Comparison

Smart Remote+ vs TV Remote · Universal Cast

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

Head to head
About

Smart Remote+

Transform your Apple devices into a comprehensive remote for LG smart TVs. Control playback, volume, and navigation directly from your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or home screen widgets. Features like Live Activities and Wake-on-LAN offer seamless, instant access to your TV.

Highlights
  • Live Activities and Dynamic Island integration
  • Full Apple Watch app with directional pad and Digital Crown
  • Home Screen Widgets for instant control
  • Wake-on-LAN for powering on TV
  • Automatic TV discovery and multi-TV support
  • Customizable remote layouts
  • Service menu and number pad access
Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch into the ultimate TV remote — now for LG webOS, Samsung, Sony Bravia, Google TV / Android TV, and Apple TV. With Live Activities, Dynamic Island support, powerful widgets, and ultra-reliable Wake-on-LAN, controlling your TV has never felt this seamless. Whether you're across the room or anywhere in your home, your TV is always just a tap away. Works With Your TV • LG webOS TVs (2016 and newer) — the full experience: touchpad, Scenes, picture settings, Live Activities, service menu, and more • Sony Bravia TVs — power, volume, inputs, navigation, and media playback; connects instantly with no pairing codes • Samsung TVs — power, volume, inputs, navigation, and media playback; just accept the pairing on the TV • Google TV and Android TV devices (TCL, Philips, Nvidia Shield, Chromecast with Google TV, US Hisense, and more) — power, volume, inputs, navigation, media playback, and app launching • Apple TV — pair with the on-screen code, navigate with the D-pad or swipe gestures, control playback, and launch installed apps. Choose a saved TV for volume control while using your Apple TV remote. Live Activity & Dynamic Island (LG webOS) See what's playing on your TV directly from your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. Control play/pause, volume, and mute instantly — with app-themed colors for Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, and more. Your TV controls, without even opening the app. Full Apple Watch App Control your TV from your wrist. Includes: • Directional pad navigation • Media playback controls • Power on/off • HDMI input switching Perfect when your phone isn't nearby. Powerful Home Screen Widgets Access your TV controls instantly without opening the app. Widgets let you: • Power on your TV • Adjust volume • Switch HDMI inputs • Launch streaming apps (LG and Google TV) • Control playback Available in multiple sizes and fully integrated with Wake-on-LAN. Scenes (LG webOS) Save picture mode, sound output, and input as a one-tap preset. Movie night, gaming, daytime TV — set the whole TV up in a single tap from the app, widgets, or Shortcuts. Automatic TV Discovery Find the TVs on your network with a single tap. The app automatically detects your TV's name, IP address, and MAC addresses — no manual configuration required. Customizable Remote Layout Build your ideal remote. Rearrange, show, or hide: • Volume slider • Volume buttons • Media controls • Navigation controls • And more Give every TV its own layout — or share one default across them all. The editor only offers controls your TV actually supports, and layouts are independent on iPhone and Apple Watch. TV Self-Test Not sure everything's working? Run a live command sweep that proves what your TV responds to and produces a shareable report — perfect for diagnosing tricky network setups. Configuration Import & Export Back up or transfer your TV configurations between devices with ease. Service Menu Access (LG webOS) Access the TV service menu and number pad for hotel mode and advanced settings when needed. Multiple TV Support Easily switch between different TVs in your home — even different brands. Each TV maintains its own connection and settings for effortless multi-room control. Built for Reliability • Improved auto-reconnect after background idle • Enhanced Live Activity state tracking • More stable watch command handling • Continuous performance improvements Pay once for Pro — no subscriptions, no ads. Experience the convenience of complete TV control — through the full app, widgets, Live Activities, or right from your wrist. No more searching for the remote.

About

TV Remote · Universal Cast

Control your smart TV with your iPhone. This app offers a touchpad, keyboard, app launcher, and casting features over WiFi. It supports a wide range of TV brands and models from 2014 onwards.

Highlights
  • Universal TV control
  • Touchpad navigation
  • Real keyboard input
  • App launcher
  • Photo and video casting
  • Home screen widget
  • Apple Watch companion
Features
Read full description

Replace every TV remote with your iPhone. One app for Samsung, LG, Sony, Roku, TCL, Hisense, Vizio, Panasonic, Sharp, and most Smart TVs from 2014 onwards. Touchpad. Real keyboard. App launcher. Photo and video cast. All over WiFi. No extra hardware. AUTO-DETECT YOUR TV Your TV appears the moment you open the app — no manual pairing, no IR remote, no Bluetooth. As long as your iPhone is on the same WiFi as your TV, you are one tap away from controlling it. TOUCHPAD WORTH ITS NAME Swipe to navigate menus, apps, and content with precision. The full-screen touchpad gives you laptop-trackpad responsiveness for browsing streaming apps and scrolling through content. No more hammering arrow keys. TYPE WITH A REAL KEYBOARD Stop hunting one letter at a time. Open the keyboard, type at full speed. Search for shows, enter WiFi passwords, paste URLs. Everything is faster. APP LAUNCHER Browse and launch streaming apps directly from your phone. Open any app with one tap, navigate inside it with the touchpad, and search with the keyboard. Bypass the TV home screen entirely. CAST PHOTOS AND VIDEOS Send your photos and videos from your iPhone or iPad straight to the big screen over WiFi. Vacation albums, family videos, slideshows — all wirelessly. HOME SCREEN WIDGET Power, volume, and navigation right on your iPhone or iPad home screen. Control your TV without opening the app. APPLE WATCH COMPANION Volume, play and pause, skip tracks, power on or off — all from your wrist. No need to reach for your phone. BUILT FOR YOUR LIVING ROOM ◉ Large buttons designed for one-handed use ◉ Dark mode for dim rooms ◉ Haptic feedback on every press ◉ Power, volume, channel, and media controls ◉ D-pad, touchpad, and keyboard modes ◉ Reconnects automatically when your phone wakes COMPATIBILITY Works with most WiFi-enabled Smart TVs from 2014 onwards. Direct support for Samsung Tizen, LG webOS, Sony Bravia, Roku, Vizio SmartCast, Hisense VIDAA, Panasonic Viera, Philips JointSpace, Sharp, Toshiba, and Google TV (which also covers many TCL, Hisense, and Philips models). The app detects your TV and shows the right controls for your model. TRY BEFORE YOU SUBSCRIBE Download and connect instantly. Basic controls are free so you can verify compatibility with your TV. Premium unlocks the touchpad, keyboard, app launcher, photo and video cast, and unlimited devices. PRIVACY All communication stays on your local WiFi network. We do not track your viewing habits or sell your data. SUBSCRIPTION & PRICING TV Remote Plus unlocks all premium features. Choose a plan: • TV Remote Plus Weekly — $6.99 / week, auto-renewing First week $0.99 for new subscribers • TV Remote Plus Yearly — $44.99 / year, auto-renewing One-time purchase, never expires: • TV Remote Plus Lifetime — $99.99 (one-time, no recurring charges) Prices may vary by region. • Payment is charged to your Account at confirmation of purchase. • Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. • Renewal is charged within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period at the same price. • Manage or cancel subscriptions in your Account Settings after purchase. Privacy Policy: https://universaltv.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://universaltv.app/terms EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ This app is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any TV manufacturer. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Screenshots

Smart Remote+4 screens
TV Remote · Universal Cast4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: TV Remote · Universal Cast at 5.0 against Smart Remote+'s 3.9. Smart Remote+'s advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 weeks). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Smart Remote+ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and TV Remote · Universal Cast sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

TV Remote · Universal Cast holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 3 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Smart Remote+ ships an update every 9 days, TV Remote · Universal Cast every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Smart Remote+ versus TV Remote · Universal Cast: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSmart Remote+TV Remote · Universal Cast
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (8 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings8 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB48 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBouncing Ball GamesAI Generated Inc.

Customer experience

Smart Remote+

All ratings8 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

TV Remote · Universal Cast

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Smart Remote+

One-time1
  • Smart Remote+ Pro$2.99
7 purchases

TV Remote · Universal Cast

Subscriptions6
  • TV Remote Plus Weekly7 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • TV Remote Plus Weekly$4.997 Days
  • TV Remote Plus Monthly7 Days trial$12.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • TV Remote Plus Monthly$34.991 Month
  • TV Remote Plus Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • TV Remote Plus Yearly$79.991 Year
One-time1
  • TV Remote Plus Lifetime$99.99

Questions

Is Smart Remote+ free?
Smart Remote+ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is TV Remote · Universal Cast free?
TV Remote · Universal Cast is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Smart Remote+ or TV Remote · Universal Cast?
TV Remote · Universal Cast is rated higher. Smart Remote+ averages 3.9 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while TV Remote · Universal Cast averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Smart Remote+ or TV Remote · Universal Cast have ads?
Neither Smart Remote+ nor TV Remote · Universal Cast shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Smart Remote+ or TV Remote · Universal Cast?
Smart Remote+ ships an update every 9 days, and TV Remote · Universal Cast every 6 weeks. Most recently, Smart Remote+ was updated on October 10, 2026 and TV Remote · Universal Cast on October 7, 2026.

Other comparisons