Stereophile vs Carrier SmartHome
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Stereophile
This app provides authoritative reviews, informed recommendations, and helpful advice on audio components, judged by their music reproduction quality. It offers monthly issues with expert opinions and insights for audiophiles.
- Authoritative reviews of audio components
- Informed recommendations
- Helpful advice for audiophiles
- Expert opinions on music reproduction
- Monthly magazine issues
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Every month Stereophile magazine offers authoritative reviews, informed recommendations, helpful advice, and controversial opinions, all stemming from the revolutionary idea that audio components should be judged on how they reproduce music. ---SUBSCRIPTION AVAILABLE--- 1-year subscription for $9.99 Your subscription will be billed to your iTunes account upon confirmation of purchase. ---SUBSCRIPTION WILL AUTO-RENEW--- The subscription will include the current issue if you do not already own it and subsequently published future issues. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. This Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period, your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. The cost of the renewal will match the initial subscription price. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. You may turn off auto-renewing subscriptions by going to your user’s Account Settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during your active subscription period. You can view our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use here: http://www.avtechmediausa.com/terms.html http://www.avtechmediausa.com/privacy.html
Carrier SmartHome
Control your home's comfort remotely with this app. Adjust temperature, set custom schedules, monitor energy usage, and receive important alerts. It offers a personalized and efficient way to manage your home's climate.
- Remote temperature and humidity control
- Customizable smart schedules
- Energy usage monitoring
- Real-time system alerts
- Personalized comfort settings
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Carrier SmartHome is your go-to app for managing and personalizing your home’s comfort experience! With a sleek, intuitive design and enhanced features, Carrier SmartHome makes it easier than ever to control your compatible Carrier system remotely, set customized schedules, monitor energy use, and get real-time alerts to ensure your home is always just the way you like it. Key Features: • Remote Control: Adjust temperature, humidity, and settings from anywhere. • Smart Schedules: Create custom schedules to match your routine and save on energy costs. • Energy Insights: Track usage trends to optimize efficiency. • Real-Time Alerts: Receive notifications if anything needs attention, from filter changes to unexpected system performance. With Carrier SmartHome, we’re redefining what home comfort means. Download now and enjoy complete control at your fingertips! This app is compatible with iPhone iOS 15.1 or later.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Stereophile at 4.2 against Carrier SmartHome's 3.5. Stereophile also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). Carrier SmartHome's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, review sentiment, 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
Both are free to download. Stereophile sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Carrier SmartHome asks for nothing beyond the download.
Stereophile holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Carrier SmartHome has 2.6K ratings behind it against 138, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of Stereophile's written reviews are positive against 11% of Carrier SmartHome's.
Stereophile ships an update every 2 months, Carrier SmartHome fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Stereophile | Carrier SmartHome |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (138 ratings) — better | 3.5 (2.6K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 17.1% of reviews — better | 10.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 138 | 2.6K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 85 MB | 193 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | MyTimeMedia Ltd | Carrier Corporation |
Customer experience
Stereophile
Carrier SmartHome
User reviews
Stereophile
From 138 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📖 High-quality magazine content and reviews
- 📱 Works well on iPad devices
- ✨ Professional layout resembles print edition
- 🎯 Comprehensive audio equipment coverage
Room to improve
- 🐛 App frequently crashes and becomes unresponsive
- 🔐 Subscription recognition failures despite active payments
- 📥 Issues fail to download or restore properly
- ⚠️ Inconsistent performance across iOS versions
- 🔄 Restore purchases function rarely works
Carrier SmartHome
From 2.6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Significant improvement
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 👍 Sleek, modern feel
- 👍 Refreshed look and improved experience
- 👍 Good screens
Room to improve
- 🐛 App freezes and requires force quit
- 🐛 Doesn't show correct operating status
- 🐛 Doesn't update outside temperature
- 🐛 Fails to register temperature changes
- 🐛 Unreliable connection and sync issues
Bugs and requests
Stereophile
Reported bugs
14 issues- App crashes every few minutes during use
- Subscription not recognized despite active payment
- Issues fail to download or load
- Restore purchases function non-functional
- App won't open on latest iOS versions
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Lost access to entire library after app updates
- Login failures with valid credentials
- Pixelated and fuzzy page rendering
- Extremely slow page navigation and loading
- App forgets subscription status on reopening
- Duplicate charges on subscription renewal
- Incompatibility with iOS 8 and newer updates
- Pages partially load then crash
- Text illegible without zooming on smaller devices
Requested features
10 requests- Access to searchable article archive
- Availability of older back issues with subscription
- Dynamic formatting for landscape and portrait modes
- Working hyperlinks to advertisers and external sites
- Better text resizing and font adjustment options
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Reader mode similar to Safari for improved readability
- Ability to remember reading position between sessions
- Background download capability
- Retina display support and higher resolution
- iPad-optimized interface instead of PDF wrapper
Carrier SmartHome
Reported bugs
6 issues- App freezes and becomes unresponsive
- Operating status not in sync with wall controller
- Notifications don't work or are delayed
- AQI data is inaccurate for user's location
- Temperature changes not reflected in app
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Compatibility issues with iOS 18.3.1 update
Requested features
5 requests- Show system operating status (heating, cooling)
- Display energy consumption details
- Add more temperature schedule options
- Integrate with Apple HomeKit
- Show outside temperature measured by the system
In-app purchases
Stereophile
- 1 Month | Stereophile$2.991 Month
- Stereophile Magazine iPad Edition1 Month trial$9.991 Year
- Annual$0.99
- February 2012$6.99
- April 2012$6.99
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- June 2012$6.99
- October 2012$6.99
- December 2012$6.99
- October 2013$6.99
- 2016 Buyer's Guide$6.99
Carrier SmartHome
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Stereophile free?
Is Carrier SmartHome free?
Which has better reviews, Stereophile or Carrier SmartHome?
Do Stereophile or Carrier SmartHome have ads?
Which is updated more often, Stereophile or Carrier SmartHome?
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