10 Best Free TV Remote Apps for iPhone
Updated November 9, 2026 · written by AppHunt
A TV remote app turns the iPhone into the remote you lost between the cushions. All of them talk to the TV or streaming box over your home Wi-Fi, because iPhones have no infrared blaster, so the TV has to be a smart TV or have a Roku, Fire TV or Google TV device attached, and both gadgets must sit on the same network. Official apps from Roku, Amazon, Samsung, LG, Vizio and Hisense control only their own hardware but cost nothing. Universal apps from independent developers cover several brands in one place; most of them sell weekly subscriptions and lock the buttons after a trial, so we checked each listing and its reviews. Every app below can be used as a remote for free, with no trial clock running.
Roku Remote
Roku's own app replaces the remote that shipped with any Roku player or Roku TV. It finds the device on your Wi-Fi, offers the same buttons, and adds things the plastic one lacks: typing with the phone keyboard, voice search, and private listening through headphones plugged into the phone. It also browses The Roku Channel. Setup requires the Roku to sit on the same network, and the app asks you to sign in to a Roku account.
Good for: Any Roku player or Roku TV
Keep in mind: Roku calls the remote free, and the listing shows no in-app purchases (US App Store, November 9, 2026; may change). A Roku account is required. Early November 2026 reviews single out the lack of ads compared with third-party Roku remotes; the recurring complaint is that the app sometimes fails to connect when the TV is already on, and some reviewers blame the app for Roku channel subscriptions that are billed separately.
View in the App Store
Fire TV
Amazon's app for Fire TV Sticks, Cubes and Fire TV-branded sets. Once your phone and the stick share a Wi-Fi network and an Amazon account, you get a directional pad, playback keys, a keyboard for passwords and searches, and Alexa voice. You can also browse titles on the phone and send them to the big screen. A November 2026 redesign moved buttons around and, according to reviewers, dropped fast-forward and rewind from the remote screen.
Good for: Fire TV Stick, Cube and Fire TV sets
Keep in mind: Free, with no in-app purchases listed (US App Store, November 9, 2026; may change); an Amazon account and the same Wi-Fi network are required. Reviews from the first week of November 2026 are dominated by the redesigned remote: the fast-forward and rewind keys are gone from the remote screen, the new app ribbon cannot be customised, and several people say the app forgets which Fire TV it was paired with and needs reinstalling.
View in the App Store
SmartThings
Samsung has no standalone remote app; the TV remote lives inside SmartThings, its smart-home app. Add the TV and you get a full remote with a touchpad, keyboard, app shortcuts and casting, alongside control of Samsung appliances and third-party gadgets. It needs a Samsung account. Reviewers like having a backup when the remote dies but complain that the remote screen is slow to load and drops the connection.
Good for: Samsung Smart TVs and Frame TVs
Keep in mind: Free, with no in-app purchases listed (US App Store, November 9, 2026; may change); a Samsung account is required and the app asks for Local Network and Bluetooth access to find the TV. November 2026 reviews describe the remote screen stuck loading or lagging, frequent disconnects, and irritation that newer Samsung TVs push owners into the app for setup. One reviewer notes that pairing requires confirming a prompt on the TV, so it cannot rescue a TV whose only remote is already lost.
View in the App Store
RoByte
A third-party Roku remote that is clear about its split: the basic remote, play/pause and skip, and pairing with several Roku devices are free; a Premium purchase adds volume, a channel switcher, keyboard, voice search and a touchpad. It scans the network for Roku devices on its own and lets you type an IP address by hand on tricky networks. Volume on a Roku TV needs Premium, so TV-set owners get more for free from the official app.
Good for: A second free Roku remote
Keep in mind: The developer lists the free tier itself: the basic remote, the playback keys (play/pause, skip forward and back), and pairing with several Roku devices. Premium adds the channel switcher, volume control, keyboard and voice search, and the touchpad; in-app purchases run from $0.99 (keyboard) and $1.99 (volume+swipe, channels) to RoByte Pro at $2.99-$3.99 and $19.99-$23.99 (US App Store, November 9, 2026; may change). Reviews from 2025 and 2026 accept the basic remote but resent paying for volume, and several mention a yearly Pro purchase that stopped working after an update.
View in the App Store
LG ThinQ
LG's own app for its appliances and webOS TVs. Register the TV and ThinQ shows a remote with a touchpad, number pad, keyboard and app launcher; the same app runs washers, fridges and air conditioners, which is why the listing talks about appliances rather than TVs. It requires an LG account and iOS 18. Reviewers find the remote buried among other features and say it sometimes refuses to connect.
Good for: LG webOS TVs and LG appliances
Keep in mind: Free, with no in-app purchases listed (US App Store, November 9, 2026; may change); an LG account is required, and the current version needs iOS 18. The listing describes appliances and energy monitoring rather than the TV remote, but LG webOS TVs register in the same app and get an on-screen remote. November 2026 reviews call it a several-hundred-megabyte download for a remote, report connection failures and an E1021 'failed to load screen' error that reinstalling cleared, and one wants the remote to keep working while the phone is locked.
View in the App Store
VIZIO Remote
Vizio's official app, also branded VIZIO Mobile, controls SmartCast TVs and sound bars: power, volume, inputs, a keyboard, app launching and voice. It also streams WatchFree+, Vizio's ad-supported channels, on the phone itself, which is why it carries a 17+ rating. You need a Vizio account, which costs nothing. The remote half gets good marks for convenience; some owners of new iPhones report lag or failed connections.
Good for: Vizio SmartCast TVs and sound bars
Keep in mind: Free, with no in-app purchases listed (US App Store, November 9, 2026; may change); a Vizio account is required, and the WatchFree+ streaming inside the app is why it carries a 17+ rating. The remote features (power, volume, inputs, keyboard, app launch, voice) are available to every signed-in user. November 2026 reviews are mostly positive about the remote working when batteries die; one owner of a new iPhone reports it no longer connects or responds with a long delay after three trouble-free years.
View in the App Store
Remote control for LG (Oz)
An unofficial LG remote from a developer who ships one app per brand (Samsung, Vizio, TCL, Sony, Fire, Roku). It mimics the layout of LG's physical remotes, remembers the last TV, and includes a touchpad and keyboard. It is free with ads, and lately the ads are the story: many autumn 2026 reviews describe full-screen ads every few taps, some hard to close, alongside a paid ad-removal option. The last update was July 2025.
Good for: LG TVs, if you can stand ads
Keep in mind: The listing does not spell out what is free; the only in-app purchase is No Ads at $2.99 (US App Store, November 9, 2026; may change), which means the remote itself is free and ad-supported. Reviews from August to November 2026 are consistent on both points: the remote works and 'seems to be the only one that is free', but full-screen ads appear every few taps, some cannot be closed without quitting the app, and one buyer says ad removal became a subscription. The app was last updated in July 2025.
View in the App Store
TV Remote – Universal (ZAP)
A universal Wi-Fi remote covering Samsung, LG, Roku, Sony, Philips, Fire TV, Android and Google TV, Hisense and Vizio. Reviewers describe a small banner ad and otherwise free navigation, volume and playback; the exception is the power button, which several say sits behind the paid tier. The developer's site simply calls the app free. Chromecast owners note that volume control is missing on that device.
Good for: One app for several TV brands
Keep in mind: The developer's site calls the app free and the listing sells Weekly Premium at $4.99 and Annual Premium at $19.99 (US App Store, November 9, 2026; may change) without saying what Premium unlocks. Reviews from September to November 2026 fill the gap: navigation, volume and playback work free with a small banner ad, while turning the TV on or off requires Premium, and a few people say the power paywall ruined it for them. Others report the app losing the TV connection and needing a reinstall.
View in the App Store
TV Remote: Control Smart TV (Funnstudio)
From the small developer Funnstudio, this universal remote covers mainstream streaming boxes and smart TVs, discovers them on its own, and lets you switch between rooms. It has a touchpad, keyboard and voice entry, one-tap app launchers and an Apple Watch app. The membership is optional and only removes ads and adds priority support; several reviewers call it the first remote app that did not demand payment. Reviews are few but almost all positive.
Good for: Roku and other streaming devices, Apple Watch
Keep in mind: The developer calls the membership optional and says it only removes ads and adds priority support: $2.99 a month or $9.99 a year, plus tip-style purchases named Croissant ($1.99), Coffee ($2.99) and Pizza ($3.99) (US App Store, November 9, 2026; may change). Reviews from December 2025 to September 2026 are almost all five stars and repeat that everything works without paying, that the ads are tolerable, and that the Apple Watch app was reason enough for one person to subscribe. With about 15,000 ratings it is far smaller than the apps above it.
View in the App Store
VIDAA
The official remote for Hisense (and other) TVs running the VIDAA operating system, published by Hisense's US arm. It covers power, volume, channels, content search and sending photos, video and music from the phone to the TV. It only talks to VIDAA sets, so Hisense Roku TVs, Fire TVs and Google TVs need their platform's app instead. Hisense warns that compatibility varies by model.
Good for: Hisense and other VIDAA TVs
Keep in mind: Free, with no in-app purchases listed (US App Store, November 9, 2026; may change); no account is mentioned. It works only with TVs running the VIDAA operating system, which covers most Hisense smart TVs sold in the US and some Toshiba and other brands, but not Hisense models that run Roku, Fire TV or Google TV. Reviews from late 2025 to October 2026 call it the one free Hisense remote without ads; the main complaint, from July 2026, is being signed out of the TV whenever the app goes to the background.
View in the App Store
Questions and answers
Is the Roku remote app free?
Yes. Roku Remote (Official) is a free Roku remote app from Roku itself, with no in-app purchases and no ads; it only asks you to sign in to a Roku account. It works with every Roku player, Streaming Stick and Roku TV and adds a keyboard, voice search and private listening that the plastic remote lacks. Be careful with the many look-alike Roku remote apps for iPhone: Rokie, Rokumote, TV Remote for Roku and others sell weekly subscriptions from about $3 to $9 and show ads or lock buttons until you pay. The one third-party exception on this list is RoByte, whose basic remote is free while volume and the keyboard cost extra.
What is the best Firestick remote app?
For most people it is Amazon's own Fire TV app, the free firestick remote app that Amazon publishes. It pairs with any Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Cube or Fire TV-branded television on the same Wi-Fi, gives you the directional pad, playback keys, a keyboard and Alexa voice, and lists no in-app purchases. Its weak point in November 2026 is a redesign that reviewers say removed fast-forward and rewind from the remote screen. The third-party firestick remote apps in the App Store, from Kraftwerk 9, Netsis, TV Cast and others, show ads every few taps or charge $2 to $9 a week after a short trial, so none of them made this list.
Can an iPhone be a universal remote?
Only over Wi-Fi. iPhones have no infrared transmitter, so no universal remote app for iPhone can imitate the old infrared remote of a plain, non-smart TV; apps that claim to do it rely on a separate infrared dongle. What works is network control: smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, Vizio, Hisense and TCL, and streaming devices such as Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast and Apple TV, accept commands from a phone on the same network. A universal remote app simply speaks several of these protocols in one place. Expect to confirm a pairing prompt on the TV the first time, and expect power-on to work only if the TV keeps Wi-Fi awake in standby.
Is there a free universal remote app with no subscription?
A few. ZAP's TV Remote - Universal covers Samsung, LG, Roku, Sony, Philips, Fire TV, Google TV, Hisense and Vizio with a banner ad, though reviewers say power on/off needs its subscription. Funnstudio's app, TV Remote: Control Smart TV, runs free with ads and sells only ad removal. TVRem from Electronic Team is completely free with no ads and no in-app purchases, but with about 7,800 ratings it ranks below the top ten here. The best-known universal remote apps, from Evolly, Begamob, Toggle Apps and Desidari, are the opposite: hundreds of thousands of ratings, a three-day trial, then $5 to $10 a week, and recent reviews full of surprise charges.
Where is the Apple TV remote app?
You do not need a tv remote app for an Apple TV: the remote is built into iOS. Open Control Center and tap the Apple TV Remote tile; if it is not there, add it under Settings, Control Center. It gives you a touch area, Menu, Play/Pause, volume on supported TVs and the keyboard that pops up whenever the Apple TV asks for text. It needs the phone and the Apple TV on one Wi-Fi network, and newer tvOS versions can also control the TV's power and input through HDMI-CEC. Apple removed the standalone Apple TV Remote app from the App Store years ago, so anything with that name from another developer is not Apple's.
Why can't the remote app find my TV?
Nine times out of ten the phone and the TV are not on the same network. Check that the iPhone is on Wi-Fi, not cellular, and on the same router as the TV; a guest network, a mesh satellite with isolation turned on or a VPN on the phone will hide the TV. Give the app Local Network permission in Settings, Privacy & Security. The TV has to be on for the first pairing, and some brands require you to press Allow on the screen with the physical remote. Roku TVs need Control by mobile apps enabled in Settings. Hotel and dorm TVs almost never work because the hotel network blocks device-to-device traffic.
Should I use the official remote app or a third-party one?
Start with the official tv remote app for iPhone from your TV or streaming brand: Roku Remote, Fire TV, SmartThings for Samsung, LG ThinQ, VIZIO Remote and VIDAA for Hisense are all free, carry no ads and get the full button set, including power and volume. Reach for a universal app when you have TVs from several brands, when the official app needs an account you would rather not create, or when the brand has none, as with many Android TV boxes. The best tv remote app is the one that connects reliably on your network, so try the free one first and keep the subscription money.
How is the list ordered?
Places 1–10 are ordered by the number of ratings each app has in the US App Store, one app per developer. Only apps whose main job is controlling a TV or streaming box from the iPhone, and that let you do it for free with no time limit, qualify; apps that paywall the remote after a trial or a few taps were left out even when they have hundreds of thousands of ratings. The count shows how many people use an app, not which one connects best. No app of ours is on this list.