HomeCam for HomeKit vs Patch Vault
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HomeCam for HomeKit
View multiple HomeKit cameras simultaneously and control connected accessories based on environmental data like temperature and air quality. Interact with cameras using their microphone and speaker, and secure access with biometric authentication.
- View multiple cameras live
- Control HomeKit accessories
- Display environmental data layers
- Siri Shortcuts integration
- Two-way audio communication
- Biometric security (FaceID/TouchID)
- Apple Watch and Apple TV support
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HomeCam is the best way to monitor multiple Apple Home cameras. View every camera live at the same time, control nearby accessories without leaving the video, and keep an eye on your entire home from a single screen. Unlike the built-in Home app, HomeCam is designed specifically for homes with multiple cameras, making it faster and easier to see everything that’s happening at a glance. Featured by MacStories, 9to5Mac and iDownloadBlog. “I can’t recommend HomeCam enough if you own multiple HomeKit cameras.” - MacStories “HomeCam is essential if you have more than one HomeKit camera.” - 9to5Mac • Watch Every Camera Live View all of your Apple Home cameras simultaneously with true live video, not delayed snapshots. Monitor your entire home in real time without constantly switching between individual camera views. • Control Your Home While You Watch Adjust lights, thermostats and other nearby Apple Home accessories without leaving your camera feed. See something? Respond instantly. • Camera Data at a Glance Overlay useful information from nearby accessories, including temperature, humidity and air quality directly on top of your camera view, helping you better understand what’s happening in every room. • Full Screen Camera View Open any camera in full screen to use two-way audio with supported cameras, zoom in for a closer look, and focus on the areas that matter most. • Siri Shortcuts Launch your favourite camera views instantly with Siri or the Shortcuts app. Get to your cameras with a single voice command or automation. • Privacy First Protect HomeCam with Face ID, Touch ID or a passcode so only you can access your camera feeds. • Apple Watch Check your cameras live from your wrist and use two-way audio with supported cameras. • iPad Monitor more cameras at once on the larger display and navigate quickly with built-in keyboard shortcuts. • Apple TV Turn your television into a live security dashboard and monitor every camera from the comfort of your couch. One purchase gives you HomeCam on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple TV.
Patch Vault
Organize and catalog your patch and challenge coin collections with detailed records, photos, and tracking. Easily search, filter, and view item origins on a map. Gain insights into your collection's trends and history.
- Catalog patches and challenge coins
- Add multiple photos
- Track detailed item information
- Search and filter collection
- View origins on interactive map
- Review collection stats and trends
- Sync privately with iCloud
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Keep your patches, challenge coins, and badges organized, photographed, and easy to find. Patch Vault brings your collection's details together on iPhone and iPad. Record the department, station, location, acquisition date, purchase price, tags, notes, and photos for every item, whether it came from a trade, station visit, event, or gift. - Catalog patches, challenge coins, and badges in one collection. - Search names, departments, locations, tags, and notes. - Combine tag, type, format, and favorite filters to find the items you want. - Explore where your items came from on an interactive map. - Sort by title, department, date, price, or recently added. - Earn achievements for collection size, geography, photos, and more. Track progress and share milestones. - Share individual items, collection summaries, and achievements as image cards. - Add photos from other apps using the share sheet. - Keep collection totals and achievement progress close with Home Screen widgets. - Use Siri and Shortcuts for collection stats or a random patch, and find items in Spotlight. - Sync your collection across your devices with iCloud. - Export backups with photos, restore your collection, or export a CSV spreadsheet. - Personalize your app icon and tint. Made for collectors of fire, police, EMS, dispatch, search and rescue, military, government, and other patches, coins, and badges. Start free with up to 25 items and one photo per item. Vault Unlock is an optional, one-time in-app purchase that adds unlimited items, unlimited photos per item, and collection charts.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Patch Vault at 100% against HomeCam for HomeKit's 55%. Patch Vault also leads on price (Free vs $7.99) and rating (5.0 vs 3.7). HomeCam for HomeKit's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ads (none vs shown).
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Patch Vault is free to download; HomeCam for HomeKit costs $7.99 up front. Patch Vault sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. HomeCam for HomeKit asks for nothing beyond the download.
Patch Vault holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HomeCam for HomeKit has 232 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of HomeCam for HomeKit's written reviews are positive against 100% of Patch Vault's.
HomeCam for HomeKit ships an update every 2 months, Patch Vault fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HomeCam for HomeKit | Patch Vault |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $7.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.7 (232 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 54.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 232 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #103 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 59 MB |
| Age rating | +4 | 4+ |
| Developer | Pearce Media Limited | Robotic Snail Software LLC |
Customer experience
HomeCam for HomeKit
Patch Vault
Bugs and requests
HomeCam for HomeKit
Reported bugs
4 issues- Cameras randomly deselecting
- Inconsistent performance on Apple Watch
- Stretched camera aspect ratios
- Unreliable remote access
Requested features
5 requests- Picture-in-picture mode
- Customizable camera layouts
- Support for non-HomeKit cameras
- Ability to view recordings
- More widget and complication options
Patch Vault
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
HomeCam for HomeKit
No in-app purchases
Patch Vault
- Small Tip$0.99
- Medium Tip$4.99
- Large Tip$9.99
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- Premium$14.99
Questions
Is HomeCam for HomeKit free?
Is Patch Vault free?
Which has better reviews, HomeCam for HomeKit or Patch Vault?
Do HomeCam for HomeKit or Patch Vault have ads?
Which is updated more often, HomeCam for HomeKit or Patch Vault?
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