AnyTV | Universal TV Remote vs Smart Things
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AnyTV | Universal TV Remote
Transform your iPhone into a comprehensive smart TV remote. Effortlessly navigate menus, adjust volume, change channels, and launch apps on compatible smart TVs. Connects seamlessly over Wi-Fi for a convenient and intuitive control experience.
- Wi-Fi TV control
- App launching
- Volume and channel adjustment
- Touchpad control
- Voice search
- Automatic TV discovery
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Turn your iPhone into a universal TV remote control. AnyTV connects to your smart TV over Wi-Fi, so you can change the volume, switch channels, pick an HDMI input and open your streaming apps without hunting for the physical remote. No extra hardware: your iPhone and your TV only need to be on the same Wi-Fi network. WORKS WITH • Samsung® Smart TV (Tizen®, 2016 and newer) • LG® Smart TV (webOS®) • Roku® TV and Roku® streaming players (Philco®, TCL®, Hisense® and more) • Amazon® Fire TV® and Fire TV Stick® • TVs running Google's TV platform (Sony®, Philips®, TCL®, Xiaomi®, Hisense®, NVIDIA SHIELD® and more) FULL REMOTE CONTROL • Power, volume, mute and channel up/down • D-pad with OK, Back, Home, Menu and Settings • Hold an arrow, volume or channel button and it keeps repeating • Number pad for channels • Switch HDMI inputs • Play and pause QUICK ACCESS TO YOUR APPS • Launch your streaming apps on the TV with one tap • Browse every app installed on your TV TYPE AND TALK • Type on your TV with your iPhone's keyboard, much faster than spelling with arrows (LG®, Roku® and TVs running Google's TV platform; some apps, like Netflix® and YouTube®, don't accept it) • Voice search with Google Assistant on TVs running Google's TV platform: hold the mic and speak • Touchpad mouse: use your iPhone like a laptop trackpad (LG® webOS®) EASY TO SET UP • Finds the TVs on your Wi-Fi network automatically • Confirm once on your TV and you stay paired • Can't find your TV? Connect by IP address • Turn on Connect automatically and the app opens straight into your TV's remote MADE FOR HOMES WITH MORE THAN ONE TV • Save every TV and switch between them • Rename each TV so you know which is which • Turn a TV back on from the app when it supports waking over the network • Fire TV Stick® or Roku® player plugged into a TV? Pair the TV too and the volume buttons control it PRIVACY AnyTV has no account and no sign-in, and it talks to your TV directly over your local network. Pairing tokens never leave your device. The app reports anonymous usage and crash diagnostics so it can be improved; see the privacy policy for details. AnyTV is available in 31 languages and follows your iPhone's language. It shows a small banner and an occasional short video ad while the TV opens an app; you can remove the ads with a one-time purchase. AnyTV is an independent app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of the manufacturers or platforms mentioned. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are used only to identify compatible devices. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://lucianosantos.dev/apps/smarttv-remote/privacy_policy.md
Smart Things
Control all your smart home devices, including lights, thermostats, and cameras, from a single interface. Manage your smart TVs with integrated remotes and create custom scenes and automations for convenience. Personalize room aesthetics with custom wallpapers and accent colors.
- Control lights, thermostats, locks, and more
- Live view for HomeKit cameras and doorbells
- Remote control for smart TVs (Fire TV, Roku, Samsung, LG)
- Create custom scenes and automations
- Personalize room aesthetics with wallpapers
- Widgets and Control Center integration
- Siri and Shortcuts support
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Every accessory in your home, and every remote you actually reach for, in one app — on iPhone and iPad. CONTROL THE WHOLE HOME Lights, thermostats, locks, blinds, fans, sensors, purifiers, sprinklers, cameras. If HomeKit reports it, you can see it and set it. Each control is built from what the accessory says about itself, so a dimmer gets a slider, a color lamp gets a wheel, and a lock gets a lock — including accessories released after this app was. CAMERAS Watch your HomeKit cameras and doorbells live, with a fresh snapshot on each camera's card. TELEVISION REMOTES Fire TV, Roku, Samsung, LG and other smart TVs, found on your Wi-Fi and paired in seconds. A full directional pad, playback, volume, a keyboard for typing on the TV, and its apps a tap away. Assign a television to a room and it sits with everything else in that room. SCENES AND AUTOMATIONS Run a scene from anywhere in the app. Capture how your rooms are set right now and keep it as a scene, or rename, re-record and delete the ones you have. Build automations that run at a time of day, at sunrise or sunset, or when a sensor or accessory changes — motion detected, a door opened, a light switched on. SIRI AND SHORTCUTS Run a scene or switch an accessory by voice, from Spotlight, the Shortcuts app or the Action button. MAKE EVERY ROOM ITS OWN Give each room a wallpaper — one of ours or a photo of yours — with an adjustable blur. Accent colors can follow the wallpaper automatically, so a room looks like itself rather than like a settings screen. WIDGETS AND CONTROL CENTER See how much of the house is on at a glance, switch an accessory or run a scene straight from the home screen, and keep your favorites in Control Center. Choose which room a widget follows and which scenes it shows. SMART THINGS PRO Seeing your home — every accessory's state, its readings and your cameras — and building scenes and automations are free. Controlling and adding accessories, running scenes, the TV remote, interactive widgets and your own room photos are part of Smart Things Pro, an auto-renewable subscription. Smart home control that shows you everything your accessories can do, and asks nothing you should not have to think about. Privacy Policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/12voOgya1fD5zQagp2-4iQ6464r8q1ZW9uJ-vONIoucE/edit?usp=sharing Terms of Use: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v1fA32bGcq7_uAz0_JcWQ_8VZb_0pWlH8Uq9nDysVwk/edit?usp=sharing
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: AnyTV | Universal TV Remote at 4.0 against Smart Things's 3.0. AnyTV | Universal TV Remote also leads on iOS requirement (15.3 vs 17.6). Smart Things's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, update cadence 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
Both are free to download. AnyTV | Universal TV Remote sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month and Smart Things sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
AnyTV | Universal TV Remote holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively.
AnyTV | Universal TV Remote ships an update every 8 days, Smart Things weekly. Both last shipped on November 13, 2026.
| Parameter | AnyTV | Universal TV Remote | Smart Things |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (3 ratings) — better | 3.0 (2 ratings) |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days | Weekly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.3 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 70 MB | 31 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | LS PROGRAMACAO LTDA | Mikita Kharoshka |
Customer experience
AnyTV | Universal TV Remote
Smart Things
In-app purchases
AnyTV | Universal TV Remote
- Ad-Free Monthly3 Days trial$1.491 Month
- Ad-Free Forever$4.99
Smart Things
- Pro Weekly3 Days trial$4.997 Days
- Pro Weekly$4.997 Days
- Pro Monthly Special$5.991 Month
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- Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
- Pro Yearly$39.991 Year
Questions
Is AnyTV | Universal TV Remote free?
Is Smart Things free?
Which has better reviews, AnyTV | Universal TV Remote or Smart Things?
Do AnyTV | Universal TV Remote or Smart Things have ads?
Which is updated more often, AnyTV | Universal TV Remote or Smart Things?
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