The Aurender software is regularly updated so this is not correct at all, it depends on the manufacturer. Both the ACS10 and the N20 can act as Roon end point, in fact all new Aurenders can. However the Aurender Conductor app has superior sound quality compared to Roon and clearly heard through...
I got Roon lifetime subscription years ago, maybe not the first tier but definitely 2nd tier pricing.
I have the Aurender N20 and ACS10 and before that had the N10. Haven't used Roon in years, as the Aurender software is superior. I have done various network optimization and my DAC is a MSB...