Phil vs Hoyle LightControl
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Phil
Control your Philips Smart TV with your iPhone or iPad. This virtual remote offers realistic design and access to essential functions like volume, channel, navigation, and playback controls. Requires your device to be on the same Wi-Fi network as the TV.
- Volume control
- Channel selection
- Navigation pad
- Video playback controls
- Menu and options access
- Power off function
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PhilRemote is a virtual remote control that allows you to control your Philips television. The application works on all TVs equipped with "Smart TV" technology and connected to your (WiFi or Ethernet) network. To use this Philips remote control, your iPhone/iPad must be on the same Wi-fi network as your TV. Detection of your TV will be automatic. With a realistic design, you can use all the functions of the original remote control very easily. We have integrated the most useful commands, the features are listed below: -Change the volume -Change the channel number -Use navigation pad -Video control (Play/Pause/Stop...) -Menu, Options, Info, Tools -Power off If you have any suggestions, feel free to contact us. For any comments or questions write us at the following address: contact@nstx.io DISCLAIMER PhilRemote is neither an official Philips product, nor are we affiliated with the Philips company. SUBSCRIPTION: We offer auto-renewing subscription: - Length: Weekly / Monthly / Yearly - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase - You will be able to access the Premium features of the app for the duration of the subscription - Subscription automatically renews for the same price and duration period as the original period unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period - The account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period at the cost of the chosen package. - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's iTunes Account Settings after purchase - No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during the active subscription period - You may cancel a subscription during its free trial period via the subscription setting through your Apple account. This must be done 24 hours before the end of the subscription period to avoid being charged. Please visit https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202039 for more information on how to proceed. - You may turn off the auto-renewal of your subscription via your Apple Account Settings. However, you are not able to cancel the current subscription during its active period - Any unused portion of a free-trial period will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription. Privacy Policy : https://nstx.io/Phil/Phil_privacy.html Terms of Use : https://nstx.io/Phil/Phil_terms.html
Hoyle LightControl
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The Light Control app allows you to control any of the reactive lamps created by Adam Hoyle Ceramics. In addition to fine grained controls over the animation speed and brightness of the lamps, the app also allows you to change the lamp's colour palette to suit your mood.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hoyle LightControl at none against Phil's 4. Hoyle LightControl also leads on ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. Phil sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Hoyle LightControl asks for nothing beyond the download.
Phil ships an update every 4 months, Hoyle LightControl every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 20, 2026.
| Parameter | Phil | Hoyle LightControl |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.1 (9.8K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 17.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 9.8K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 157 MB | 42 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | yohan teixeira | Adam Hoyle |
Bugs and requests
Phil
Reported bugs
3 issues- Stopped working after TV update
- Crashes on newer iOS devices
- Fails to connect to TV
Requested features
2 requests- No ads option
- Better TV compatibility
Hoyle LightControl
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Phil
- Pro mode$4.997 Days
- Premium mode$9.991 Month
- Premium version$19.991 Year
- Remove Ads$19.99
Hoyle LightControl
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Phil free?
Is Hoyle LightControl free?
Do Phil or Hoyle LightControl have ads?
Which is updated more often, Phil or Hoyle LightControl?
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