# Phil vs TV Remote

The clearest difference is rating: TV Remote at 4.5 against Phil's 3.1. TV Remote also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (38% vs 17%). Phil's advantage is ratings volume (9.8K vs 606) and iOS requirement (15 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

TV Remote holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Phil has 9.8K ratings behind it against 606, 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 38% of TV Remote's.

Phil ships an update every 4 months, TV Remote every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 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) | **[4.5 (606 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tv-remote-universal-control/id6444865789/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **9.8K** | 606 |
| Positive reviews | 17.0% of reviews | **38.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 157 MB | 49 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [yohan teixeira](https://appshunter.io/developer/488660484) | [App Rover](https://appshunter.io/developer/1448355489) |

## 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/id6444865789)

Transform your iPhone into a universal remote for over 10,000 TV models. Discover personalized show recommendations, manage watchlists, and track viewing history all in one app.

**Highlights:** Universal remote control for 10,000+ TV models, Wi-Fi connectivity (no extra hardware), Personalized show recommendations, Watchlist management, Viewing history tracker, Smart content filters

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Plan Weekly | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Pro Plan Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Pro Plan Monthly | $8.99 | per month |
| Pro Plan Yearly | $24.99 | per year |
| Pro Plan Yearly | $24.99 | per year |
| Pro Plan Lifetime | $9.99 | 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 4.5 from 606 ratings.

### Do Phil or TV Remote have ads?

Both Phil and TV Remote show ads.

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

Phil ships an update every 4 months, and TV Remote every 3 weeks. Most recently, Phil was updated on October 29, 2026 and TV Remote on October 27, 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.*