Cambridge Connect vs Roon ARC
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Cambridge Connect
Control your Cambridge Audio network audio player with your iOS device. Browse and play media from UPnP servers or USB drives, manage queues, and control internet radio, inputs, and volume.
- Browse and play UPnP media
- Play media from USB drives
- Queue management
- Internet Radio control
- Input selection
- Volume control
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Cambridge Connect allows control of your StreamMagic powered Cambridge Audio network audio player from your iOS device. Main Features:- • Browse and play media stored on compatible UPnP servers • Browse and play media on USB drives connected to your Cambridge Audio player • Queue management • Internet Radio search, preset selection and management • Input selection • Volume control on compatible devices • Multi-Language support Compatible with all Cambridge Audio network audio streamers.
Roon ARC
Access your entire Roon music library, including personal files and streaming services, from anywhere. Enjoy high-quality audio playback, offline listening, and in-depth music discovery features optimized for mobile and car use.
- Access Roon library anywhere
- Offline music downloads
- High-quality audio playback
- Advanced EQ and audio shaping
- In-depth music discovery
- Car integration
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*** Roon ARC requires a valid Roon subscription *** ARC puts the best possible on-the-go music experience in your pocket and lets you enjoy your Roon library and all of Roon's immersive features wherever you are in the world. ARC is a custom-built streaming service powered by your Roon system at home. Explore your complete collection of artists, albums, playlists, and personal music files, plus TIDAL, Qobuz, and KKBOX streams. Discover added content from Roon's music experts and smart features, such as staff-curated playlists, Daily Mixes, New Releases for You, personalized recommendations, and Roon Radio. You can add albums to your collection, build playlists, set favorites, create tags, and more, just as you can in Roon. Offline listening lets you download your personal music files to keep the music playing wherever your adventures take you – even if you're off the grid entirely. ARC offers remote access to Roon's captivating library of in-depth artist bios and album articles, revealing the stories that take us deep into the heart of our favorite music. And there's more… Ready to hit the road? Your Roon library is too! Roon's browsing and discovery features fully integrate into your car's controls for safe and convenient playback. With ARC within easy reach of the wheel, every road you take is a journey in sound. ARC makes the driver's seat feel like your listening chair at home. ARC is designed to look and feel just like Roon. You get the same intuitive, aesthetically rich Roon interface you know and love, fully optimized for your phone. No more switching between streaming apps; ARC compiles all your music in one place for easy access and maximum enjoyment. And now, Roon's audio shaping suite and pristine sound quality have arrived in ARC - with bold styling never before seen in a mobile app! MUSE delivers the precision audio control of Roon when you're on the go or running a streamlined mobile setup with ARC. It places radically unique EQ handling, optimized balance control, precision volume leveling, FLAC, DSD & MQA support, crossfeed, headroom management, and sample rate conversion in the palm of your hand. You can customize sonic qualities to your specific tastes with MUSE, then save or apply them with a few clicks. To top it all off, MUSE even remembers your presets and reapplies them when you reconnect to a known device. The MUSE Signal Path display provides complete audio signal transparency as the music flows through your device - from source media all the way to your speakers. ARC offers artful design, sound quality, and a music listening experience unmatched by any other music app. Best of all, it's included free with your Roon subscription.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Roon ARC at 3.3 against Cambridge Connect's 2.2. Roon ARC also leads on review sentiment (36% vs 18%) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). Cambridge Connect's advantage is iOS requirement (7.1 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Roon ARC holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 2.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 66 and 199 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 18% of Cambridge Connect's written reviews are positive against 36% of Roon ARC's.
Cambridge Connect ships an update every 3 months, Roon ARC monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Cambridge Connect | Roon ARC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.2 (66 ratings) | 3.3 (199 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 17.6% of reviews | 35.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 66 | 199 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 7.1 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 124 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Audio Partnership | Roon Labs |
Customer experience
Cambridge Connect
Roon ARC
User reviews
Cambridge Connect
From 66 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Intuitive and functional
- 🚀 Fast connection to device
- 💡 Tidal integration
- 🔒 Stable and reliable
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and disconnections
- 🔍 Limited search and navigation functionality
- 📚 Inability to manage playlists
- 🔋 Drains device battery
- 🎨 Outdated and unappealing design
Roon ARC
From 199 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Seamless integration with Roon
- 🌍 Access music library anywhere
- 🔊 High-quality audio playback
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly
- 💡 Useful feature additions like EQ presets
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and connection issues
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
- 🤖 Unreliable performance, especially on mobile networks
- 📱 Lack of iPad-optimized interface
- 🔌 Requires complex network setup for remote access
Bugs and requests
Cambridge Connect
Reported bugs
4 issues- App fails to detect connected devices
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between apps
- Volume controls not working as expected
- Issues with browsing and playing music from USB drives
Requested features
4 requests- Add ability to create and save playlists
- Implement comprehensive search functionality
- Improve integration with music libraries and streaming services
- Provide more customization options (themes, layouts, etc.)
Roon ARC
Reported bugs
4 issues- Corrupted media files
- Disappearing playlists
- Inability to select external storage for downloads
- Inconsistent connectivity to Roon server
Requested features
5 requests- Native iPad app
- Siri integration for voice control
- Improved browsing and search capabilities
- Automatic offline downloads
- MQA decoding support
In-app purchases
Cambridge Connect
No in-app purchases
Roon ARC
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Cambridge Connect free?
Is Roon ARC free?
Which has better reviews, Cambridge Connect or Roon ARC?
Do Cambridge Connect or Roon ARC have ads?
Which is updated more often, Cambridge Connect or Roon ARC?
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