Comparison

Smart Things vs Universal TV Remote

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

Head to head
About

Smart Things

Control all your smart home devices, including lights, thermostats, and cameras, from a single interface. Manage your smart TVs with a comprehensive remote and create custom scenes and automations for convenience. Personalize your rooms with custom wallpapers and access controls via widgets and voice commands.

Highlights
  • Control lights, thermostats, locks, and more
  • Live view for HomeKit cameras and doorbells
  • Smart TV remote with keyboard and app access
  • Create custom scenes and automations
  • Siri and Shortcuts integration
  • Customizable room wallpapers
  • Home screen widgets and Control Center access
Features
Read full description

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

About

Universal TV Remote

Transform your iPhone into a universal remote for smart TVs and streaming devices. Control navigation, input text, and launch apps with a simple interface. Connects via Wi-Fi, no extra hardware needed.

Highlights
  • Universal remote control
  • Wi-Fi connectivity
  • Swipe touchpad navigation
  • On-screen keyboard
  • App quick-launch buttons
  • Supports 250+ brands
Features
Read full description

Lost your remote? Turn your iPhone into a fast, reliable universal remote for practically any TV or streaming device. WORKS WITH - Works with 250+ TV and device brands - Popular streaming boxes and streaming sticks - Any TV or device connected via Wi-Fi FEATURES - Swipe touchpad for smooth cursor and menu navigation - Full number pad, volume, channel and power controls - On-screen keyboard for fast text and search input - Quick-launch buttons for your favorite streaming and media apps - Works over Wi-Fi — no extra hardware required - Clean, simple interface built for one-handed use No physical remote, no batteries, no hassle. Connect your iPhone to the same Wi-Fi network as your TV and start controlling it in seconds. Have feedback or a device that isn't working? We're a small independent team and read every message. This app is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any television manufacturer, streaming device maker, or content service provider. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Privacy Policy: https://rasheedapps.blogspot.com/p/privacy-policy.html Terms of Use: https://rasheedapps.blogspot.com/p/terms-of-use.html

Screenshots

Smart Things4 screens
Universal TV Remote4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Universal TV Remote at 4.3 against Smart Things's 3.0. Universal TV Remote also leads on ratings volume (18 vs 2) and device support (4 vs 2). Smart Things's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Smart Things sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Universal TV Remote sells 3 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

Universal TV Remote holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Universal TV Remote has 18 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Smart Things ships an update weekly, Universal TV Remote every 8 days. Both last shipped on November 14, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Smart Things versus Universal TV Remote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSmart ThingsUniversal TV Remote
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (2 ratings)4.3 (18 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings218 — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 8 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMikita KharoshkaRasheed Ullah Khan

Customer experience

Smart Things

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Universal TV Remote

All ratings18 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Smart Things

Subscriptions5
  • Pro Weekly3 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • Pro Weekly$4.997 Days
  • Pro Monthly Special$5.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly$39.991 Year
3 purchases

Universal TV Remote

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly$4.997 Days
  • Yearly3 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$34.99

Questions

Is Smart Things free?
Smart Things is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Universal TV Remote free?
Universal TV Remote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Smart Things or Universal TV Remote?
Universal TV Remote is rated higher. Smart Things averages 3.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Universal TV Remote averages 4.3 from 18 ratings.
Do Smart Things or Universal TV Remote have ads?
Universal TV Remote shows ads; Smart Things does not.
Which is updated more often, Smart Things or Universal TV Remote?
Smart Things ships an update weekly, and Universal TV Remote every 8 days. Most recently, Smart Things was updated on November 14, 2026 and Universal TV Remote on November 14, 2026.

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