HDHomeRun vs Onkyo Controller
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Live TV streaming (OTA & Cable)
- Pause, FF, RW live TV
- HD channel support
- Program guide with images
- Fast channel changes
- Intuitive UI controls
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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
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HDHomeRun | Onkyo Controller |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.5 (465 ratings) — better | 2.2 (620 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 26.9% of reviews — better | 25.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 465 | 620 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 80 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | SiliconDust USA, Inc. | 11 Trading Company LLC |
Customer experience
HDHomeRun
Onkyo Controller
User reviews
HDHomeRun
From 465 App Store ratingsWhat 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 ratingsWhat 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 moreShow fewer
- 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
HDHomeRun
No in-app purchases
Onkyo Controller
No in-app purchases









