# Emby vs Play Remote

The clearest difference is rating: Emby at 3.1 against Play Remote's 2.3. Emby also leads on review sentiment (31% vs 0%) and ratings volume (647 vs 3). Play Remote's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 weeks). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Emby sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Play Remote asks for nothing beyond the download.

Emby holds the better App Store score, 3.1 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Emby has 647 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of Emby's written reviews are positive against 0% of Play Remote's.

Emby ships an update every 3 weeks, Play Remote every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Emby | Play Remote |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.1 (647 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emby/id992180193/reviews)** | [2.3 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/play-remote/id1526091040/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **647** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | **30.8% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 131 MB | 50 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Emby Media](https://appshunter.io/developer/992180192) | [Shenzhen Yuemei Technology Co.,Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1691025722) |

## What reviewers say

### Emby

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emby/id992180193)

Unite your personal videos, music, and photos into a single, accessible library. Stream your media to any device with automatic on-the-fly conversion and elegant organization. Share with friends and family, and manage access with robust parental controls.

**Highlights:** Personal media aggregation, On-the-fly media conversion, Elegant media organization, Media sharing with friends/family, Parental controls, Cloud-synced media streaming

**Features:** Family Sharing, Siri integration, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Emby Premiere | $6.99 | per month |
| Unlock Playback | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app
- 👍 Awesome interface
- 🚀 Flawless performance
- 🚀 Smooth playback
- 👍 Customizable home screen

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Buggy app
- 🐛 Unreliable Chromecast support
- 🔒 Paywall for basic functionality
- 🐛 Playback issues

**Reported bugs**

- Playback errors
- Inability to play certain file formats
- Disconnection issues
- Syncing problems
- Crashes on launch

**Requested features**

- Picture-in-picture mode
- Swipe gestures for navigation
- Improved music management
- Offline playback enhancements
- Chromecast improvements


### Play Remote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/play-remote/id1526091040)

Control your DMP series Digital Audio Player from your mobile device. Manage music libraries, playlists, and player settings for a seamless listening experience.

**Highlights:** Mobile control for DMP audio players, Music library management, Playlist organization, Favorite song management, Working mode settings

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Emby free?

Emby is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Play Remote free?

Play Remote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Emby or Play Remote?

Emby is rated higher. Emby averages 3.1 out of 5 from 647 ratings, while Play Remote averages 2.3 from 3 ratings.

### Do Emby or Play Remote have ads?

Neither Emby nor Play Remote shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Emby or Play Remote?

Emby ships an update every 3 weeks, and Play Remote every 10 days. Most recently, Emby was updated on October 15, 2026 and Play Remote on October 3, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*