Comparison

SecuritySpy vs IP Camera Viewer

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

SecuritySpy

Monitor and control your macOS CCTV camera system remotely from your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV. View live feeds, playback recordings, and receive motion detection alerts. Essential for a complete video surveillance setup.

Highlights
  • Live video and audio streaming
  • Playback of recordings
  • Motion detection push notifications
  • PTZ camera control
  • Two-way audio communication
  • Remote arm/disarm recording modes
Features
Read full description

The official iPhone, iPad and Apple TV app for our macOS CCTV software SecuritySpy (securityspy.com). The essential component of a complete video surveillance system for your Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple TV, this app allows you to easily monitor and control your camera system from wherever you are. This iOS app is completely free for registered SecuritySpy users, and also fully functional during the initial trial period. It offers the following features: - Live video and audio from your cameras - Multiplex: cycle through groups of simultaneous live camera views in full screen - Captures: play back recordings, including motion-detected clips, image files or whole-day movies - Save/share images and recordings via email, iMessage, iCloud Photo Sharing and more - Picture in Picture: watch a live camera in a floating window over other apps - Receive push notifications when motion is detected - PTZ control (Pan, Tilt, Zoom) - Two-way audio - Arm or disarm camera recording modes - Easy setup with auto-discovery of SecuritySpy servers on your network - View and manage multiple SecuritySpy servers Please note you will need a Mac running SecuritySpy 5.5.11 or later (securityspy.com), with a license that covers the number of cameras you want to use in the app. We are always happy to hear your feedback, so please get in touch if you have any suggestions for future updates.

About

IP Camera Viewer

This app allows you to view and record footage from various IP cameras, including CCTV and baby monitors. It can also transform your old phones or tablets into security cameras. Enjoy private, local storage and on-device AI detection for alerts.

Highlights
  • Auto-discovery of ONVIF & RTSP cameras
  • Use iPhone/iPad/Mac cameras as security monitors
  • Unified viewer for all camera brands
  • On-device AI detection (people, vehicles, pets)
  • Remote viewing via home hub
  • Local storage for recordings and screenshots
  • iCloud sync for media gallery
Features
Read full description

Cam Hero is a state of the art CCTV & IP Camera viewer and recorder made to fall in love with! Discover all your cameras with a single tap, connect and start using - or pair any of your old phone or tablets to turn them into security cameras! Why Cam Hero? - Easy to use - Private and Secure - designed for total privacy - Works on your local network – No internet required - All your cameras in one place – one app for all your different camera brands - Connect plug-and-play USB cameras - Turn your iPhone, iPad and Mac built-in cameras into security & monitoring cameras Who is Cam Hero for? - Home & business owners with IP CCTV cameras looking to keep an eye on their premises - Parents who want to turn spare phone, tablet or USB cameras into reliable baby monitors - Pet lovers who want to use their spare phone, tablet or USB cameras to keep an eye on their furry friends - Privacy-conscious users who value local storage and no internet dependency Key Features: - Auto-discovery of ONVIF & RTSP cameras - Connect plug and play USB cameras - Use your iPhone, iPad or Mac camera for security monitoring - Unified viewer for all brands: Axis, Amcrest, Reolink, TP-Link, Tapo, Eufy, Hikvision, Dahua, Lorex, Vivotek, Avigilon, Swann, Foscam, and more - Supports RTSP, MJPEG, HLS & more - Up to 4K resolution - Built-in gallery to organise your screenshots and recordings - Remote viewing - view all your cameras outside your local network using another device as a home hub - Smart on-device AI – Detects people, vehicles, pets - Smart notifications – Get alerts when events are detected - iCloud sync – Access your cameras and gallery across iPhone, iPad, Mac & Apple TV - Record & screenshot your camera streams easily - Apple Silicon optimised – Beautiful native apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV - Supports modern codecs – H.264, H.265, AV1, and more - Quick customer support Features in Detail - Privacy-First Architecture Cam Hero operates entirely on your local network—no servers, no cloud dependencies. Your camera streams remain private, ensuring complete control over your data. All recordings and events are stored only locally on your device. - On-Device AI Detection Leverage built-in AI to detect humans, vehicles, and pets directly on your device. This ensures quick, accurate alerts without compromising your privacy. - Remote viewing Cam Hero works beyond your local network. Use one Cam Hero instance (for instance running on you Apple TV or Mac) as a home hub connected to your local network. You can then open Cam Hero on any other device outside your local network (for instance, your iPhone on cellular) and view your camera feeds remotely. All camera streams are relayed by the home hub instance with a secure peer-to-peer connection between your devices. - Integrated Media Gallery with iCloud Capture and store screenshots or video recordings within Cam Hero's built-in gallery. Optionally, enable iCloud sync giving you easy access to your gallery anytime, anywhere, any device - Cross-Platform Support Cam Hero is optimised for iPhone, iPad, Mac (Apple Silicon), and Apple TV, providing a consistent experience across all your Apple devices. - Customizable Interface Tailor your viewing experience with features like video wall mode, customisable camera tiles, and patrol mode - Subscriptions & Pricing Cam Hero is free to download and offers a generous free tier to get started. Power user can unlock premium features with a single Premium plan available via In-App Purchases with monthly & yearly pricing. We also have a convenient one-time payment Lifetime purchase option At Cam Hero, we are tirelessly working on adding great, new features that you will love. If you have any feedback or need any support, we are always available for you! Privacy policy: https://www.camhero.app/privacy Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Customer support and feedback: https://www.camhero.app/support

Screenshots

SecuritySpy4 screens
IP Camera Viewer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: IP Camera Viewer at 4.6 against SecuritySpy's 3.5. SecuritySpy's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and ratings volume (86 vs 25). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. SecuritySpy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and IP Camera Viewer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

IP Camera Viewer holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 86 and 25 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 57% of SecuritySpy's written reviews are positive against 53% of IP Camera Viewer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SecuritySpy ships an update every 3 weeks, IP Camera Viewer monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and August 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
SecuritySpy versus IP Camera Viewer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSecuritySpyIP Camera Viewer
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (86 ratings)4.6 (25 ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.3% of reviews — better53.3% of reviews
Number of ratings86 — better25
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TViPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB77 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBen Software LtdRaktim Bora

Customer experience

SecuritySpy

All ratings86 ratings
Positive55.8%
Neutral14.0%
Negative30.2%
Written reviews103 reviews
Positive57.3%
Neutral13.6%
Negative29.1%

IP Camera Viewer

All ratings25 ratings
Positive84.0%
Neutral12.0%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive53.3%
Neutral20.0%
Negative26.7%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

SecuritySpy

One-time1
  • Multiplex & Captures$5.99
3 purchases

IP Camera Viewer

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly7 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$129.99

Questions

Is SecuritySpy free?
SecuritySpy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is IP Camera Viewer free?
IP Camera Viewer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SecuritySpy or IP Camera Viewer?
IP Camera Viewer is rated higher. SecuritySpy averages 3.5 out of 5 from 86 ratings, while IP Camera Viewer averages 4.6 from 25 ratings.
Do SecuritySpy or IP Camera Viewer have ads?
Neither SecuritySpy nor IP Camera Viewer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SecuritySpy or IP Camera Viewer?
SecuritySpy ships an update every 3 weeks, and IP Camera Viewer monthly. Most recently, SecuritySpy was updated on September 19, 2026 and IP Camera Viewer on August 17, 2026.

Other comparisons