AV CONTROLLER vs Roon
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AV CONTROLLER
Transform your iPhone or iPad into a Wi-Fi remote for compatible Yamaha network products. Control inputs, volume, power, and stream music directly from your device to your AV system. Enjoy seamless control over your home entertainment setup.
- Wi-Fi remote control
- Input selection
- Volume and power control
- Music streaming from device
- DSP and SCENE selection
- Blu-ray player control
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This AV Controller app will turn your iPhone/iPod touch/iPad into a Wi-Fi enabled remote control for your Yamaha network products(*). This App provides you the flexibility to control the available inputs, volume, mute and power commands. It lets users change a song from Internet Radio, USB and command FM/AM tuners or any other internally available source. Music Play feature allows you to stream music tracks directly from your iPhone/iPod touch/iPad to Yamaha network products to so you can enjoy high quality music through your AV system. Screen sizes of Tablet devices are also supported. It’s great to have all this control at your fingertips - and best of all it’s FREE! (*)Please check compatible model list below. Available in English, Français, Deutsch, Español, Italiano, Português, Svenska, Dansk, Suomi, Norsk Bokmål, Nederlands, Polski, Pусский,日本語, 简体中文, 繁體中文, 한국어, Thai, עברית, Український, Tiếng Việt, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Melayu, Türkçe Requirements - iOS10.0 or higher - A wireless Local Area Network (LAN) and a compatible Yamaha Network product(s)* residing within the same LAN. - Network Standby set to ONKey Features Key Features - Power on/off - Volume up/down - Mute - Music Play - Input Selection - DSP Mode Selection - SCENE selection - Blu-ray player fundamental control - Seemless control between the Yamaha AV receiver and Blu-ray player - Demo mode - Explains how to use this app Please refer to the following site for compatible models. https://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio_visual/apps/av_controller/index.html This application performs following functions for purposes described below. - Making a connection under Wi-Fi enabled environment The application uses Wi-Fi function on your mobile terminal for the purpose of operating network-enabled devices. - Accessing to music information stored in your smartphone / tablet This application accesses to music information stored in your smartphone / tablet for the purpose of displaying, playing and editing the music information and/or playlist.
Roon
This app serves as a controller for a Roon Server, enabling users to browse and play their music library. It offers a rich metadata-driven interface for musical discovery, connecting to over 1,000 compatible audio devices for seamless playback.
- Music library browsing and playback
- Rich metadata for musical discovery
- Connects to 1,000+ audio devices
- Seamless in-home audio connection
- Access music library remotely via Roon ARC
- Bit-perfect playback and format support
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*** The Roon experience requires a Roon Server on your network. *** The Roon App is another controller for your Roon Server. You browse and play your music library on over 1,000 compatible audio devices, and provides a seamless in-home connection. You can install the free Roon App on as many devices as you like. What is Roon? The very best way to experience your music: Roon reshapes the way you browse and explore music. Powered by rich metadata, Roon's interface invites you on a new journey of musical discovery every time you log in. Your music library becomes the starting point on a vast map of performers, composers, influences, and genres. Follow the path emanating from the music you love to discover exciting new sounds and reconnect with long-forgotten favorites. You can delve even deeper through lyrics, artist photos, bios, reviews, and tour dates - then continue the journey with recommendations specifically tailored to your tastes and listening habits. Listen anywhere, on all your gear: Roon lets you play from your collection of music files and TIDAL, Qobuz, and KKBOX libraries on thousands of Roon Ready, Airplay, Chromecast, and USB devices from one app inside your home. Meanwhile, Roon ARC provides access, playback, and precision audio control for your entire Roon music library directly from your phone, wherever you are in the world. Flawless playback. Everywhere, every time: Roon is built to ensure your music sounds perfect every time you hit play, no matter where you are. Roon guarantees the best possible sound quality from every piece of audio gear - our MUSE sound engine delivers bit-perfect playback, exhaustive format support, and precision audio control for a fully customizable and flawless listening experience. From headphones to your home hi-fi, and everything in between.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Roon at 3.6 against AV CONTROLLER's 2.5. Roon also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). AV CONTROLLER's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Roon holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 2.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 760 and 556 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 39% of AV CONTROLLER's written reviews are positive against 33% of Roon's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
AV CONTROLLER ships an update every 3 months, Roon every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AV CONTROLLER | Roon |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.5 (760 ratings) | 3.6 (556 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 38.9% of reviews — better | 32.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 760 — better | 556 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 92 MB | 616 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Yamaha Corporation of America | Roon Labs |
Customer experience
AV CONTROLLER
Roon
User reviews
AV CONTROLLER
From 760 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Phenomenal internet radio and USB audio playback
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🚀 Flawless receiver control
- 👍 Excellent range of setup and ease of use
- 👍 Convenient remote control
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent connection issues and app crashes
- 🐛 Lack of support for newer receivers
- 🐛 Unreliable performance, often fails to connect
- 🐛 Buggy updates break functionality
- 👎 Cluttered and unintuitive user interface
Roon
From 556 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great when it works
- 🎨 Fantastic app
- 🎧 Best way to experience music
- 🤖 Powerful music management
- 🔍 Excellent music discovery
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🔌 Unstable connection
- 🕰️ Slow performance
- 🤯 Confusing interface
- 🚫 Lack of accessibility
Bugs and requests
AV CONTROLLER
Reported bugs
4 issues- App stuck in demo mode, unable to connect to receiver
- Crashes when trying to access certain features
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Receiver not recognized after firmware updates
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to search and play music by song title
- Independent volume control for multiple zones
- Apple Watch and Apple TV apps
- HomeKit and Siri support
- Customizable user interface and favorites
Roon
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes on search
- Audio devices disappearing
- Volume issues after updates
- Inability to find Roon core
Requested features
5 requests- Dark mode option
- Offline music playback
- Better Tidal/Spotify integration
- Improved metadata editing
- Apple Watch support
In-app purchases
AV CONTROLLER
No in-app purchases
Roon
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is AV CONTROLLER free?
Is Roon free?
Which has better reviews, AV CONTROLLER or Roon?
Do AV CONTROLLER or Roon have ads?
Which is updated more often, AV CONTROLLER or Roon?
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