Comparison

Helium Remote vs TubeSound

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

Head to head
About

Helium Remote

Features
Read full description

Take control of your music from anywhere in your home. Helium Remote connects to Helium running on your PC over your home network, so you can browse, play, and manage your entire music library from the comfort of your couch โ€” or anywhere else in the house. No more walking back to your PC just to skip a track or adjust the volume. With Helium Remote, your phone becomes a full-featured controller for your music. Features - Play, pause, skip to next or previous track - Full volume control - Manage your play queue - Set ratings and mark tracks as favourites - See album artwork and track details - Browse and play Playlists and Smart Playlists - Browse Favourite Albums, Artists and Tracks - Search your entire library by album, artist, title, genre, year or publisher - No additional software needed on your PC Requirements - Helium 18 Premium or later (download at www.imploded.com) - Wi-Fi connection to the PC running Helium

About

TubeSound

This app emulates the warm sound of classic vacuum tubes for your audio. It offers 23 modeled tube circuits, from subtle harmonic coloration to amplifier-inspired saturation. Advanced controls allow for deep customization of tube behavior and aging.

Highlights
  • 23 modeled vacuum tube circuits
  • Subtle harmonic coloration
  • Pro Mode for advanced control
  • Tube aging simulation
  • AUv3 plugin support
  • Custom preset saving
Features
Read full description

TubeSound adds the warm, rich character of classic vacuum tubes to your audio. This is not a typical tube-style distortion effect. Many presets operate below 0.5% THD, producing subtle harmonic coloration rather than heavy saturation. REAL TUBE CIRCUITS 23 carefully modeled tube circuits inspired by legendary hi-fi and guitar amplifier designs from the 1950s to today. Each model recreates key parts of the original design, including triode curves, power supply sag, transformer behavior, and natural analog drift. PRO MODE Take full control over tube circuit behavior with advanced parameters such as plate voltage, grid bias, PSU stiffness, transformer saturation, and more. Includes 5 factory presets inspired by iconic circuits, plus the ability to save and manage your own custom Pro presets. TUBE AGING Three wear stages: New, Worn, and Old. Each stage changes the tube character with increased noise, wider drift, and reduced gain. AUv3 PLUGIN Use TubeSound as an Audio Unit effect in GarageBand, AUM, or any AUv3 host. FREE TO TRY All 23 circuits are available in the trial version. During the trial, audio mutes for 3 seconds every 30 seconds. A single in-app purchase removes this limitation. FOR โ€ข audiophiles and hi-fi enthusiasts โ€ข music producers and mixing engineers โ€ข mastering and subtle harmonic coloration โ€ข guitar and instrument processing โ€ข adding analog tube character to digital audio Product names are used for reference purposes only and are not affiliated with or endorsed by their respective owners.

Screenshots

TubeSound4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Helium Remote at none against TubeSound's 1. TubeSound's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 6 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. TubeSound sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Helium Remote asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Helium Remote ships an update every 6 months, TubeSound weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 6 level
Helium Remote versus TubeSound: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHelium RemoteTubeSound
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviewsโ€”100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsWeekly โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
Monetizationโ€”Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.1 โ€” better16.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size36 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperImploded Software ABBartosz Paprzycki

In-app purchases

None

Helium Remote

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

TubeSound

One-time1
  • Unlock Full Version$5.99

Questions

Is Helium Remote free?
Helium Remote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is TubeSound free?
TubeSound is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Helium Remote or TubeSound have ads?
Neither Helium Remote nor TubeSound shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Helium Remote or TubeSound?
Helium Remote ships an update every 6 months, and TubeSound weekly. Most recently, Helium Remote was updated on October 2, 2026 and TubeSound on October 1, 2026.

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