URC Mobile Pad vs MediaSwitcher for iOS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
URC Mobile Pad
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 for a seamless smart home experience.
- Smartphone/tablet as handheld controller
- Control entertainment, lights, security, thermostats
- Manage music sources and volume
- Adjust lighting and temperature
- Set DVR and navigate channels
- Control movies and window shades
- Access from home or remotely
Read full descriptionHide full description
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.
MediaSwitcher for iOS
Control your HD over IP video system with a familiar interface on iOS. Easily select video sources, manage AV devices via IR, and create custom control layouts. Push images to displays for instant recognition.
- HD over IP video system control
- Intuitive touch interface
- AV device control via IR
- Customizable remote panels
- Image Push technology
- Synchronized configuration
Read full descriptionHide full description
Control your Just Add Power HD over IP video system using MediaSwitcher's familiar interface - now on iOS. Tap a screen icon and select your video source from the menu that shows up. It couldn't be much simpler. Control your AV devices using IR panels. Access your presets, groups and sequences. Control your video walls simply by dragging your finger across the screen! Unlike competing products we don't charge subscriptions to use our iOS app. MediaSwitcher for iOS also controls more than DirecTV - we work with and can control any device via IR, RS-232, HTTP, TCP/IP or CEC (some external hardware may be required)! Have unique remote control panels for each screen and source combination! Up to 122 buttons per remote panel! Custom control layout and with system drawings are available just like on desktop (see pictures). MediaSwitcher for iOS will use the same background image and control layout just like the desktop app. If the image/layout is larger than the screen, the screen scrolls. If you have a layer 3 compatible Just Add Power system, you can take images from your photo library or your camera and send them to any display in the system using our Image Push technology! Given instant recognition to your family, friends or customers! All configuration is done via MediaSwitcher Desktop (available for OS X, Windows and Linux from our website). A fully licensed copy of MediaSwitcher Desktop (standard license or higher) is required to use MediaSwitcher for iOS. Desktop version 4.3 or later required. Changes made in MediaSwitcher for iOS are automatically synchronized with our desktop and web software applications. Changes made in desktop or web are synchronized to IOS as well! We give you flexibility and convenience in a control system for a cost that is far less than anything else available. Limitations of iOS app compared to Desktop: - All configuration changes need to be performed on the desktop. This includes saving presets, groups, etc. - No image pull or MoreVue™ in version 1.0. This will be coming in future release - MediaSwitcher for iOS does not have a maintenance window like desktop - For Enterprise users, version 1 does not support user logins - all users currently have access to the full system. This will be addressed in a future release. - +4+ Control is not available yet. This will be added to a future release - Audio control for "plus" and "AVPro" devices not available in version 1.0 - will be added in a future release - TwoWay AV Devices have limited functionality compared to desktop. Our desktop app allows for use of a robust scripting language that is not allowed in iOS. - All scheduled automations still will require desktop or web to run (MediaSwitcher for iOS can run any automation that is programmed to a remote panel button. Questions, comments, feature requests and bug reports are all welcomed via our support email - support@justaddsoftware.net Please note: By using this software, you continue to accept the license terms granted you when you began using our desktop software. MediaSwitcher for iOS is sold as-is without any express or implied warranties.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: MediaSwitcher for iOS at 5.0 against URC Mobile Pad's 3.2. MediaSwitcher for iOS also leads on device support (3 vs 1). URC Mobile Pad's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (5 vs 1). 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.
MediaSwitcher for iOS holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: URC Mobile Pad has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
URC Mobile Pad ships an update every 6 weeks, MediaSwitcher for iOS every 5 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | URC Mobile Pad | MediaSwitcher for iOS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.2 (5 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 25.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 7.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 99 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Universal Remote Control | Just Add Software |
Customer experience
URC Mobile Pad
MediaSwitcher for iOS
In-app purchases
URC Mobile Pad
No in-app purchases
MediaSwitcher for iOS
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is URC Mobile Pad free?
Is MediaSwitcher for iOS free?
Which has better reviews, URC Mobile Pad or MediaSwitcher for iOS?
Do URC Mobile Pad or MediaSwitcher for iOS have ads?
Which is updated more often, URC Mobile Pad or MediaSwitcher for iOS?
Other comparisons















