Comparison

HEOS vs Bose

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

Head to head
About

HEOS

Control a wide range of connected audio devices from Denon, Marantz, and Definitive Technology. Stream music from online services or local storage, and enjoy true multi-room audio with easy setup and intuitive control.

Highlights
  • True multi-room audio
  • Quick and easy setup
  • Access online music services
  • Search across multiple music sources
  • Control playback remotely
  • Access locally stored music
Features
Read full description

HEOS is the controller app for the world’s biggest and best range of connected audio gear. It is a smart music streaming technology found in all devices Powered by HEOS from Denon, Marantz, and Definitive Technology. HEOS is for music lovers who want a beautiful and intuitive way to enjoy the latest advances in connected audio. You can find HEOS built into great sounding AV receivers, Hi-Fi equipment, sound bars, speakers, mini systems and specialty multi-room models. Features: True multi-room audio: play different songs in different rooms or the same song in multiple rooms. Quick and easy setup: add all your speakers with step-by-step instructions. Instant access to your favorite music: play from your favorite online music services, like Spotify, Amazon Music, TIDAL, and more. Search your music in one place: use one search function to browse across multiple music sources. See what’s playing any time: play, pause, and skip music from anywhere in the app. Access locally stored music: play music saved to your phone, USB, analog inputs, computers, and NAS drives. Share with your friends and family: support for multiple users and multiple music service accounts.

About

Bose

Control all your Bose audio products from a single app. Personalize noise cancellation, customize EQ settings, and set up your devices for seamless listening. Access your favorite music services and playlists with one-touch ease.

Highlights
  • Unified control for Bose products
  • Controllable noise cancellation
  • Customizable EQ settings
  • One-touch music presets
  • Integrated music streaming
Currently charting
Read full description

The Bose app lets you easily control all your Bose products in one place. Bose app (formerly Bose Music app) compatible speakers, soundbars, amplifiers, headphones, earbuds, OpenAudio products, and portable PA systems are designed to work together seamlessly to enhance your listening experience. GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR HEADPHONES AND EARBUDS Personalize your environment with controllable noise cancellation on our QuietComfort products. With Modes on QuietComfort products, you decide how much of the world to let in. Choose Quiet Mode for full noise cancelling, or Aware Mode to hear your surroundings and your music at the same time. Select products offer Aware Mode with ActiveSense technology, which brings the sounds around you down to a more comfortable level. The result is hearing everything you need to, but at a much more pleasant and balanced volume. All the QuietComfort and OpenAudio features, like Immersive Audio from the Ultra line, are made readily available for you. Fully customize your experience by balancing the EQ settings, picking your on-product shortcuts, and more all within the app. EASY SETUP AND TOTAL CONTROL Easily set up your products and get right to listening. Play the same content throughout your home or listen to different content in different areas—it’s up to you. The Bose app lets you control all your Bose products from any room. ONE-TOUCH ACCESS One touch and your home is filled with the music you love most. The Bose app makes it easy to set your favorite playlists or stations as presets. Then you can access them effortlessly on your app, the buttons on your speaker, or soundbar remote. SPEED TO MUSIC It’s faster than ever to browse and play the music you love from Spotify®, Pandora®, Amazon Music, SiriusXM, iHeartRadio™, TuneIn and more, all within the Bose app. All your favorite music in one place. ActiveSense, Bose, the B logo, and QuietComfort are trademarks of Bose Corporation. Spotify is a registered trademark of Spotify AB. TuneIn is a registered trademark of TuneIn, Inc. Google is a trademark of Google LLC. Amazon, Amazon Music, Alexa and all related logos are trademarks of Amazon, Inc. or its affiliates. Wi-Fi® is a registered trademark of Wi-Fi Alliance®. Pandora, the Pandora logo and the Pandora trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of Pandora Media, Inc. used with permission. iHeartRadio is a registered trademark of iHeartMedia, Inc. SiriusXM and all related marks and logos are trademarks of Sirius XM Radio Inc. and its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy https://worldwide.bose.com/privacypolicy California Privacy Notice of Collection https://www.bose.com/californiaprivacynoticeofcollection

Screenshots

HEOS4 screens
Bose4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Bose at 4.8 against HEOS's 4.4. Bose also leads on review sentiment (47% vs 24%) and chart position (#11 vs unranked). HEOS's advantage is monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases). On price, update cadence, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Bose holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bose has 178K ratings behind it against 27K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 24% of HEOS's written reviews are positive against 47% of Bose's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HEOS ships an update every 3 weeks, Bose monthly. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
HEOS versus Bose: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHEOSBose
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (27K ratings)4.8 (178K ratings) — better
Positive reviews24.4% of reviews47.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings27K178K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#11 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size327 MB1.0 GB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperD&M HoldingsBose Corporation

Customer experience

HEOS

All ratings27,003 ratings
Positive84.7%
Neutral4.2%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews891 reviews
Positive24.4%
Neutral15.7%
Negative59.9%

Bose

All ratings177,923 ratings
Positive97.0%
Neutral1.0%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews3,355 reviews
Positive47.1%
Neutral8.1%
Negative44.7%

User reviews

HEOS

From 27K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent sound quality
  • 🔒 Robust wireless connectivity
  • 👍 Convenient app control
  • 💡 Integrates with various music services

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and unstable app
  • 👎 Poor user interface and navigation
  • 🔌 Connectivity issues and frequent disconnects
  • 💤 Slow app performance and loading times

Bose

From 178K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy setup and programming
  • 🔊 Impressive sound quality
  • 👍 Useful app features
  • 💡 Customizable EQ and noise cancelling

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Connectivity issues and app crashes
  • 🔌 Unreliable Bluetooth connection
  • 🤖 Lack of accessibility and voice control options
  • 🤔 Confusing app layout and navigation

Bugs and requests

HEOS

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes and freezes frequently
  • Speakers randomly disappear from the network
  • Volume controls are inconsistent and unreliable
  • Sync issues between grouped speakers

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for Apple Music
  • Improve playlist management and queue functionality
  • Provide better customization options for rooms and speakers
  • Implement a more intuitive and user-friendly app design

Bose

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App frequently fails to recognize connected devices
  • Noise cancelling settings revert to default unexpectedly
  • Bluetooth pairing and reconnection issues
  • Forced firmware updates causing sound quality degradation

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add landscape mode support for iPad
  • Improve multi-device connectivity and switching
  • Provide more customization options for noise cancelling
  • Integrate with more music services like Apple Music

In-app purchases

None

HEOS

No in-app purchases

None

Bose

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HEOS free?
HEOS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bose free?
Bose is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HEOS or Bose?
Bose is rated higher. HEOS averages 4.4 out of 5 from 27K ratings, while Bose averages 4.8 from 178K ratings.
Do HEOS or Bose have ads?
Neither HEOS nor Bose shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HEOS or Bose?
HEOS ships an update every 3 weeks, and Bose monthly. Most recently, HEOS was updated on September 25, 2026 and Bose on September 25, 2026.

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