Comparison

Dirigo vs AVR Link

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

Head to head
About

Dirigo

Control your Marantz or Denon AV receiver with advanced features beyond the physical remote. Manage inputs, surround modes, HEOS streaming, and deep settings. Integrates with Apple TV for a seamless experience.

Highlights
  • Power on/off receiver
  • Adjust master volume
  • Switch inputs and surround modes
  • Browse and play HEOS streams
  • Manage playback queue
  • Control multi-zone receivers
  • Configure deep receiver settings
  • Apple TV touchpad remote
Features
Read full description

Dirigo is a fast, focused iPhone remote for current Marantz and Denon AV receivers. It discovers your receiver over Wi-Fi and gives you a real control surface that goes well beyond what the bundled remote can do. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Power your receiver on and off • Adjust master volume • Switch between every input source • Pick from every surround mode your receiver supports • Browse and play HEOS streaming sources — Qobuz, TIDAL, Amazon Music, TuneIn, and the rest • Manage the playback queue, see what is playing, skip tracks, view history • Switch between zones 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 • Use Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets for at-a-glance status • Trigger common actions with Siri Shortcuts ("Mute the receiver", "Turn on the receiver") 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, recognising the common ones by name. Either way, volume routes back to your receiver instead of the television, and a live now-playing card on your home screen shows what is actually on — title, artist, artwork, and how far through it is. Drag that progress bar to jump straight to a moment. Pairing is a one-time setup: Dirigo finds the television on your network, you type in the code it puts on screen, and that is that. Only televisions appear in the list — not every other device on your Wi-Fi. DEMO MODE No receiver to test against? Tap "Enable Demo Mode" on the Welcome screen to explore every part of the app with a synthetic receiver, Apple TV and Android TV, complete with something playing. PRIVACY Dirigo collects nothing. No analytics, no identifiers, no third-party tracking SDKs, no accounts to sign in to. All receiver and television control happens entirely on your local Wi-Fi network. The only public-internet activity is when you browse a HEOS streaming source — iOS loads album art directly from the music service's own image URLs, anonymously. Full policy at bit0100bitsoftware.com/dirigo-privacy. REQUIREMENTS A current-generation Marantz or Denon AV receiver with HEOS (Cinema 50, SR-series, AVR-X-series, and similar models). iOS 18 or later. Your receiver 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, or NVIDIA.

About

AVR Link

Features
Read full description

AVR Link gives you fast, convenient control of your compatible AV receiver from your Mac, iPhone, and Apple Watch. Designed with the Marantz AV 10 in mind, AVR Link also works with compatible Denon and Marantz AV receivers that support local-network control over Telnet. Compatibility and available features may vary by receiver model. AVR Link runs as a macOS menu-bar app, with companion iOS and Apple Watch apps for quick access wherever you are. Control the functions you use most: Power & standby control Volume adjustment Mute / unmute Input selection Independent control of Main, Zone 2, and Zone 3 speaker zones Quick access from your Mac menu bar Control from iPhone and Apple Watch AVR Link communicates directly with your receiver over your local network using its Telnet control protocol on TCP port 23. No cloud service or account is required for receiver control. Made for the Marantz AV 10. Built to work with compatible Denon and Marantz Telnet-enabled receivers. AVR Link is an independent third-party app and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Denon or Marantz. Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Dirigo4 screens
AVR Link3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Dirigo at none against AVR Link's 3. On price, ads, device support 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. AVR Link sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Dirigo asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Dirigo versus AVR Link: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDirigoAVR Link
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBit 0100 Bit Software LLCOliver Larsson

In-app purchases

None

Dirigo

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

AVR Link

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Yearly$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is Dirigo free?
Dirigo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is AVR Link free?
AVR Link is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Dirigo or AVR Link have ads?
Neither Dirigo nor AVR Link shows ads.

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