Comparison

U Remote Control vs Grain Story

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

Head to head
About

U Remote Control

Control your home automation devices and media players with this unofficial remote control app. It supports various remotes, allowing you to manage lights, switches, climate, and media with real-time updates and customizable widgets.

Highlights
  • Remote registration
  • Profile navigation
  • Entity toggling and navigation
  • Real-time media player updates
  • Full activity support
  • Configurable widgets
  • Live activity integration
Features
Read full description

Unofficial remote control application for Unfolded Circle remotes Remote 2 & 3 are advanced physical remotes that can take control of all your home devices (TV, receivers...) as well as your automation devices (Philips Hue, any Home Assistant device...) and more through community integrations. - Remotes registration : register one or several remotes - Navigation by profiles like in the remote. Another profile can be selected from the 3 dots upper right button - Swipe left/right between profile pages, click on entity icon for toggling (lights, switch, climates, covers) or navigating into (activities, remotes, media players) - Pull down in profile pages to refresh the data (in case of disconnection) - Sliders for lights, shutters and climate directly in the profile pages to set brightness / position / temperature, tap to open and access additional settings - Full activities support : UI pages & buttons including long press support, media players with artwork, position and titles. A touchpad is also available in a dedicated tab, as well as the access to the included entities. - Media players : updated in realtime (artwork, title, position...) and scrubbing - Wake the remote on LAN through pull to refresh - Configurable widgets : main commands for active activities with media info. A configurable page from the app settings will also show a list of selected entities to toggle (to toggle activities, lights, climates...) - Live activities : when entering into a running activity and minimizing the app, the current activity & media is accessible from the dynamic island or from the lock screen with the same commands as the widget

About

Grain Story

Features
Read full description

Grain Story helps analog photographers keep every roll, shot, camera, lens, and scan organized in one quiet, practical workspace. Log each frame as you shoot with exposure details, gear, film stock, notes, and location metadata. Track film rolls from fresh to loaded, finished, and developed, so you always know what is in each camera and what needs attention next. After developing, merge scanned files back into your shot log to keep your negatives, digital scans, and shooting notes connected. Features • Log film shots with camera, lens, aperture, shutter speed, exposure mode, and notes • Track cameras, lenses, and fixed-lens camera setups • Manage film rolls through their full lifecycle • See which roll is loaded in which camera • Attach scan previews to developed-roll shots • Keep scan files aligned with the correct frames • Store location metadata for shots when available • Built for film photographers who want a focused, no-clutter workflow Whether you shoot casually, test new film stocks, archive projects, or maintain detailed exposure notes, Grain Story gives your analog process a reliable digital notebook.

Screenshots

U Remote Control4 screens
Grain Story4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: U Remote Control at none against Grain Story's 1. U Remote Control also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 weeks) and device support (4 vs 1). On price, ads and iOS requirement 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. Grain Story sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. U Remote Control asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

U Remote Control ships an update weekly, Grain Story every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
U Remote Control versus Grain Story: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterU Remote ControlGrain Story
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDamien Bain-ThouverezDenis Karpovskii

In-app purchases

None

U Remote Control

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Grain Story

One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$19.99

Questions

Is U Remote Control free?
U Remote Control is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Grain Story free?
Grain Story is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do U Remote Control or Grain Story have ads?
Neither U Remote Control nor Grain Story shows ads.
Which is updated more often, U Remote Control or Grain Story?
U Remote Control ships an update weekly, and Grain Story every 4 weeks. Most recently, U Remote Control was updated on October 25, 2026 and Grain Story on October 16, 2026.

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