Comparison

Phil vs Smart Link

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Volume control
  • Channel selection
  • Navigation pad
  • Video playback controls
  • Menu and options access
  • Power off function
Features
Read full description

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

About

Smart Link

Control all your Thomson home appliances remotely from a single app. Schedule routines, manage multiple homes, and monitor device status in real-time. Enjoy effortless home management from your smartphone.

Highlights
  • Remote appliance control
  • Single application for all devices
  • Schedule custom routines
  • Manage multiple homes
  • Real-time device monitoring
  • Smartphone accessibility
Features
Read full description

Découvrez Smart Life, l'application pour connecter l'ensemble de vos appareil électroménagers Thomson UNE SEULE APPLICATION Tous vos appareils électroménagers Thomson sont compatibles avec votre application pour tous les contrôler à distance. ACCESSIBLE D'OU VOUS VOULEZ Lancez vos appareils Thomson depuis votre smartphone n'importe où. Il n'a jamais été aussi simple de s'occuper de sa maison. COMME VOUS LE DESIREZ Programmez vos routines, contrôlez plusieurs domiciles. Tout est facilité avec l'application et se fait du bout des doigts. EN TEMPS REEL Suivez le parcours de votre aspirateur robot en temps réel pour vous assurer que Attention, nous ne pouvons assurer le fonctionnement intégral de l'application sur les versions iOS inférieures à 8.0

Screenshots

Phil4 screens
Smart Link4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Smart Link at none against Phil's 4. Smart Link also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (50% vs 17%). Phil's advantage is update cadence (every 4 months vs every 23 months). On price 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Phil sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Smart Link asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Phil ships an update every 4 months, Smart Link every 23 months. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Phil versus Smart Link: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhilSmart Link
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (9.8K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews17.0% of reviews50.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9.8K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 23 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS1511.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size157 MB182 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developeryohan teixeiraSCHNEIDER CONSUMER GROUP

Customer experience

Phil

All ratings9,754 ratings
Positive52.6%
Neutral3.0%
Negative44.4%
Written reviews277 reviews
Positive17.0%
Neutral4.3%
Negative78.7%

Smart Link

Written reviews6 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral16.7%
Negative33.3%

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

Smart Link

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Phil

Subscriptions3
  • Pro mode$4.997 Days
  • Premium mode$9.991 Month
  • Premium version$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Remove Ads$19.99
None

Smart Link

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Phil free?
Phil is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Smart Link free?
Smart Link is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Phil or Smart Link have ads?
Phil shows ads; Smart Link does not.
Which is updated more often, Phil or Smart Link?
Phil ships an update every 4 months, and Smart Link every 23 months. Most recently, Phil was updated on October 19, 2026 and Smart Link on October 4, 2026.

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