HEOS vs ACS Manager
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- True multi-room audio
- Quick and easy setup
- Access online music services
- Search across multiple music sources
- Control playback remotely
- Access locally stored music
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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.
ACS Manager
This application serves as a companion for the Aurender ACS platform, enabling users to manage all its functions. It allows for personalized settings related to CD ripping, storage, data copying between devices, and metadata editing.
- Manage ACS platform functions
- Set CD ripping preferences
- Storage management
- Copy data between devices
- Metadata editing
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ACSManager is the companion application for Aurender ACS platform. It is your app for managing all the functions and features that ACS can perform. Use it to set personal settings for CD ripping preferences, storage management, copying between various devices, metadata editing, and more. To use this app, you need at least one ACS units.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: HEOS at 4.4 against ACS Manager's 1.0. HEOS also leads on ratings volume (27K vs 1) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). ACS Manager's advantage is monetization model (free vs ad-supported) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
HEOS holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HEOS has 27K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
HEOS ships an update every 3 weeks, ACS Manager every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HEOS | ACS Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (27K ratings) — better | 1.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 29.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 27K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 328 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | D&M Holdings | Aurender Inc. |
Customer experience
HEOS
ACS Manager
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
ACS Manager
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
HEOS
No in-app purchases
ACS Manager
No in-app purchases
