Comparison

WLED vs Ruddarr

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

Head to head
About

WLED

Control and manage all your WLED light devices from your iPhone or iPad. This companion app works with the open-source WLED software for microcontrollers, offering automatic device detection, customizable names, and software update assistance.

Highlights
  • Automatic device detection
  • Centralized light list
  • Software update assistant
  • Customizable device names
  • Hide or delete devices
  • Light and dark mode
Features
Read full description

With the WLED app, you can easily and efficiently manage and control all your WLED light devices from your iPhone or iPad. This is a companion app for the free and open source WLED software for ESP8266/32 microcontrollers. WLED automatically detects and updates the device list, and offers customizable names, a hide or delete feature, and a light and dark mode. It can also help you install new software updates to your devices. Plus, it supports both phones and tablets. Main Features: - Automatic device detection (mDNS) - All lights are accessible from one list - Software Update Assistant - Custom names - Hide or delete devices - Light and dark mode

About

Ruddarr

Control your movie, documentary, and TV series collections remotely. Browse upcoming releases, manage your media library, and receive notifications. Customize the app's appearance and sync settings across devices.

Highlights
  • Manage movies and TV series
  • Browse upcoming releases calendar
  • Receive fine-grained notifications
  • View activity queue and history
  • Switch between multiple instances
  • Customize app appearance
  • Synchronize settings via iCloud
Features
Read full description

Ruddarr is a beautifully designed, open source, privacy-first companion app for Radarr and Sonarr instances. Manage your movies, documentaries and TV series from anywhere, anytime. Features: • Manage movies and TV series • Browse upcoming releases in the calendar • Receive fine-grained notifications • View activity queue tasks and history events • Switch between multiple instances • Customize the app color scheme and appearance • Synchronize settings/instances between devices (iCloud) • Automate actions using Siri Shortcuts • Connect to reverse proxies using custom HTTP headers • Use Spotlight search to quickly jump to media • Fully localized, ready to be translated Notifications require a subscription to Ruddarr+, because sending push notifications to devices requires reliable server infrastructure, which incurs monthly operating expenses for this free, open-source project. Alternatively, *arrs come with many notification integrations that can be self-hosted. Requirements: • Ruddarr does not provide any media and requires a Radarr or Sonarr instance to interact with. - - - Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

WLED4 screens
Ruddarr4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Ruddarr at 4.9 against WLED's 3.5. Ruddarr also leads on review sentiment (90% vs 51%) and ratings volume (750 vs 12). WLED's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Ruddarr sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $5.99 per year. WLED asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Ruddarr holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ruddarr has 750 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 51% of WLED's written reviews are positive against 90% of Ruddarr's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

WLED ships an update every 2 months, Ruddarr monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
WLED versus Ruddarr: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWLEDRuddarr
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (12 ratings)4.9 (750 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.5% of reviews90.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings12750 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB42 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperChristophe GagnierRuddarr

Customer experience

WLED

All ratings10 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews95 reviews
Positive50.5%
Neutral7.4%
Negative42.1%

Ruddarr

All ratings750 ratings
Positive96.9%
Neutral0.7%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews222 reviews
Positive90.1%
Neutral2.7%
Negative7.2%

User reviews

WLED

From 12 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Works flawlessly for some
  • 👍 Free and does the job
  • 👍 Great for managing multiple devices
  • 👍 Responsive and stable (for some)
  • 👍 Cleaner and modern UI

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Connectivity issues
  • 🐛 Randomly turns on/off
  • 🐛 Not user friendly
  • 🐛 Glitchy and poorly built
  • 🐛 Flickering lights after update

Ruddarr

From 750 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Nice app
  • 👍 Good all
  • 👍 Love it
  • 👍 Looking good!
  • 👍 Great for managing your media library on the go!

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Import functionality
  • 🐛 Doesn't work on iOS 18.4
  • 🐛 If it didn't crash all the time it be awesome.
  • 🐛 Good app, but constantly freezes

Bugs and requests

WLED

Reported bugs

42 issues
  • Unable to connect to LEDs
  • Lights randomly turn on
  • Connectivity issues, needs re-pairing
  • App doesn't work, glitchy
  • Brightness control issues
Show 37 more
  • Lights flicker after update
  • Cannot find discover lights option
  • Not connected to iPhone, setup issues
  • App won't load, vanishes
  • None of my devices show up
  • Shows up blank, manual add only
  • No longer finds WLED devices
  • App doesn't work, no devices showing
  • Confusing app, turns off
  • App is unusable after update, errors
  • App stopped picking up signal
  • Only connects when at home
  • Doesn't pick up esp8266
  • Sound react option missing
  • Time and macros section not working
  • Update won't update
  • Goes offline from time to time
  • Update breaks app, beta works
  • Drops connection, cannot adjust lights
  • Latest release freezes, unstable wifi
  • Loading WLED UI stuck
  • Inconsistent connection after new update
  • Lost all config after update
  • Lost all presets after update
  • Devices missing and disappearing
  • Update ruined everything, random disconnects
  • App constantly crashes, won't load
  • Stopped working after update
  • New upgrade feature killed device
  • Inconsistent, can't find boards
  • Cannot connect lights, IP address doesn't work
  • Missing schedule function
  • App doesn't work at all
  • Doesn't work properly with WLED 0.14
  • App won't allow changing anything, freezes
  • Hidden devices reappear
  • App goes offline and never connects again

Requested features

6 requests
  • User-friendly interface
  • Simple interface with advanced option
  • Widget features for Home Screen
  • Sound react option
  • Remote control when away from WiFi
Show 1 more
  • Timer or schedule function

Ruddarr

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Fails with error when trying to add any service
  • Crashes and freezes all the time

Requested features

3 requests
  • Support one time purchase
  • List view not just posters
  • Latest releases or trending lists that could be pulled from trakt or IMDb

In-app purchases

None

WLED

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Ruddarr

Subscriptions1
  • Ruddarr+$5.991 Year

Questions

Is WLED free?
WLED is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ruddarr free?
Ruddarr is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, WLED or Ruddarr?
Ruddarr is rated higher. WLED averages 3.5 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while Ruddarr averages 4.9 from 750 ratings.
Do WLED or Ruddarr have ads?
Neither WLED nor Ruddarr shows ads.
Which is updated more often, WLED or Ruddarr?
WLED ships an update every 2 months, and Ruddarr monthly. Most recently, WLED was updated on October 20, 2026 and Ruddarr on October 19, 2026.

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