# AV CONTROLLER vs Roon

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | AV CONTROLLER | Roon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.5 (760 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/av-controller-us/id467496375/reviews) | **[3.6 (556 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roon/id1014764083/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **760** | 556 |
| Positive reviews | **38.9% of reviews** | 32.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 92 MB | 616 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Yamaha Corporation of America](https://appshunter.io/developer/408058585) | [Roon Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/1014764082) |

## What reviewers say

### AV CONTROLLER

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/av-controller-us/id467496375)

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.

**Highlights:** Wi-Fi remote control, Input selection, Volume and power control, Music streaming from device, DSP and SCENE selection, Blu-ray player control

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roon/id1014764083)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great when it works
- 🎨 Fantastic app
- 🎧 Best way to experience music
- 🤖 Powerful music management
- 🔍 Excellent music discovery

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🔌 Unstable connection
- 🕰️ Slow performance
- 🤯 Confusing interface
- 🚫 Lack of accessibility

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on search
- Audio devices disappearing
- Volume issues after updates
- Inability to find Roon core

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Offline music playback
- Better Tidal/Spotify integration
- Improved metadata editing
- Apple Watch support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is AV CONTROLLER free?

AV CONTROLLER is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Roon free?

Roon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, AV CONTROLLER or Roon?

Roon is rated higher. AV CONTROLLER averages 2.5 out of 5 from 760 ratings, while Roon averages 3.6 from 556 ratings.

### Do AV CONTROLLER or Roon have ads?

Neither AV CONTROLLER nor Roon shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, AV CONTROLLER or Roon?

AV CONTROLLER ships an update every 3 months, and Roon every 3 weeks. Most recently, AV CONTROLLER was updated on October 12, 2026 and Roon on October 11, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*
