URC Mobile vs Josh
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
URC Mobile
Transform your smartphone or tablet into a powerful handheld controller for your home automation system. Effortlessly manage entertainment, lighting, security, and climate from anywhere. Enjoy intuitive control with swipe, tap, and rotate gestures.
- Control entertainment, lights, security, thermostats
- Swipe, tap, and rotate gestures
- Access music sources and volume controls
- Adjust lighting and temperature
- Set DVR and navigate channels
- Control movies and window shades
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Leverage the power of your smartphone or tablet by turning it in to an amazing handheld controller for your URC® Total Control® or ccGEN2™ home automation system. Right from your mobile device easily control and monitor things such as entertainment, lights, security systems, thermostats and more in fast, new ways. Swipe, tap and rotate your way to securely control your equipment! This app gives you full control of all the features and full functionality afforded by a Total Control or ccGEN2 system installation, with easy access control to a variety of music sources, volume controls, lighting adjustments, and more from multiple locations! Your main home and your vacation home can all be accessed from within one app. Aided by intuitive graphical interfaces that can easily flip between portrait and landscape views, you can do everything from setting a DVR and navigating favorite channels to controlling movies and window shades. While at the office or away on vacation turn off lights, adjust temperature and beyond. This version of URC Mobile requires a Wi-Fi connection to the local area network that is host to the Master Base Station / Central Processor and other system devices. Control is possible within the home or from anywhere in the world where internet or cell phone access is available. Unlimited iDevices can be setup in one system. Contact an authorized URC integration pro for programming / setup to have the app look and perform just the way you want. PLEASE NOTE: An installed Total Control or ccGEN2 system is required to enjoy and access the features above. For more information visit www.universalremote.com or www.universalremote.com provides a list of URC authorized dealers in your area via our “Where to Buy” pages
Josh
Control your smart home with an AI-powered platform. Personalize your experience by adjusting settings, creating automations, and accessing devices from anywhere. Enjoy intuitive control through touch, text, and voice commands for the whole family.
- AI-powered smart home control
- Personalize home intelligence
- Create automations and alerts
- Access property from anywhere
- Intuitive touch, text, and voice commands
- Customizable dashboards and interfaces
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Josh.ai: AI powered smart home control. Powered by Josh.ai's award winning software platform AI OS, the Josh App provides seamless access to your connected devices and dynamic tools to personalize your home intelligence experience to the fullest. Refine administrative settings, adjust a home's floor plan, nickname devices, create automations and alerts, and add custom photos to your bespoke interface. Access your property from anywhere and easily navigate to what's important. Simply swipe from the Interactive Home Page to access custom dashboards, areas, devices, and scenes. The Josh.ai platform is designed to empower every member of the family with intuitive control and intelligent assistance through touch, text, and natural voice commands. Note: The Josh App requires a valid software plan and accompanies Josh hardware, which is exclusively available through certified home technology professionals. Visit www.josh.ai for more information.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Josh at 87% against URC Mobile's 41%. Josh also leads on rating (4.9 vs 2.5) and update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks). URC Mobile's advantage is iOS requirement (7.0 vs 18). 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.
Josh holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Josh has 114 ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of URC Mobile's written reviews are positive against 87% of Josh's.
URC Mobile ships an update every 6 weeks, Josh weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | URC Mobile | Josh |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.5 (16 ratings) | 4.9 (114 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 40.7% of reviews | 87.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 16 | 114 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 7.0 — better | 18 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 61 MB | 142 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Universal Remote Control | Josh.ai Inc |
Customer experience
URC Mobile
Josh
In-app purchases
URC Mobile
No in-app purchases
Josh
No in-app purchases









