Comparison

BluOS Controller vs Roon

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

Head to head
About

BluOS Controller

Control your wireless hi-res music systems from multiple brands. Stream music from various sources, synchronize playback across rooms, and manage your entire audio experience wirelessly from your smartphone or tablet.

Highlights
  • Universal remote for BluOS-enabled systems
  • Wireless multi-room music streaming
  • Access streaming services, libraries, and radio
  • Synchronized playback across multiple rooms
  • Control from smartphone, tablet, or laptop
  • High-resolution audio with no lag
Features
Read full description

The BluOS Controller app serves as the universal remote for all BluOS-enabled wireless hi-res music systems, including Bluesound, NAD Electronics, PSB Speakers, Bluesound Professional, Cyrus Audio, DALI Speakers, and Monitor Audio. Link multiple BluOS-enabled systems to enjoy synchronized music throughout your home. Access, stream, and enjoy music from various sources, such as streaming services, your music library, or global Internet radio stations and podcasts. The best part? It's all wireless, effortlessly controlled from your smartphone, tablet, or laptop, delivering stunning audio with no lag and zero loss in sound quality. Available for iOS devices, the BluOS Controller app is everything you need to set up, control and listen to your music on a BluOS-enabled wireless music system. • Wirelessly stream your music to any BluOS-enabled stereo system, wired loudspeakers, or wireless speakers. • Effortlessly browse, access, and enjoy music from numerous streaming services, Internet radio stations, or your personal library. • Take control of your music from anywhere within your home using your smartphone or tablet. • Play different music in each room simultaneously, or achieve flawless synchronization across all BluOS-enabled speakers and players. • Easily position BluOS-enabled speakers and players throughout your home, connecting them to your WiFi network with user-friendly setup tutorials and support. Learn more about BluOS at www.bluos.io. Have questions or need support? Go to support.bluesound.com for BluOS FAQs, setup tips, and troubleshooting articles.

About

Roon

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
Read full description

*** The Roon experience requires a Roon Server on your network. *** The Roon App is another controller for your Roon Server. You browse and play your music library on over 1,000 compatible audio devices, and provides a seamless in-home connection. You can install the free Roon App on as many devices as you like. What is Roon? The very best way to experience your music: Roon reshapes the way you browse and explore music. Powered by rich metadata, Roon's interface invites you on a new journey of musical discovery every time you log in. Your music library becomes the starting point on a vast map of performers, composers, influences, and genres. Follow the path emanating from the music you love to discover exciting new sounds and reconnect with long-forgotten favorites. You can delve even deeper through lyrics, artist photos, bios, reviews, and tour dates - then continue the journey with recommendations specifically tailored to your tastes and listening habits. Listen anywhere, on all your gear: Roon lets you play from your collection of music files and TIDAL, Qobuz, and KKBOX libraries on thousands of Roon Ready, Airplay, Chromecast, and USB devices from one app inside your home. Meanwhile, Roon ARC provides access, playback, and precision audio control for your entire Roon music library directly from your phone, wherever you are in the world. Flawless playback. Everywhere, every time: Roon is built to ensure your music sounds perfect every time you hit play, no matter where you are. Roon guarantees the best possible sound quality from every piece of audio gear - our MUSE sound engine delivers bit-perfect playback, exhaustive format support, and precision audio control for a fully customizable and flawless listening experience. From headphones to your home hi-fi, and everything in between.

Screenshots

BluOS Controller4 screens
Roon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: BluOS Controller at 4.4 against Roon's 3.6. BluOS Controller also leads on ratings volume (5.3K vs 556). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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

BluOS Controller holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BluOS Controller has 5.3K ratings behind it against 556, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 39% of BluOS Controller's written reviews are positive against 33% of Roon's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BluOS Controller ships an update monthly, Roon every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
BluOS Controller versus Roon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBluOS ControllerRoon
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (5.3K ratings) — better3.6 (556 ratings)
Positive reviews38.8% of reviews — better32.6% of reviews
Number of ratings5.3K — better556
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size100 MB616 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBluesoundRoon Labs

Customer experience

BluOS Controller

All ratings5,318 ratings
Positive84.1%
Neutral4.5%
Negative11.4%
Written reviews804 reviews
Positive38.8%
Neutral11.9%
Negative49.3%

Roon

All ratings556 ratings
Positive59.2%
Neutral9.0%
Negative31.8%
Written reviews233 reviews
Positive32.6%
Neutral15.5%
Negative51.9%

User reviews

BluOS Controller

From 5.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great hardware and sound quality
  • 💡 Versatile streaming options
  • 🔒 Stable and reliable connection
  • 👍 Intuitive app interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent connectivity issues
  • 🐛 Buggy app updates
  • 🐛 Inconsistent performance
  • 👎 Unintuitive playlist management
  • 👎 Poor customer support

Roon

From 556 App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Bugs and requests

BluOS Controller

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App fails to detect/connect to players
  • Playlists not saving/loading properly
  • Frequent app crashes and freezes
  • Streaming service integration issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved Spotify/Apple Music integration
  • Better local music library support
  • Chromecast/AirPlay integration
  • Customizable app interface

Roon

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

In-app purchases

None

BluOS Controller

No in-app purchases

None

Roon

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BluOS Controller free?
BluOS 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, BluOS Controller or Roon?
BluOS Controller is rated higher. BluOS Controller averages 4.4 out of 5 from 5.3K ratings, while Roon averages 3.6 from 556 ratings.
Do BluOS Controller or Roon have ads?
Neither BluOS Controller nor Roon shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BluOS Controller or Roon?
BluOS Controller ships an update monthly, and Roon every 3 weeks. Most recently, BluOS Controller was updated on September 24, 2026 and Roon on September 24, 2026.

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