Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

The Roku App (Official) vs RoByte

The Roku App (Official) 4.7★ · Free to download 70
Winner The Roku App (Official)
RoByte 4.5★ · Free + IAP 45

The Roku App (Official) is the better choice for most users due to its free access to all core remote features, despite its connection issues and recent UI changes.

Full reviews: The Roku App (Official) · RoByte

The Roku App (Official) is the free, official remote control for Roku devices, offering features like private listening and a full remote interface. RoByte is a third-party alternative that requires payment for essential features like volume control, leading to user frustration, though some prefer its ad-free experience.

Head to head

Features edge: The Roku App (Official)R3R5R6R23
The Roku App (Official) Users appreciate The Roku App for its private listening feature, which allows them to use headphones with their TV R41R51. It also serves as a convenient remote control, especially when the physical remote is lost R5R23. However, some users dislike recent UI changes, such as the new center OK button and changes to input navigation R3. There are also complaints about the inability to turn off auto-playing next episodes R6.
RoByte RoByte offers basic remote control functionality, but many essential features like volume control and power buttons are locked behind a paywall R69R80. Some users note that the app used to have power and volume buttons for player devices, which were removed in a recent update . The keyboard and pause button also do not work on all apps .
Ease of Use & Reliability tieR1R10R12R18
The Roku App (Official) Many users find The Roku App easy to use for basic remote functions . However, a significant number of reviews highlight persistent connection issues, with the app frequently disconnecting, taking a long time to connect, or failing to connect at all R10R12R18R22. The private listening feature also has reliability problems, with users reporting frequent disconnections R1R60.
RoByte RoByte also suffers from significant connection problems, with users reporting that it frequently fails to connect, is unresponsive, or requires constant restarts R70. Some users also find the navigation frustrating, with the screen moving unintentionally after pressing a button . A major point of frustration is the requirement to authorize use with a physical remote even when trying to use the app .
Price/Value edge: The Roku App (Official)R7R15R28R55
The Roku App (Official) The Roku App is free to download and use, and users appreciate not having to pay for remote functionality R55R89. However, some users complain about being charged for subscriptions they canceled or didn't authorize R7R28. There are also complaints about an increase in ads on the Roku platform in general R15.
RoByte RoByte is a 'free' app but requires in-app purchases or a subscription to unlock basic features like volume control, power buttons, and easy launch R69. Users express significant frustration over paying for features that are free in the official app R89. Some users who paid for a lifetime or annual subscription found it stopped working after updates, leading to a feeling of being scammed .
Support tieR16R28R70R114
The Roku App (Official) Users report a complete lack of accessible customer support for The Roku App, with no way to contact a real person or even a chatbot for technical issues or billing problems R16R28.
RoByte Users of RoByte also report difficulty contacting developers, with no contact information available on their website R70. There are also complaints about not being able to unsubscribe from the app R114.
Pick The Roku App (Official) if

You want a free remote app with private listening and don't mind occasional connection glitches or recent UI changes R5R41R51R55.

Pick RoByte if

You are willing to pay for an ad-free experience and prefer a third-party app over the official one due to privacy concerns, despite the paid features and connection issues .

Evidence note: Reviews for both apps heavily focus on connection issues and remote functionality. RoByte's negative reviews are strongly skewed by its paid features, which are free in the official app, creating an asymmetry in user expectations.

Frequently asked

Do I need to pay to use the Roku remote apps?
The Roku App (Official) is free to download and use, offering all core remote features without charge R55R89. RoByte, a third-party app, requires in-app purchases or a subscription, costing $3.99 a month or $23 for the year, to unlock essential features like volume control and power buttons R69R80.
Which app has better connection reliability?
Both The Roku App (Official) and RoByte suffer from significant connection issues, with users reporting frequent disconnections, long connection times, or complete failure to connect (R10, R12, R22, R40, for App A; R70, , , for App B).
Can I use headphones with these apps?
Yes, The Roku App (Official) offers a private listening feature that allows users to listen with headphones, though some users report it can be buggy or disconnect frequently R41R51R60. RoByte's reviews do not mention a private listening feature.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R3] The Roku App (Official) 3/5 · US Center OK button: I don't like the new center OK button
  2. [R5] The Roku App (Official) 5/5 · US Good for remote: I’m a lazy girl so when my clicker is to far away from me I just use my phone for the remote and it’s nice so yeh
  3. [R6] The Roku App (Official) 3/5 · US Could be better: This many years into the streaming era has not having the ability to turn off auto-playing the next episode of a TV series keeps this app basic and out of the majors. Same goes for its companion, Howdy.
  4. [R23] The Roku App (Official) 5/5 · US Lost my remote: I downloaded the app because I lost my remote•_•.
  5. [R1] The Roku App (Official) 1/5 · US Update sucks: Updated app because it kept dropping the private listening. Now it won’t control my sound at all?!!!
  6. [R10] The Roku App (Official) 1/5 · US Terrible: Controller takes 5 tries to actually connect and multiple open and closing of app
  7. [R12] The Roku App (Official) 3/5 · US Doesn’t work all the time: Sometimes it takes me a few minutes to get it to work and every few months it stops working and I have to delete it and reinstall for it to work again but when it does work it’s nice
  8. [R18] The Roku App (Official) 3/5 · GB Bug issue: Very handy and useful, bugs stressful. We use this app as we keep losing remotes but when we try to connect to the TV it takes a while and wastes time and causes frustration.
  9. [R7] The Roku App (Official) 1/5 · US Charges: Money keeps taken away me even after I cancel subscriptions
  10. [R15] The Roku App (Official) 3/5 · US Adds: Roku in general is far too heavy on adds.
  11. [R28] The Roku App (Official) 1/5 · US ROKU: I’m getting charged $8.55 per month to have ROKU and I have never used it as I don’t know how and I don’t know how I got enrolled in it and I don’t know how to get out of it so I don’t have to pay for this service I don’t use. Please help me out. I don’t know where to call if that’s what I need to do. I’m not tech-savvy so please help.
  12. [R55] The Roku App (Official) 5/5 · US Love it: No ads , easy to access , i would say 10/10. best remote app to use i hope they do not add any ads anytime soon
  13. [R16] The Roku App (Official) 1/5 · US No chat, no phone: There’s no way to contact a real person or even a chat bot on Roku. I subscribed to Fox one to watch World Cup soccer. All of a sudden the screen changed to a “Your program will return soon.” There’s absolutely no tech support available to figure out why I’m getting this message. I’m thinking about switching to a different streaming device. 🤬
  14. [R70] RoByte 1/5 · US Don’t waste your money on this app!: I can find no place to contact the developers to report problems. Even their one page website has no contact information. So I’m trying here. This app used to work great. Recent versions of the app have continuous connection problems. I get frequent connect to Wi-Fi errors when my iPhone is already connected. Then it can’t find the Rokus I have even though I
  15. [R114] RoByte 1/5 · US Unsubscribe: There is no buttons to unsubscribe! Please advise!
  16. [R69] RoByte 3/5 · US This comment is a question for the developer: Developer this app is good just why do you need to pay for the volume the quick pass? It’s OK to keep but why do you have to pay for the volume?
  17. [R80] RoByte 4/5 · US Roku: I like the app a lot but I’m upset that I have to pay to use volume
  18. [R89] RoByte 5/5 · US Love it: I just don’t like that we have to pay bc I also have the roco app and it is free
  19. [R22] The Roku App (Official) 2/5 · US roku: takes damn near 30 minutes to connect it to my tv even if they’re connected to the same wifi and wont connect even when it pops up just does the count down then nothing happens
  20. [R40] The Roku App (Official) 1/5 · US i wish it worked for more than 1 second: this app would be so convenient if it actually worked. i open it and it takes forever to connect and when it does i can click one button before it disconnects again. please make an app that actually works. i feel like im being ragebaited.
  21. [R41] The Roku App (Official) 5/5 · US Upgraded Experience: So nice to not have buy replacement batteries any more. And the headphone connection feature has made living in an apartment with thin walls easier.
  22. [R51] The Roku App (Official) 5/5 · US Awesome: The app allows me to listen with my AirPods. The best idea
  23. [R60] The Roku App (Official) 2/5 · US Private Listening: Man the private listening is not working anymore I don’t now what you guys did to the app but bring it back. Before the private listening worked fine now even with the aux cable I still can’t get it to work? It screen mirrors fine but not words come out?

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store