TvhClient vs Droidnet Comlink
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TvhClient
Watch, manage, and record live TV from your TVHeadend server. Features include timeshifting, channel browsing, recording management, and server administration. Integrates with Siri and Shortcuts for seamless control.
- Live TV with timeshift
- Browse EPG and channel guides
- Record and manage recordings
- Server administration and status
- Siri and Shortcuts integration
- Picture-in-Picture and background audio
- Cross-device sync
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TvhClient is a full client for your TVHeadend server: watch live TV, rewind it, browse the guide, and manage your recordings from your iPhone or iPad. WATCH • Live TV with a built-in player: pause and rewind live TV with timeshift, see the programme under the playhead, and switch channels without leaving the player • Choose your playback engine, VLCKit 4 or mpv, separately for live TV and recordings. Both deinterlace. • Picture in Picture, background audio, a draggable mini player, and a statistics overlay • Pick audio and subtitle tracks. TvhClient remembers them per channel, and remembers where you stopped in a recording. • Transcoding profiles, and an audio-only mode that picks a suitable profile for you • Connects over HTSP (timeshift, instant updates) or the HTTP API. TvhClient works out which one your network supports. BROWSE • Channel groups, channels with now/next and progress, and each channel's programmes by day • "Now" shows what is on across all channels, with search and filters by group and channel • EPG now standard in iPhone, and you can rotate to landscape RECORD • Record with one tap, or create and edit recordings and AutoRec rules in editors built from your server's own settings • Upcoming, Completed, Failed, Removed and AutoRec lists, with folders • Play recordings with seeking, straight from the list ADMINISTER • Status: subscriptions, tuner inputs, networks, muxes and services • The live server log, and the app's own diagnostics EVERYWHERE • Siri and Shortcuts: "Play BBC One in TvhClient", "What's on now?", "Record this" • Spotlight search for channels, recordings and programmes • Widgets and a Live Activity for recordings • CarPlay audio, for listening to your channels in the car • Optional iCloud storage for your servers, and sync of track choices and resume positions with the Apple TV app • Several servers, with Bonjour discovery. A server can name a public address to fall back on when you're away from home. • A redesigned interface for iOS 26, with a Help section in Settings. It also runs on Apple Silicon Macs as an iPad app. Works with tvheadend 3.2 and up. Transcoding needs tvheadend 4.x profiles. HTSP timeshift needs timeshift enabled on the server. Also available for Apple TV. Your audio and subtitle choices and recording resume positions sync between them. Support: tvhclient@gmail.com or http://chat.tvhclient.com
Droidnet Comlink
This app acts as a voice and touch interface for DIY robots, connecting your phone to a Raspberry Pi-based signal booster. It allows for custom command creation, control of various hardware modules, and offers privacy-focused local processing.
- Voice control for DIY robots
- Connects to Raspberry Pi signal booster
- Control Victron Smart Shunt, HCR Vocalizer, R-Series Logic Controller
- Create unlimited custom commands
- Trigger commands via iPhone, Apple Watch, or voice
- Privacy-focused local speech recognition
- Haptic feedback confirmation
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The companion app for DroidNet Signal Booster. Droidnet Comlink connects your iPhone to your Signal Booster—a custom Raspberry Pi image that bridges your phone to your droid's control systems. Download the free Signal Booster image at: github.com/travisccook/DroidNetSignalBooster-releases GROWING MODULE LIBRARY Control popular community hardware directly from your phone: • Victron Smart Shunt – Live battery voltage, current, state of charge, and time remaining. Also available as an Apple Watch complication. • HCR Vocalizer – Volume control for your sound system • R-Series Logic Controller – Trigger logic display effects • Free-form Serial – Send any custom command More modules coming soon! BUILD YOUR COMMAND LIBRARY • Create unlimited custom commands • Multiple voice triggers per command • Send any serial command string • Organize by category • Import/export to share with other builders CONTROL YOUR WAY • Tap commands on your iPhone • Trigger from your Apple Watch • Voice control with a customizable wake phrase and safe word • Haptic feedback confirms every command • Split view on iPad and iPhone Duo: two tabs side by side PRIVACY • Speech is recognized on your device whenever iOS supports it for your language • Commands go straight to your Signal Booster over your own WiFi - never through our servers • Commands are stored on your device; iCloud sync is off until you turn it on • No accounts, no tracking, no analytics REQUIREMENTS • Raspberry Pi running DroidNet Signal Booster • WiFi network • iPhone or iPad with iOS 17.0 or later • Apple Watch app requires watchOS 11.0 or later
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Droidnet Comlink at 5.0 against TvhClient's 4.3. Droidnet Comlink also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4). TvhClient's advantage is ratings volume (26 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads 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
Both are free to download. TvhClient sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Droidnet Comlink asks for nothing beyond the download.
Droidnet Comlink holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TvhClient has 26 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | TvhClient | Droidnet Comlink |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (26 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 84.9% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 26 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 102 MB | 26 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Luis Fernandes | Travis Cook |
Customer experience
TvhClient
Droidnet Comlink
Bugs and requests
TvhClient
Reported bugs
14 issues- Garbled code in English
- Sound plays in background when switching out of app
- Blank screen appears upon returning to app
- DVB subtitles don’t work on Internal VLC
- Internal VLC player bug: video goes black on system UI interaction
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- Sound keeps playing when switching between apps, picture blank on return
- Picture blank when certain system dialogs appear
- EPG from tvheadend v4.2 shows 'null' for program titles
- Guide scrolls too fast and lags on Apple TV
- Cannot watch recording while recording without reloading
- V/A not in sync with HomePod AirPlay
- Software crashes when watching recording on iPad 2
- Scalability issues with 400+ channels (scrolling, guide loading)
- Status bar in the way on full screen (iPad Pro 9.7)
Requested features
18 requests- Grid guide option
- Option to change icon backgrounds
- iOS Picture in Picture support
- Chromecast support
- Ability to navigate whole EPG
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- Overlay guide like in Kodi
- Time shift functionality
- Different transcoding options
- Better EPG UI (table view)
- Search from EPG screen
- Filtering UI for channels
- Full screen without status bar
- Casting channel to Chromecast
- Option to change icon backgrounds
- Picture in Picture native iOS support
- Chromecast support return
- Full EPG matrix view
- Dark mode option
Droidnet Comlink
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
TvhClient
- Llama Thanks$0.99
- Thanks a Sloth$1.99
- Whale of Thanks$2.99
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- Apple TV Full App$4.99
Droidnet Comlink
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is TvhClient free?
Is Droidnet Comlink free?
Which has better reviews, TvhClient or Droidnet Comlink?
Do TvhClient or Droidnet Comlink have ads?
Which is updated more often, TvhClient or Droidnet Comlink?
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