Comparison

JRemote vs HDHomeRun

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

Head to head
About

JRemote

Control your JRiver Media Center library remotely from your iOS devices. Manage playback, edit metadata, and stream audio, even outside your home network. Supports DLNA devices and CarPlay.

Highlights
  • Full remote control of JRiver Media Center
  • DLNA device control and zone management
  • Automatic and manual server setup
  • Edit and view file metadata
  • Playback controls with HUD
  • Audio streaming to iOS device
  • CarPlay enabled
Features
Read full description

JRemote is a full featured native iOS remote for JRiver Media Center. JRemote was developed to offer you full remote control of your JRiver Media Center from any of your iDevices. Please note that you need JRiver Media Center version 15 or later. We recommend you always run the latest version. Features and specs: Universal app JRemote is a universal iOS application. The application will run on both iPhone/iPod touch as well as iPad’s. Each version is optimized for it`s screen size. Navigation JRemote uses the navigation setup from JRMC itself. This allows you to customize the navigation menu and sub-menus from within the JRiver application. - Multiple view modes (list, imagelist, thumbnails) - Search using JRMC`s fuzzy search engine - Virtual remote for controlling theater view DLNA and zones Use JRemote to control all your DLNA supported devices. Any device supported in JRMC can be controlled from JRemote by switching to that specific zone. You can link and unlink zone for multi-room playback. Easy setup Connecting to your computer is fully automatic, no need to enter your IP-address and Port number. You only need to enter the access key found in JRMC`s option panel (We do provide an option for you to add IP-address and Port manually if needed). - JRemote will let you connect to your server from outside your wifi, using standard mobile networks. For this to work you need to configure port forwarding on your internet router. - Wake-On-LAN is supported if you provide your machines MAC address. (Automatic when adding a server by access key) - JRemote is CarPlay enabled. Edit and view metadata Any metadata attached to a specific file can be viewed and edited. You can update multiple files in one operation. Rating may be set from multiple locations depending on iPhone/iPad version. Player controls JRemote includes all common playback controls including repeat mode, and shuffle mode. Control volume and progress from sliders while getting feedback from the HUD display Audio streaming JRemote lets you stream all your audio files to the device itself. Just select “This device” as the current zone. - Gapless playback - Stream any file up to 96kHz, 24 bit - Downloaded progress indicator - Supported audio formats include AAC, AIFF, ALAC, APE, DSF/DFF, FLAC, M4A, MP3, OGG, and WAV. - All files may be transcoded to MP3 from 128Kbs up to 320Kbs

About

HDHomeRun

Stream live, over-the-air, and cable TV channels directly to your iOS device. Pause, rewind, and fast-forward live broadcasts. Access program guides with images and logos for an enhanced viewing experience.

Highlights
  • Live TV streaming (OTA & Cable)
  • Pause, FF, RW live TV
  • HD channel support
  • Program guide with images
  • Fast channel changes
  • Intuitive UI controls
Features
Read full description

Enjoy free over-the-air TV throughout your home on Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and Mac with HDHomeRun and a TV antenna. Simply connect your HDHomeRun to your TV antenna and home network to enjoy a modern TV experience throughout your home. Discover shows, explore a beautiful guide, see what's on now and next, and start watching with fast channel changes and an intuitive interface. Add a USB hard drive to your HDHomeRun for DVR across your home. Pause and rewind live TV, record your favorite shows, and watch your recordings on Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and Mac. Watch NEXTGEN TV (ATSC 3.0) where available with the HDHomeRun FLEX 4K. Features: • Watch free over-the-air TV from your TV antenna on Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and Mac • Discover shows with a beautiful guide • Pause and rewind live TV • Fast channel changes • Record your favorite shows with HDHomeRun DVR • Schedule series and movie recordings • Watch your HDHomeRun DVR recordings on Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and Mac • Watch NEXTGEN TV (ATSC 3.0) with the HDHomeRun FLEX 4K where available Requirements: • HDHomeRun connected to your TV antenna and home network • Wi-Fi or wired home network • Internet connection for guide data

Screenshots

JRemote4 screens
HDHomeRun4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: HDHomeRun at Free against JRemote's $12.99. HDHomeRun also leads on ratings volume (465 vs 28) and device support (5 vs 3). JRemote's advantage is rating (3.8 vs 2.5) and review sentiment (63% vs 27%). On update cadence, 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

HDHomeRun is free to download; JRemote costs $12.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

JRemote holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HDHomeRun has 465 ratings behind it against 28, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of JRemote's written reviews are positive against 27% of HDHomeRun's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

JRemote ships an update every 3 months, HDHomeRun every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
JRemote versus HDHomeRun: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJRemoteHDHomeRun
Price$12.99Free — better
Rating3.8 (28 ratings) — better2.5 (465 ratings)
Positive reviews62.6% of reviews — better26.6% of reviews
Number of ratings28465 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB6 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperJRiverSiliconDust USA, Inc.

Customer experience

JRemote

All ratings28 ratings
Positive67.9%
Neutral14.3%
Negative17.9%
Written reviews302 reviews
Positive62.6%
Neutral13.6%
Negative23.8%

HDHomeRun

All ratings465 ratings
Positive30.5%
Neutral14.2%
Negative55.3%
Written reviews222 reviews
Positive26.6%
Neutral15.3%
Negative58.1%

User reviews

JRemote

From 28 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent remote control
  • 🔒 Stable and reliable
  • 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
  • 🚀 Fast and responsive
  • 👍 Great companion to JRiver Media Center

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and connection issues
  • 🐛 Compatibility problems with latest iOS versions
  • 🐛 Bugs with video playback
  • 🐛 Settings revert unexpectedly
  • 🔋 High battery consumption

HDHomeRun

From 465 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fastest TV app
  • 📺 Great picture quality
  • 🔍 Picks up more channels than TV tuner
  • 🔌 Works reliably
  • 🔨 Decent hardware

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes frequently
  • 🔍 Unreliable channel detection
  • 🤖 Clunky and unintuitive UI
  • 🔇 No independent volume control
  • 🔒 Lacks DRM support

Bugs and requests

JRemote

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes when trying to play videos
  • Inability to connect to media server
  • Inconsistent behavior when changing media server IP
  • Playback issues with certain audio formats
  • Album art not updating when song changes

Requested features

8 requests
  • Offline music playback
  • Ability to control DSP settings
  • Customizable views and layouts
  • Gapless playback
  • Playlist creation and management
Show 3 more
  • CarPlay support
  • Synced cover art display
  • Metadata editing capabilities

HDHomeRun

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Fails to detect tuner device
  • Channels not loading
  • Playback issues after updates
  • Crashes on channel change
  • Compatibility problems with iOS 15+
Show 1 more
  • Lip-sync issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Picture-in-Picture mode
  • Channel favorites and filtering
  • Improved DVR functionality
  • Manual IP address entry
  • Native Apple TV app

In-app purchases

None

JRemote

No in-app purchases

None

HDHomeRun

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is JRemote free?
JRemote costs $12.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is HDHomeRun free?
HDHomeRun is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, JRemote or HDHomeRun?
JRemote is rated higher. JRemote averages 3.8 out of 5 from 28 ratings, while HDHomeRun averages 2.5 from 465 ratings.
Do JRemote or HDHomeRun have ads?
Neither JRemote nor HDHomeRun shows ads.
Which is updated more often, JRemote or HDHomeRun?
JRemote ships an update every 3 months, and HDHomeRun every 2 months. Most recently, JRemote was updated on September 27, 2026 and HDHomeRun on September 23, 2026.

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