Comparison

Cast Volume vs Dirigo

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

Head to head
About

Cast Volume

Control the volume of your Chromecast and Google TV devices quickly and reliably. Create homescreen widgets for seamless adjustments, mute playback, and fine-tune volume precisely without jumping. This app offers a volume-first design, prioritizing ease of use for all casting devices.

Highlights
  • Homescreen widgets for volume control
  • Control multiple devices
  • Instant volume adjustment
  • Precise volume fine-tuning
  • Mute playback
  • Volume-first design
Features
Read full description

Your speaker remote, right where you need it. Morning radio. Music for dinner. A quick mute when the phone rings. CastVolume puts everyday speaker controls on your iPhone or iPad, so you can spend less time opening apps and more time listening. YOUR MUSIC, ONE TAP AWAY Start saved Sonos Favourites, WiiM Home favourites and compatible LinkPlay presets from a Home Screen widget. Keep stations, albums and playlists within reach. Browse more Sonos favourites with pages, up to 16 items in a large widget or 24 in an extra-large iPad widget. Save music in your speaker's usual app, then open Favourites in CastVolume to load it. Content depends on your speaker and music service; Chromecast and HEOS music favourites are not supported. QUICK CONTROLS FOR YOUR SPEAKERS • Adjust volume and mute on Sonos, WiiM, Chromecast, Denon/Marantz HEOS and compatible LinkPlay devices. • Add widgets and Controls to your Home Screen, Lock Screen and Control Center, or assign a Control to a supported iPhone's Action Button. • Use playback controls on supported speakers and sources. Cast playback requires an active media session; next/previous also require queue support. Some AirPlay or TV sources need their original app or remote. • Enable Night Sound on compatible Sonos home-theater speakers. Check support in the room's Favourites screen, then add the optional widget button or Control. • Choose colours, widget backgrounds and volume steps to suit you. An optional Live Tile keeps quick controls on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island on supported devices. START WITH ONE SPEAKER, FREE All supported brands, in-app controls, saved speakers and appearance choices are free. Free widgets and Controls share one chosen speaker. Optional Premium lets each widget or Control use its own speaker, with a one-time purchase. An optional 30-day free trial has no automatic charge. After expiry, your chosen free speaker keeps working; additional targets require Premium and keep their saved assignments. Existing Premium purchases remain unlocked. No subscription or ads. MADE FOR YOUR LOCAL NETWORK Keep your phone and receiver on the same network and allow Local Network access. Discover speakers or add supported receivers by local IP. Sonos requires compatible Connection Security settings; portable speakers must be awake. Turn off Fixed Volume Output on WiiM. HEOS favourites, AVR power and input selection stay in the HEOS app. LinkPlay compatibility depends on the model, local API and firmware. AirPlay-only devices are not supported. Widgets show the last confirmed state; changes in other apps may not appear immediately. A locked phone may require unlocking before a command runs. Live Tile updates depend on app activity and iOS limits. CastVolume is an independent app, not affiliated with the speaker manufacturers.

About

Dirigo

Control your home theater devices, including AV receivers and smart TVs, from your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Manage playback, adjust settings, and create custom activities for a seamless entertainment experience.

Highlights
  • Control Marantz and Denon AV receivers
  • Browse and play HEOS streaming sources
  • Manage multi-zone receiver controls
  • Configure receiver settings
  • Remote control for Apple TV, Android TV, Google TV
  • Customizable Home Assistant remotes
  • Create one-tap room activities
Features
Read full description

Dirigo is one remote for your home theater, on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. It controls current Marantz and Denon AV receivers directly over Wi-Fi, well beyond what the bundled remote can do, and with Home Assistant it works without one. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Power, volume, every input and every surround mode your receiver supports • Browse and play HEOS streaming sources — Qobuz, TIDAL, Amazon Music, TuneIn, and the rest • Manage the queue, see what is playing, skip tracks, view history • Control each zone on multi-zone receivers • Configure room correction, speaker levels, HDMI output, video settings, and the deep menus your physical remote pretends don't exist • Activate Quick Selects you have programmed on the receiver • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, and an Apple Watch app • Siri and Shortcuts ("Toggle mute with Dirigo", "Set volume with Dirigo") ACTIVITIES One tap sets the whole room: turn on the receiver and the TV, pick the input, set the volume and the lights. Every step reports what actually happened, and Activities run from Shortcuts too. TELEVISION REMOTES Pair the television or streaming box in the same room and Dirigo becomes its remote too. Apple TV gets a touchpad — swipe to navigate, tap to select — along with transport buttons and the Apple TV's own Control Centre and app switcher. Android TV, Google TV and NVIDIA Shield get a D-pad, Back and Home, and play, pause and skip. Dirigo tells you which app is on screen. Volume routes back to your receiver, and a now-playing card on your home screen shows what is on — title, artist, artwork, and how far through it is. Drag the progress bar to jump to a moment. Pairing is a one-time setup: Dirigo finds the television on your network and you type in the code it puts on screen. CUSTOM REMOTES (HOME ASSISTANT) Build remotes from the devices on your own Home Assistant server. • Add lights, switches, fans, buttons, scenes, scripts and sensor readings, and arrange them your way • Add a D-pad or a transport row and choose what each button drives • A Now Playing remote for a Home Assistant media player: artwork, progress, play and skip, volume • Show an infrared appliance on the Home screen: its inputs, volume and power, with a full remote for everything else • Put Home Assistant lights and scenes on your receiver's Home screen buttons • No Denon or Marantz receiver? Choose "Connect Home Assistant" when you first open Dirigo DEMO MODE No receiver to test against? Tap "Explore Demo Mode" on the Welcome screen to explore the app with a synthetic receiver, Apple TV and Android TV. PRIVACY Dirigo collects nothing. No analytics, no identifiers, no third-party tracking SDKs, no Dirigo account. All receiver, television and Home Assistant control happens on your local Wi-Fi network; Dirigo refuses Home Assistant Cloud and internet addresses. If you connect Home Assistant, its access token is stored in your iPhone's keychain and sent only to your own Home Assistant server. The only public-internet activity is album art: when you browse a HEOS streaming source, or show a Home Assistant media player whose cover is hosted by a music service, iOS loads the picture from that service's own image address, anonymously. Full policy at bit0100bitsoftware.com/dirigo-privacy. REQUIREMENTS A current-generation Denon or Marantz AV receiver with HEOS (Cinema 50, SR-series, AVR-X-series and similar), or a Home Assistant server. iOS 18 or later. Your receiver or Home Assistant server must be on the same Wi-Fi network as your iPhone. Apple TV pairing requires tvOS 18 or later. Android TV pairing works with Android TV and Google TV devices that support the built-in remote pairing service, including NVIDIA Shield. Dirigo is an independent third-party app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Sound United, Denon, Marantz, Apple, Google, NVIDIA, or the Open Home Foundation. Home Assistant is a trademark of the Open Home Foundation.

Screenshots

Cast Volume4 screens
Dirigo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Dirigo at free against Cast Volume's free with in-app purchases. Dirigo also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Cast Volume sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Dirigo sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Cast Volume against 5.0 for Dirigo. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 3 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cast Volume ships an update every 2 weeks, Dirigo every 2 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Cast Volume versus Dirigo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCast VolumeDirigo
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings23 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS18.618.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB63 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSøren ThorupBit 0100 Bit Software LLC

Customer experience

Cast Volume

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Dirigo

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Cast Volume

One-time2
  • 30-day TrialFree
  • Premium Unlock$2.99
1 purchases

Dirigo

One-time1
  • Dirigo$7.99

Questions

Is Cast Volume free?
Cast Volume is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Dirigo free?
Dirigo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Cast Volume or Dirigo?
Cast Volume and Dirigo are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do Cast Volume or Dirigo have ads?
Neither Cast Volume nor Dirigo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cast Volume or Dirigo?
Cast Volume ships an update every 2 weeks, and Dirigo every 2 days. Most recently, Cast Volume was updated on October 31, 2026 and Dirigo on October 31, 2026.

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