Comparison

Extron Control vs irBoard Player

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

Head to head
About

Extron Control

This app provides seamless control of AV systems from iOS devices. It emulates familiar interfaces of Extron control products, allowing users to manage rooms and devices with ease. Technicians can use it for troubleshooting and remote management.

Highlights
  • Seamless AV system control
  • Emulates Extron touchpanels and controllers
  • Room management and switching
  • Real-time status and remote control
  • Wireless control via Wi-Fi
  • Demo mode for simulation
Features
Read full description

Extron Control is an easy-to-use AV control system app that gives users complete access to Extron control systems directly from Apple iOS devices. After a quick initial setup, your device connects to the desired room, allowing a seamless, highly-responsive control experience. The app automatically loads the user interfaces present on any Extron control product without a lengthy setup and customization process. The familiar interfaces emulate the TouchLink® touchpanel, eBUS® button panel, Network Button Panel, or MediaLink® controller in your room, and all button presses are kept in sync between the app and your Extron control devices. Other powerful features include the ability to quickly add rooms and switch between rooms, and auto-reconnect which recalls the previous session even after the app is closed. Technicians will appreciate this new app as it supplements the control of any room and provides easy access for troubleshooting. Extron is offering education institutions special pricing on the Control App through the Apple Volume Pricing Program. Features • Provides a convenient point of control for Extron control systems • Supports all TouchLink, TouchLink Pro touchpanels, eBUS button panels, Network Button Panels, and Ethernet-enabled MediaLink, MediaLink Plus controllers • Familiar user interface provides the same experience as the touchpanel, button panel, or controller • Supports Extron LinkLicense • Room Manager allows users to easily add touchpanels, button panels, or controllers, and customize room lists • Quickly switch between rooms with a single tap on the screen • Button tracking allows mobile device and Extron control devices to stay in sync • Provides real-time status and remote control of multiple rooms for troubleshooting and management • Compatible with iOS VoiceOver feature that provides text to speech option for button labels and states • Wireless control using a Wi-Fi network allows users to move freely around a room and between rooms • Demo mode is a convenient way to simulate app functionality without being connected to a control processor • Full Screen Mode displays a larger image of the interface on the iOS device • Auto-reconnect recalls the previous session even after the app is closed • Auto-lock override keeps the iOS device screen on and allows the app to stay active at all times • A finger swipe permits access to MediaLink control modules like the IRCM-DV+, CM-9BLB, and CM-3BLB • Supports portrait mode

About

irBoard Player

Features
Read full description

Using irBoard Player, you can conveniently monitor the status and operation of FA equipment and IoT devices through an iPad or any other iOS device. The control device known as a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) has communication protocols. irBoard Player communicates with PLCs via its protocol. Additionally, it has the capability to communicate effectively with IoT devices, specifically the ESP32 device at present. For creating project data, you need to use the paid version of irBoard or purchase an In-app-purcahse item of irBoard Lite. FEATURE: - You can conveniently monitor the status and operation of FA equipment and IoT devices. - Although the FA equipment has fixed touch panels installed, the irBoard Player on iOS devices offers superior portability. - It is possible to remotely check the status of a device in PLCs. - To ensure safety, manipulating connected PLC devices is only allowed on a single iOS device. - By switching projects, you can easily connect to multiple FA machines using just one iOS device. - irBoard Player supports the following PLCs via Ethernet connection: MITSUBISHI Electric, KEYENCE, OMRON, and YOKOGAWA Electric, and support Modbus/TCP. - It can also connect to an open-source PLC LadderDrive running on Raspberry Pi. (https://github.com/ito-soft-design/ladder_drive) - The irBoard Library for ESP32 library supports ESP32 devices.(https://github.com/ito-soft-design/irboard_esp32) - The irBoard.NET library supports Windows .NET applications.(https://github.com/ito-soft-design/irboard-dotnet) - Using the LadderDrive protocol, allows for communication with IoT devices such as ESP32 without any difficulty. ===================================== --- Notes --- With irBoard Player, you have the ability to turn devices on and off. If you require the interlocking of PLC-controlled devices, it is necessary to configure this on the PLC. To ensure safety, we suggest setting the status of such devices to read-only. You can monitor the health status to determine if the connection is stable. If the connection is lost, it’s important to take precautionary measures when operating your PLC. =====================================

Screenshots

Extron Control4 screens
irBoard Player2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Extron Control at Free against irBoard Player's $229.99. Extron Control also leads on iOS requirement (10.0 vs 16.0). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Extron Control is free to download; irBoard Player costs $229.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Extron Control ships an update every 4 months, irBoard Player every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and August 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Extron Control versus irBoard Player: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterExtron ControlirBoard Player
PriceFree — better$229.99
Rating4.5 (11 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings11 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS10.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB40 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperExtron ElectronicsITO SOFT DESIGN Inc.

In-app purchases

None

Extron Control

No in-app purchases

None

irBoard Player

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Extron Control free?
Extron Control is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is irBoard Player free?
irBoard Player costs $229.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Extron Control or irBoard Player have ads?
Neither Extron Control nor irBoard Player shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Extron Control or irBoard Player?
Extron Control ships an update every 4 months, and irBoard Player every 3 months. Most recently, Extron Control was updated on September 17, 2026 and irBoard Player on August 1, 2026.

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