Comparison

Kaleidescape Second Screen vs Onkyo Controller

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

Head to head
About

Kaleidescape Second Screen

Enhance your home entertainment system by browsing and controlling your movie and music library. Discover details about titles, cast, and scenes, and instantly play content on your TV.

Highlights
  • Browse movie and music libraries
  • High-resolution cover art display
  • Instant playback of scenes and songs
  • Create favorite scenes
  • View movie ratings and details
  • Control Kaleidescape players
  • Create and save mix albums
Features
Read full description

Kaleidescape Second Screen is the perfect addition to your Kaleidescape system! NOTE: This app is for Kaleidescape system owners. Learn more about the Kaleidescape System at www.kaleidescape.com. Kaleidescape Second Screen provides an immersive experience for browsing and searching your collection of movies and music, and controlling any player in your Kaleidescape system. The app extends the Kaleidescape experience to the iPad, displaying your movie collection with vivid high-resolution cover art, synopses, and other details. It even puts the most memorable moments in movies right at your fingertips - just select a scene or song marked by Kaleidescape, and it plays instantly on your TV. Features: • Browse your movie library by title, cast, director, genres and ratings without interrupting playback on your TV • Browse through a beautiful display of your movies and albums with the signature Kaleidescape Covers View • Select a movie or album and watch the covers shuffle to reveal related titles, or press the Shuffle button or just shake the iPad to watch the covers shuffle • View covers of a particular collection, genre, actor, director or rating to help you find the perfect movie to watch • View your movie collections along with movie cover art, synopses, cast, and director listings • Select a movie, scene, song or episode and it plays instantly on your TV • Create your own favorite scenes in movies and musicals • View movie ratings from Rotten Tomatoes and Common Sense Media, and learn more about your favorite movie, actor and director with the “Web Search” button • Browse your music library by artist, title, recently imported and genres • Play individual songs, albums, collections and mix albums • Create and save mix albums • Use the search feature to quickly find a movie you want to watch or an album you want to listen to • Control any Kaleidescape movie or music player in your home • Adjust the volume in any Kaleidescape zone (requires supported control system and software module)

About

Onkyo Controller

Control compatible Onkyo network products with this official remote app. Stream music from various sources, manage playback, and operate connected home theater devices. Features automatic sound field correction for compatible products.

Highlights
  • Music playback from streaming services
  • Control music library and NAS drives
  • Remote control functions (play, volume, input)
  • Operate connected Blu-Ray players and TVs
  • Automatic sound field correction (Dirac Live)
  • Check audio/video formats
  • Turn on compatible units remotely
Features
Read full description

Onkyo Controller is the official Onkyo remote control application that allows users to conveniently operate compatible Onkyo network products from their iPhone/iPod touch/iPad. The intuitive, user-friendly interface makes it easy to get more from your AV home entertainment experience. Main functions that can be operated through this application. (1) Play music in each room or every room - Lets you play music from music streaming services such as Pandora, Spotify, DEEZER and TIDAL, your music library on your smart device, or your NAS drive on compatible products. - You can play your music via radio, Bluetooth and USB. (2) Remote control functions - You can operate general control functions (play/stop, control the volume, select the input source, etc.) from your smartphone. (3) Operation of connected product(home theater product such as AV amplifier) - Lets you control a Blu-Ray Disc player or TV that is connected to an AV amplifier or home theater product via HDMI. (4) Dirac Live-enabled products measure automatic sound field correction. In addition, filters can be edited. (5) Audio/Video formats of input and output can also be checked. *By setting the “Network Standby” menu item in the unit’s initial settings to ON, you can use this application to turn on the power of the unit. Compatible models Network AV Receivers/Network Audio Player/Home Theater/Wireless Speaker in April 2016 or later ■ Please note ・To use Application it needs to read and agree Terms of Service. ・All models require a firmware update to use Onkyo Controller. ・Available Service depends on regions. ・Why Device's location is needed? Answer: In order to set-up your wireless devices which are located around you, SSID and Access Point info is needed. There is no other purpose to use the information of Device’s Location.

Screenshots

Onkyo Controller4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Kaleidescape Second Screen at 75% against Onkyo Controller's 26%. Kaleidescape Second Screen also leads on rating (4.2 vs 2.2) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Onkyo Controller's advantage is ratings volume (620 vs 6) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 8 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Kaleidescape Second Screen holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 2.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Onkyo Controller has 620 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Kaleidescape Second Screen's written reviews are positive against 26% of Onkyo Controller's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kaleidescape Second Screen ships an update every 8 months, Onkyo Controller every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Kaleidescape Second Screen versus Onkyo Controller: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKaleidescape Second ScreenOnkyo Controller
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (6 ratings) — better2.2 (620 ratings)
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews — better25.6% of reviews
Number of ratings6620 — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB80 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKaleidescape, Inc.11 Trading Company LLC

Customer experience

Kaleidescape Second Screen

All ratings6 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative12.5%

Onkyo Controller

All ratings620 ratings
Positive26.6%
Neutral6.0%
Negative67.4%
Written reviews508 reviews
Positive25.6%
Neutral12.0%
Negative62.4%

Bugs and requests

Kaleidescape Second Screen

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Onkyo Controller

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App doesn't recognize receiver
  • Fails to connect to Wi-Fi
  • Loses connection during use
  • Doesn't work with iOS 13 and newer
  • Causes receiver to enter Direct mode unexpectedly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for Apple Music
  • Improve Tidal and Deezer integration
  • Allow customization of input names
  • Add sleep timer and power off options
  • Improve volume control and speaker balance adjustments

In-app purchases

None

Kaleidescape Second Screen

No in-app purchases

None

Onkyo Controller

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Kaleidescape Second Screen free?
Kaleidescape Second Screen is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Onkyo Controller free?
Onkyo Controller is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Kaleidescape Second Screen or Onkyo Controller?
Kaleidescape Second Screen is rated higher. Kaleidescape Second Screen averages 4.2 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Onkyo Controller averages 2.2 from 620 ratings.
Do Kaleidescape Second Screen or Onkyo Controller have ads?
Neither Kaleidescape Second Screen nor Onkyo Controller shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Kaleidescape Second Screen or Onkyo Controller?
Kaleidescape Second Screen ships an update every 8 months, and Onkyo Controller every 2 months. Most recently, Kaleidescape Second Screen was updated on September 23, 2026 and Onkyo Controller on October 14, 2026.

Other comparisons