Comparison

HDHomeRun vs Onkyo Controller

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

HDHomeRun

Stream live, over-the-air, and cable TV channels directly to your iOS device. Pause, rewind, and fast-forward live broadcasts. Access program guides with images and logos for an enhanced viewing experience.

Highlights
  • Live TV streaming (OTA & Cable)
  • Pause, FF, RW live TV
  • HD channel support
  • Program guide with images
  • Fast channel changes
  • Intuitive UI controls
Features
Read full description

Enjoy free over-the-air TV throughout your home on Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and Mac with HDHomeRun and a TV antenna. Simply connect your HDHomeRun to your TV antenna and home network to enjoy a modern TV experience throughout your home. Discover shows, explore a beautiful guide, see what's on now and next, and start watching with fast channel changes and an intuitive interface. Add a USB hard drive to your HDHomeRun for DVR across your home. Pause and rewind live TV, record your favorite shows, and watch your recordings on Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and Mac. Watch NEXTGEN TV (ATSC 3.0) where available with the HDHomeRun FLEX 4K. Features: • Watch free over-the-air TV from your TV antenna on Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and Mac • Discover shows with a beautiful guide • Pause and rewind live TV • Fast channel changes • Record your favorite shows with HDHomeRun DVR • Schedule series and movie recordings • Watch your HDHomeRun DVR recordings on Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and Mac • Watch NEXTGEN TV (ATSC 3.0) with the HDHomeRun FLEX 4K where available Requirements: • HDHomeRun connected to your TV antenna and home network • Wi-Fi or wired home network • Internet connection for guide data

About

Onkyo Controller

Control compatible Onkyo network products with this official remote app. Stream music from various sources, manage playback, and operate connected home theater devices. Features automatic sound field correction for compatible products.

Highlights
  • Music playback from streaming services
  • Control music library and NAS drives
  • Remote control functions (play, volume, input)
  • Operate connected Blu-Ray players and TVs
  • Automatic sound field correction (Dirac Live)
  • Check audio/video formats
  • Turn on compatible units remotely
Features
Read full description

Onkyo Controller is the official Onkyo remote control application that allows users to conveniently operate compatible Onkyo network products from their iPhone/iPod touch/iPad. The intuitive, user-friendly interface makes it easy to get more from your AV home entertainment experience. Main functions that can be operated through this application. (1) Play music in each room or every room - Lets you play music from music streaming services such as Pandora, Spotify, DEEZER and TIDAL, your music library on your smart device, or your NAS drive on compatible products. - You can play your music via radio, Bluetooth and USB. (2) Remote control functions - You can operate general control functions (play/stop, control the volume, select the input source, etc.) from your smartphone. (3) Operation of connected product(home theater product such as AV amplifier) - Lets you control a Blu-Ray Disc player or TV that is connected to an AV amplifier or home theater product via HDMI. (4) Dirac Live-enabled products measure automatic sound field correction. In addition, filters can be edited. (5) Audio/Video formats of input and output can also be checked. *By setting the “Network Standby” menu item in the unit’s initial settings to ON, you can use this application to turn on the power of the unit. Compatible models Network AV Receivers/Network Audio Player/Home Theater/Wireless Speaker in April 2016 or later ■ Please note ・To use Application it needs to read and agree Terms of Service. ・All models require a firmware update to use Onkyo Controller. ・Available Service depends on regions. ・Why Device's location is needed? Answer: In order to set-up your wireless devices which are located around you, SSID and Access Point info is needed. There is no other purpose to use the information of Device’s Location.

Screenshots

HDHomeRun4 screens
Onkyo Controller4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: HDHomeRun at 2.5 against Onkyo Controller's 2.2. HDHomeRun also leads on device support (5 vs 3). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HDHomeRun holds the better App Store score, 2.5 against 2.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 465 and 620 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 27% of HDHomeRun's written reviews are positive against 26% of Onkyo Controller's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
HDHomeRun versus Onkyo Controller: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHDHomeRunOnkyo Controller
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.5 (465 ratings) — better2.2 (620 ratings)
Positive reviews26.9% of reviews — better25.6% of reviews
Number of ratings465620 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB80 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperSiliconDust USA, Inc.11 Trading Company LLC

Customer experience

HDHomeRun

All ratings465 ratings
Positive30.5%
Neutral14.2%
Negative55.3%
Written reviews227 reviews
Positive26.9%
Neutral15.0%
Negative58.1%

Onkyo Controller

All ratings620 ratings
Positive26.6%
Neutral6.0%
Negative67.4%
Written reviews508 reviews
Positive25.6%
Neutral12.0%
Negative62.4%

User reviews

HDHomeRun

From 465 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fastest TV app
  • 📺 Great picture quality
  • 🔍 Picks up more channels than TV tuner
  • 🔌 Works reliably
  • 🔨 Decent hardware

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes frequently
  • 🔍 Unreliable channel detection
  • 🤖 Clunky and unintuitive UI
  • 🔇 No independent volume control
  • 🔒 Lacks DRM support

Onkyo Controller

From 620 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Convenient remote control
  • 👍 Intuitive interface
  • 💡 Supports Tidal and Spotify
  • 🚀 Fast and responsive

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent connection issues
  • 🐛 App crashes and freezes
  • 🐛 Unreliable performance
  • 🐛 Compatibility problems with older devices

Bugs and requests

HDHomeRun

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Fails to detect tuner device
  • Channels not loading
  • Playback issues after updates
  • Crashes on channel change
  • Compatibility problems with iOS 15+
Show 1 more
  • Lip-sync issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Picture-in-Picture mode
  • Channel favorites and filtering
  • Improved DVR functionality
  • Manual IP address entry
  • Native Apple TV app

Onkyo Controller

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App doesn't recognize receiver
  • Fails to connect to Wi-Fi
  • Loses connection during use
  • Doesn't work with iOS 13 and newer
  • Causes receiver to enter Direct mode unexpectedly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for Apple Music
  • Improve Tidal and Deezer integration
  • Allow customization of input names
  • Add sleep timer and power off options
  • Improve volume control and speaker balance adjustments

In-app purchases

None

HDHomeRun

No in-app purchases

None

Onkyo Controller

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HDHomeRun free?
HDHomeRun is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Onkyo Controller free?
Onkyo Controller is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HDHomeRun or Onkyo Controller?
HDHomeRun is rated higher. HDHomeRun averages 2.5 out of 5 from 465 ratings, while Onkyo Controller averages 2.2 from 620 ratings.
Do HDHomeRun or Onkyo Controller have ads?
Neither HDHomeRun nor Onkyo Controller shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HDHomeRun or Onkyo Controller?
HDHomeRun ships an update every 2 months, and Onkyo Controller every 2 months. Most recently, HDHomeRun was updated on October 20, 2026 and Onkyo Controller on October 17, 2026.

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