Remutto guide

Free TV remote apps for iPhone: which ones are really free?

By Tim Grootes, Bumblly · Last updated November 15, 2026

Short answer: the remote apps that are free without a paywall are the TV makers' own apps, one per brand, and the Apple TV Remote built into your iPhone. Most of them want an account. The universal remote apps that call themselves free are free to download, but the three big ones we checked all show ads and sell weekly or yearly plans. And no iPhone app can control a TV that only listens to infrared.

We make Remutto, a universal TV remote app, so we are one of the apps in this guide. We start with the free options from the TV makers, because for many people they are the better free choice.

Free by brand

The free remote app for each TV brand

Every big TV platform has its own free remote app for iPhone. They are made by the TV maker, they show no in-app purchases on the App Store, and they work with that one brand only.

"None listed" means the US App Store page showed no in-app purchases when we checked on November 15, 2026.

If all your TVs and streaming sticks come from one brand and you do not mind an account, this is the free remote to use. Our step-by-step guides for Samsung, LG, Roku and Fire TV show how each one connects.

Universal apps

What “free” means in universal remote apps

Universal remote apps control several brands from one app, which is handy with a Samsung in the living room and a Roku in the bedroom. The download is free. What you get for free after that differs a lot, so we looked at the App Store page of the three best-known universal remote apps, and our own.

As shown on each app's US App Store page on November 15, 2026. Prices differ per country and can change; the App Store shows your price before you pay.

Weekly plans add up. A $4.99 weekly plan costs $259.48 over 52 weeks; a one-time purchase is paid once. Before you tap a free trial, look for three things on the App Store page: Contains Ads next to the price, the list of In-App Purchases, and the App Privacy label further down.

Our app

What is free in Remutto, and what is not

Remutto works with Samsung, LG, Roku, Fire TV, Google TV and Apple TV HD/4K, plus Philips, Sony BRAVIA, Panasonic VIERA and VIZIO SmartCast models with network control, all from one app and without an account. Here is exactly what is free:

• The first minutes: after your first connection, the whole remote is free for 3 minutes, so you can see whether it works with your TV.
• Every day after that: 5 basic presses a day stay free: power, volume, mute, the arrows, OK, Back and Home. They come back at midnight.
• Remutto Pro: the whole remote with no daily limit, plus the keyboard, touchpad, playback and channel buttons, app shortcuts, input switching, several TVs and a remote on Apple Watch. Pro is a one-time purchase. The monthly and yearly items you may see in the App Store list are no longer offered to new buyers: they are for people who subscribed earlier, who keep their plan. On Google Play, Lifetime was $7.99 in the US when we checked.

There are no ads in Remutto, and TV commands go from your phone straight to the TV over your home network, with no Bumblly server in between (see the Remutto privacy policy). So if you only need power and volume now and then, Remutto's free presses may be enough. If you need the full remote every day on one brand, the TV maker's free app costs you nothing.

Step by step

Set up a free remote app on your iPhone

1. Check that the TV is on your Wi-Fi. A phone app talks to the TV over your home network. A smart TV, or a streaming stick such as a Roku or Fire TV, must be connected to it. A TV that has never been online cannot be reached.
2. Put your iPhone on the same network. Use the same Wi-Fi as the TV, not a guest network, and turn off any VPN on the iPhone.
3. Pick the free app for your TV. Use the table above: SmartThings for Samsung, LG ThinQ for LG, Roku's own app for Roku, the Google TV app for Google TV, the Amazon Fire TV app for Fire TV. For an Apple TV you need no app: use Apple TV Remote in Control Center.
4. Allow Local Network access. When the app asks to find devices on your local network, tap Allow. Without it, no app can see the TV. You can change it later under Settings, Privacy & Security, Local Network.
5. Pair the phone with the TV. Follow the prompt. Samsung and LG TVs ask you to allow the phone on the TV screen; Google TV and Fire TV show a code that you type on the iPhone; a Roku usually needs nothing.
6. If the TV does not show up. Turn the TV on with its own button first; many TVs drop off the network in deep standby. Our guide on turning on a TV without the remote explains why.

Choose

Which free option fits you

• One TV brand, an account is fine: the TV maker's app from the table above.
• Apple TV: Apple TV Remote in Control Center. No download needed.
• Several brands, or no account: a universal app. Check the ads and the plans on the App Store page before you start a trial. Remutto's free tier covers the basic buttons every day.
• An older TV without Wi-Fi: an iPhone has no infrared emitter (Apple's spec list for iPhone 17 names none), so no iPhone app can control it, free or paid. A replacement remote is the fix; see what to do when the TV remote is lost.

Want to compare features rather than prices? Our comparison of TV remote apps for iPhone goes through support per TV, keyboards and accounts.

Related

Related guides

• Best TV remote app for iPhone: which one fits your TV?

  Official brand apps and universal remote apps compared, feature by feature.

• How to use your phone as a TV remote

  How a phone talks to a TV over Wi-Fi, which TVs work, and the steps.

• How to control a Samsung TV without the remote

  The button on the TV, SmartThings, or your phone over Wi-Fi.

• Roku without a remote: use your phone instead

  Roku's own app, and the setting that blocks phone apps.

• All Bumblly guides

  Every guide from the Bumblly studio, by app.