# Phil vs PhilRemote

The clearest difference is price: Phil at Free against PhilRemote's $2.99. Phil also leads on update cadence (every 4 months vs every 28 months). PhilRemote's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ads (none vs shown). On device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Phil is free to download; PhilRemote costs $2.99 up front. Phil sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. PhilRemote asks for nothing beyond the download.

Phil ships an update every 4 months, PhilRemote every 28 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Phil | PhilRemote |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $2.99 |
| Rating | **[3.1 (9.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phil-tv-remote/id876814361/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **9.8K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 16.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 months** | Every 28 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 157 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [yohan teixeira](https://appshunter.io/developer/488660484) | [Steve Guedon](https://appshunter.io/developer/1526017796) |

## What reviewers say

### Phil

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phil-tv-remote/id876814361)

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.

**Highlights:** Volume control, Channel selection, Navigation pad, Video playback controls, Menu and options access, Power off function

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro mode | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium mode | $9.99 | per month |
| Premium version | $19.99 | per year |
| Remove Ads | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Works brilliantly
- 👍 Great alternative with extras

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Doesn't work
- 🔋 Constant ads make it unusable
- 💰 Paid version still has ads
- 🤬 Aggressive monetization

**Reported bugs**

- Stopped working after TV update
- Crashes on newer iOS devices
- Fails to connect to TV

**Requested features**

- No ads option
- Better TV compatibility


### PhilRemote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/philremote/id1552609148)

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Phil free?

Phil is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is PhilRemote free?

PhilRemote costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Phil or PhilRemote have ads?

Phil shows ads; PhilRemote does not.

### Which is updated more often, Phil or PhilRemote?

Phil ships an update every 4 months, and PhilRemote every 28 months. Most recently, Phil was updated on November 3, 2026 and PhilRemote on October 25, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*