AC Remote Controller vs Smart Remote
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AC Remote Controller
Transform your iPhone into a universal remote for all your air conditioners. Effortlessly discover, control, and automate climate settings across your home with intuitive scheduling and room-based organization.
- Universal AC control
- Automatic device discovery
- HomeKit and Matter support
- Intuitive interface with thermal design
- Customizable schedules and routines
- Room-based organization
- One-tap presets
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AC Remote turns your iPhone into a beautiful, precise controller for every air conditioner in your home. Discover, control, and automate, all from one elegant app. EVERY AC, ONE APP Bring all your air conditioners together in a single, beautifully designed interface — bedroom, living room, office, kitchen, every room you need to keep comfortable. DISCOVER DEVICES IN ONE TAP Scan your network and AC Remote finds compatible smart air conditioners, IR bridges, and smart hubs automatically. No fiddling with IP addresses or pairing codes. WORKS WITH STANDARD PROTOCOLS • Apple HomeKit accessories • Matter accessories • Wi-Fi smart air conditioners • IR bridges and infrared blasters on your local network A REMOTE THAT'S ACTUALLY INTUITIVE • Set temperature with a satisfying dial • Switch between Cool, Heat, Auto, Dry, and Fan • Adjust fan speed and swing • Beautiful "Thermal" design that adapts to mode and temperature — cool blues when cooling, warm oranges when heating SCHEDULES & ROUTINES THAT RUN THEMSELVES • Sleep Mode: cool to 22° every night • Good Morning: wake to a perfectly cool bedroom • Weekend Cooldown: just on Saturdays and Sundays • Quick Cool: 30-minute boost when you walk in ONE-TAP PRESETS Save your favorite settings — Goodnight, Quick Cool, Away — and trigger them with a single tap. ORGANIZED BY ROOM Group your ACs by room (Bedroom, Living Room, Office, Kitchen) and control the climate in each space with ease. LOCALIZED IN 13 LANGUAGES English, Arabic, Chinese (Hong Kong), Dutch, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Portugal), Spanish, and Turkish. AC REMOTE PRO AC Remote Pro is required to send commands to your devices. It includes: • Unlimited AC devices • Unlimited schedules and routines • Custom one-tap presets • All future updates Subscription options: • Weekly: $2.99 / week • Annual: $19.99 / year — includes a 3-day free trial Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the renewal period ends. Payment is charged to your Apple ID upon confirmation. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID account settings. PRIVACY-FIRST AC Remote talks directly to your devices over your local network. We don't track what you do at home. Privacy Policy: https://appfusionutilities.com/acremote/privacy_policy.html Terms of Use: https://appfusionutilities.com/acremote/terms_of_use.html We'd love to hear from you. Reach out via the Contact link in Settings, and stay cool.
Smart Remote
Transform your iPhone into a universal remote for TVs, ACs, and more. Control devices via IR blaster, WiFi, or Bluetooth. Learn custom commands and create automated scenes for seamless device management.
- Universal device control
- IR blaster and WiFi support
- Smart TV integration
- Custom remote creation
- Scene automation
- Room organization
- Apple Watch companion
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Universal Remote is a smart remote control app that helps you control your TV, air conditioner, set-top box, projector, soundbar, fan and more from your iPhone — over Wi-Fi, with an IR blaster, or through your smart home. It supports 300+ brands with 14,000+ ready-made remotes, controls Wi-Fi air conditioners directly, and integrates with Apple Watch, Siri, widgets and the Lock Screen. Made for anyone who lost a remote, wants one app instead of a drawer full of remotes, or wants to control hotel and rental-home devices from their phone. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Replace a lost or broken remote in seconds — pick your device brand and a ready-made remote appears, no programming • Control your smart TV with no extra hardware — Samsung, LG webOS, Sony Bravia, Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast, Google TV and Apple TV connect over your Wi-Fi network • Control your air conditioner from the couch — IR ACs work through a blaster; Midea, Daikin, GREE and TCL Wi-Fi ACs connect directly with no blaster at all • Run whole scenes with one tap — "Movie Night" can turn on the TV, switch input, and set the soundbar together • Control everything from your Apple Watch, the Lock Screen, widgets, or by asking Siri COMMON QUESTIONS Do I need to buy extra hardware? Not for smart TVs, streaming boxes, or Wi-Fi air conditioners — those connect over your home network. Classic IR-only devices (most ACs, older TVs, fans, projectors) need a small Wi-Fi-to-IR blaster such as Broadlink RM4/RM Mini, a Tuya/Smart Life IR hub, Global Caché iTach, or an ESP DIY blaster. iPhones have no built-in IR emitter. Which TV brands work? Samsung, LG, Sony, Roku, Hisense, TCL, Philips, Panasonic, Toshiba, Sharp and 300+ more. Smart TVs are controlled over Wi-Fi; any TV with a remote sensor is controlled by IR through a blaster. Can it control my air conditioner? Yes. The code database covers Daikin, Mitsubishi, Fujitsu, Carrier, Gree, Midea, Haier, Hitachi, Whirlpool, TCL and hundreds of regional AC brands with full state control — mode, temperature, fan speed and swing. Wi-Fi models from Midea, Daikin, GREE and TCL work with no IR hardware. Is it free? Downloading and core remote control are free. Premium unlocks unlimited devices and all connection types, with a free trial before any charge. What if my device isn't listed? The code database updates automatically — new remotes arrive monthly without an app update. You can also learn codes from your original remote with a Broadlink blaster, or request your model in the app. THE DETAILS • 14,000+ ready-made remotes across 300+ brands: TVs, air conditioners, set-top boxes, projectors, soundbars, AV receivers, DVD players, fans, lights, air purifiers, robot vacuums and cameras • IR protocols: NEC, RC5, RC6, Sony SIRC, Kaseikyo, raw capture playback • Smart home: HomeKit air conditioners, Tuya, Xiaomi Mi Home, SwitchBot, Sensibo, Broadlink • Custom remotes: rearrange buttons, add macros, build a layout that matches how you actually use each device • Fully translated into 39 languages • No banner ads, no "watch an ad to unlock" — just the remote Questions or a device we should add? Email support@mobilealchemy.co — we add reader-requested models every month. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Universal Remote offers auto-renewable subscriptions for Premium access. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless you turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions in your Account Settings on the App Store after purchase. Terms of Use: https://universalremote.mobilealchemy.co/terms Privacy Policy: https://universalremote.mobilealchemy.co/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: AC Remote Controller at 5.0 against Smart Remote's 4.0. AC Remote Controller also leads on ratings volume (22 vs 4) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Smart Remote's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly) and device support (4 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. AC Remote Controller sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Smart Remote sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
AC Remote Controller holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AC Remote Controller has 22 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.
AC Remote Controller ships an update fortnightly, Smart Remote weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AC Remote Controller | Smart Remote |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (22 ratings) — better | 4.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 22 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 31 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Suna Ordulu | MOBILE ALCHEMY LTD |
Customer experience
AC Remote Controller
Smart Remote
In-app purchases
AC Remote Controller
- Weekly$2.997 Days
- Annual3 Days trial$19.991 Year
Smart Remote
- Weekly3 Days trial$1.997 Days
- Monthly3 Days trial$3.991 Month
- Yearly3 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Lifetime$49.99
Questions
Is AC Remote Controller free?
Is Smart Remote free?
Which has better reviews, AC Remote Controller or Smart Remote?
Do AC Remote Controller or Smart Remote have ads?
Which is updated more often, AC Remote Controller or Smart Remote?
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