:1009623)$3.99
  • HiFiPlus 6 back issue bundle$14.99
  • 8 issue subscription$17.99
  • 16 issue subscription$29.99
None

Roon ARC

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is hi free?
hi is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Roon ARC free?
Roon ARC is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, hi or Roon ARC?
hi is rated higher. hi averages 4.8 out of 5 from 56 ratings, while Roon ARC averages 3.3 from 201 ratings.
Do hi or Roon ARC have ads?
Neither hi nor Roon ARC shows ads.
Which is updated more often, hi or Roon ARC?
hi ships an update every 6 months, and Roon ARC monthly. Most recently, hi was updated on October 23, 2026 and Roon ARC on November 3, 2026.

Other comparisons