# Phil vs TV Remote

The clearest difference is review sentiment: TV Remote at 100% against Phil's 17%. TV Remote also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.1) and ads (none vs shown). Phil's advantage is ratings volume (9.8K vs 1). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Phil sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and TV Remote sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

TV Remote holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Phil has 9.8K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of Phil's written reviews are positive against 100% of TV Remote's.

Phil ships an update every 4 months, TV Remote every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Phil | TV Remote |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.1 (9.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phil-tv-remote/id876814361/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tv-remote-universal-control/id1668074367/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **9.8K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 17.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 157 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [yohan teixeira](https://appshunter.io/developer/488660484) | [Serhii Blinov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1590823529) |

## 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


### TV Remote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tv-remote-universal-control/id1668074367)

This application allows you to control your television and access its applications and settings quickly. It supports a wide range of TVs, including Philips, and offers features like wake-on-LAN and multi-device management.

**Highlights:** Control your TV, Wake on LAN support, Multi-device support, Quick access to TV apps, Device discovery

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly premium access | $2.99 | per month |
| Annual premium access | $11.99 | per year |
| TV Remote Premium Access | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Phil free?

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

### Is TV Remote free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Phil or TV Remote?

TV Remote is rated higher. Phil averages 3.1 out of 5 from 9.8K ratings, while TV Remote averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Phil or TV Remote have ads?

Phil shows ads; TV Remote does not.

### Which is updated more often, Phil or TV Remote?

Phil ships an update every 4 months, and TV Remote every 2 weeks. Most recently, Phil was updated on October 19, 2026 and TV Remote on October 17, 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.*